Jim McCormick (author)
Encyclopedia
James Maxwell "Jim" McCormick (born April 15, 1956) is an American speaker, author, and professional skydiver. He holds five skydiving world records and was a member of an international expedition that skydived to the North Pole. He is known for his expertise in intelligent risk-taking and innovation.
at the University of Southern California
. During his junior year, he studied at the Institute for European Studies in Vienna, Austria.
Eight years after earning his undergraduate degree, McCormick earned an MBA in finance and marketing from the Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine
. He was keynote speaker at the school's commencement activities.
McCormick was awarded the Department of Energy Exceptional Service Medal by Secretary Hodel.
McCormick is a Professional Exhibition Skydiver and has jumped into numerous public events, including the inaugural Opening Day at AT&T Park
(then named Pacific Bell Park) in San Francisco when he delivered soil gathered from every major league baseball field to the new stadium. Other venues and events he's jumped into include Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the Triathlon World Championships in Cleveland, Invesco Field at Mile High
in Denver, and the NASCAR California 500 at the California Speedway
.
On April 18, 1995 McCormick landed a parachute at the North Pole
, after exiting an Ilyushin Il-76
jet aircraft flown from Khatanga, Siiberia.
On July 26, 1998, McCormick was a member of a team that set a world skydiving record above Skydive Chicago, in Ottawa, Illinois. The team built a formation of 246 skydivers that we held for 7.25 seconds. His second skydiving world record was earned on December 12, 2002 as a member of the Arizona Airspeed Skydive Arizona World Record team that build a formation of 300 skydivers.
On April 18, 2004, McCormick was a member of the Z-Team when it set a world record above Zephyrhills, Florida for the largest skydive consisting of two different formations. That record was 121. He was also a member of the American delegation to World Team 2006, the largest multi-national sports team ever assembled to pursue a common goal. On February 8, 2006, World Team skydivers representing thirty-five countries successfully established the current world record by creating the largest skydiving formation ever built in the skies above Udon Thani, Thailand. The record was set when 400 World Team skydiving, exiting five C-130 Hercules military transports flying at 25,000 feet, linked together into a precisely designed formation in the colors and patterns of the Thai flag that existed for only 4.25 seconds.
In March 2007, Z-Team reconvened in Zephyrhills, Florida in an attempt to break their own world record established three years before. On March 31, they succeeded when 139 skydivers built two different formations on one jump.
With a number of other notable skydivers, in 2008 McCormick was on a skydiving team that was featured in an award-winning television commercial for Honda Motors UK
, titled "difficult is worth doing", in which the team formed three difficult and intricate formations.
.
He speaks regularly to corporate, association, and public sector audiences. His corporate speaking clients include AFLAC, Accenture, Bank of America, CDW, FedEx, Hewlett-Packard, PepsiCo, Rugters University, The Clorox Company, Siemens Unilever, Verizon and Wells Fargo.
"A consistent pattern of risk-taking will yield rewards you otherwise would never experience."
"The greatest rewards in life go to the risk-takers."
"Live such that the days of your life and your days alive count the same."
Education
McCormick attended elementary, intermediate and high schools in Tustin, California where he assumed numerous student leadership positions including student representative to the Board of Education. He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in construction management from the Viterbi SchoolViterbi School of Engineering
The Viterbi School of Engineering is located at the University of Southern California in the United States. It was renamed following a $52 million donation by Andrew Viterbi...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. During his junior year, he studied at the Institute for European Studies in Vienna, Austria.
Eight years after earning his undergraduate degree, McCormick earned an MBA in finance and marketing from the Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
. He was keynote speaker at the school's commencement activities.
Career
After founding a small, Los Angeles-based trucking company, McCormick moved into real estate finance in Newport Beach, California. He served three years in the Reagan Administration in Washington, DC and then returned to the private sector in southern California. He served as Vice President, Construction and Development for the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic and the University of California, Irvine and was responsible for funding and building the facility. He then returned to real estate finance with Westmont Investment Company as vice president and project partner. He was then recruited to serve as Chief Operating Officer by Anshen+Allen Architects, the fifth largest architectural firm in the United States. This was the last position he held before becoming a full-time speaker, author, coach, and consultant.Government Service
McCormick served in the U.S. Department of Energy during Ronald Reagan's first term. From 1981 to 1984, the positions he held included:- Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Congressional, Intergovernmental and Public Affairs, Robert OdleRobert C. Odle, Jr.Robert C. Odle, Jr. is an American lawyer, based in Washington, D.C..Mr. Odle joined the Washington office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP after serving as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Mr. Odle represents clients on a wide range of matters before Congress, and agencies,...
