James Lively Jr. is a resident of Fayetteville in Fayette County, WV. He is Executive Chairman of Blue Ridge Risk Partners, a regional insurance agency operating out of 18 offices in WV, MD and PA. Prior to co-founding Blue Ridge Risk, Jim was President and CEO of Jim Lively Insurance, headquartered in Oak Hill, WV and founded by his father, James Lively in 1961. He has led the acquisition and integration of over 20 insurance agencies and has spoken to industry groups on the topics of Insurance Agency Acquisition and Integration and on the Efficient Use of Automation in Insurance Operations. Jim has served on national agency panels regarding the use of automation and on numerous insurance company national advisory boards.
Jim graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Finance and studied at American University for his Masters in Finance. In addition to the insurance business he is President of Century 21 Jim Lively Realty, an owner and officer of Premier Financial Corp. and the owner of several real estate development companies.
Jim is a member of the WV President’s Council and is active in many civic boards and organizations including board member/past President of the New River Gorge Economic Development Council of WV, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Southern WV, Fayette County Youth Soccer Association and Fayette County Partners in Education among others. He was elected to the Oak Hill High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Jim is also Chairman of the Finance Council of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Oak Hill, WV. He is married to Cathy Lively a Speech Pathologist in private practice and has two sons, Jamie, a physician in Punxsutawney, PA and Luke, a Realtor and developer in Fayetteville, WV.