Sit Down With Success: A conversation with architect Jim Norton

With a career spanning over 30 years and nearly 1,000 projects to his name, Huntsville architect Jim Norton has built a reputation for thoughtful, high-quality design.

Originally from Cookeville, Tenn., Norton specializes in both residential and commercial architecture, with a portfolio that includes everything from playhouses and office buildings to churches and custom homes. He finds residential projects the most rewarding, as they allow for greater creativity in design.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee’s architecture program, Norton considered opportunities across the Southeast before choosing Huntsville in 1986.

Norton recently sat down with the Huntsville Business Journal to talk about his career as an architect and how Huntsville’s growth helped him build a thriving career doing what he loves.

How did you choose to pursue architecture as a career?

Ever since I was a little boy, I was really good at drawing, and my parents encouraged me to be an artist or an architect. All my life, I’ve known I’d be an architect.

How did you make the decision to go out on your own?

Jim Norton Architect started in 1994. I came here in ‘86, and I worked for some of the larger firms downtown, and enjoyed that. And then, in about the late fall of ‘93, I was laid off.

Thank the Lord, I had enough moonlighting business on the side to make the transition from working for somebody to working for myself. This was in 1994, and at that point, I said, I am never going to work for anybody again. That was over 30 years ago, and here I am still doing it. It’s a miracle that I’ve been able to support myself and have a family. Sometimes I feel like I’m a very, very lucky man.

What do you enjoy most about owning your own firm?

Working for yourself is the best kept secret there is. When I worked (for someone else) I could only have lunch 12 to one, had to be there at eight in the morning, and couldn’t leave til five. The newfound freedom, the ability to come and go as you please, and to make the decisions. You’re paying your dues. You’re not helping somebody else pay their dues.

What is a project you are most proud of?

I had a client come about 25 years ago and wanted to do a drive through coffee stand. I told them we’ve got to have something that has great curb appeal, or we’re just creating a little shack that sells coffee.

We designed it, and they were very open. That’s a good kind of client that’s open to design ideas. It started out as seafoam green and beige and sky blue, and it was called “Mojo to GoGo.”

Did you encounter any significant obstacles when you started, and how did you overcome those?

When I first started, I wrote and sent out a hundred letters telling everybody from builders to cabinet makers and got zero response back. If I’d gone by that and quit, I would have not gotten anywhere.

So then, what did you do?

I just kept doing what I was doing. Back then, I used to run ads in newspapers and then word of mouth. I worked out of my house and slowly worked my way up to this office.

How do you balance personal and professional life?

When I was single and originally working out of my house, it wasn’t too bad of a deal. I was perfectly content with that when I was single. But when I married and had a family, thank goodness I was already out of the house by then, because that certainly could not have worked. You’ve got to have a very strong distinction between home and office once you mature in life and get married and have children. I could not imagine being able to work and produce with three kids running around and my wife in the house.

Why has Huntsville been a good place for your career?

Huntsville has been recession proof, just about. I remember the last recession we had, and I actually felt it, was about seven or eight years ago. I had to get on Wikipedia and learn about recessions, and it said we’d had two or three prior and I never felt them.

Huntsville is a great place. I love Huntsville, and it always has a good, strong economy. The people are good and it’s a city that’s growing.

What is the secret to your success?

I’ve always put my faith in the Lord to take care of me and he has very well. I think the beauty of capitalism is if you keep the car between the curves, it drives itself. If you don’t do anything stupid, if you manage things well, you’ll succeed. And I think that really is the secret to it. Don’t do stupid stuff and typically, capitalism will take you to the level of success.