- Aide to Secretary James B. EdwardsJames B. EdwardsJames Burrows Edwards is a politician and administrator from South Carolina. He was the first Republican to be elected the Governor of South Carolina since Reconstruction.-Early life and career:...
- Staff Assistant to Secretary Donald P. HodelDonald P. HodelDonald Paul Hodel is a former United States Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Interior, and Chairman of the company FreeEats.com/ccAdvertising, which has had a controversial role disseminating push polls for the Economic Freedom Fund...
- Special Assistant to the General Counsel (the first non-attorney in the department's history to hold this position)
McCormick was awarded the Department of Energy Exceptional Service Medal by Secretary Hodel.
Skydiving
McCormick started skydiving on June 25, 1988 in Perris, California. As of January, 2010, he has logged more than 3,000 skydives and over fifty-three hours of freefall. Included in this are jumps from 31,000 feet - the highest altitude civilian skydives. He has jumped from a plane in flight as many as forty-five times in a single day and was a tandem skydiving instructor for five years.McCormick is a Professional Exhibition Skydiver and has jumped into numerous public events, including the inaugural Opening Day at AT&T Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
(then named Pacific Bell Park) in San Francisco when he delivered soil gathered from every major league baseball field to the new stadium. Other venues and events he's jumped into include Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the Triathlon World Championships in Cleveland, Invesco Field at Mile High
INVESCO Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001...
in Denver, and the NASCAR California 500 at the California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
.
On April 18, 1995 McCormick landed a parachute at the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, after exiting an Ilyushin Il-76
Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engined strategic airlifter designed by Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967. Intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-12, the Il-76 was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas...
jet aircraft flown from Khatanga, Siiberia.
On July 26, 1998, McCormick was a member of a team that set a world skydiving record above Skydive Chicago, in Ottawa, Illinois. The team built a formation of 246 skydivers that we held for 7.25 seconds. His second skydiving world record was earned on December 12, 2002 as a member of the Arizona Airspeed Skydive Arizona World Record team that build a formation of 300 skydivers.
On April 18, 2004, McCormick was a member of the Z-Team when it set a world record above Zephyrhills, Florida for the largest skydive consisting of two different formations. That record was 121. He was also a member of the American delegation to World Team 2006, the largest multi-national sports team ever assembled to pursue a common goal. On February 8, 2006, World Team skydivers representing thirty-five countries successfully established the current world record by creating the largest skydiving formation ever built in the skies above Udon Thani, Thailand. The record was set when 400 World Team skydiving, exiting five C-130 Hercules military transports flying at 25,000 feet, linked together into a precisely designed formation in the colors and patterns of the Thai flag that existed for only 4.25 seconds.
In March 2007, Z-Team reconvened in Zephyrhills, Florida in an attempt to break their own world record established three years before. On March 31, they succeeded when 139 skydivers built two different formations on one jump.
With a number of other notable skydivers, in 2008 McCormick was on a skydiving team that was featured in an award-winning television commercial for Honda Motors UK
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, titled "difficult is worth doing", in which the team formed three difficult and intricate formations.
Speaking, Writing, Coaching, and Consulting
After returning from the international skydiving expedition to the North Pole in 1995, McCormick drew on that experience to become a professional speaker. Over time, his activities have expanded to include organizational consulting; executive and performance coaching; and writing books and articles. His book, The Power of Risk - How Intelligent Choices Will Make You More Successful was a 2009 finalist in the career category of the Next Generation Indie Book AwardsNext Generation Indie Book Awards
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is an awards program that recognizes and honors authors and publishers of exceptional independently published books in 60 different categories...
.
He speaks regularly to corporate, association, and public sector audiences. His corporate speaking clients include AFLAC, Accenture, Bank of America, CDW, FedEx, Hewlett-Packard, PepsiCo, Rugters University, The Clorox Company, Siemens Unilever, Verizon and Wells Fargo.
Quotations
"Few things are sadder than watching a person passionately pursue a course for which they are ill suited, particularly when that same passion, when applied towards a course that aligns with their talents, would yield them so much more.""A consistent pattern of risk-taking will yield rewards you otherwise would never experience."
"The greatest rewards in life go to the risk-takers."
"Live such that the days of your life and your days alive count the same."