“I’m honored, and I’m humbled,” says Jim Cormier, regarding his selection as 2025 recipient of the National Association of REALTORS® Distinguished Service Award. You can’t put it into words.”
The DSA is the highest honor NAR bestows on a member, apart from the presidency, and recognizes an unwavering commitment to the organization and the real estate industry. At NAR’s June 5 Board of Directors meeting, Cormier was recognized as one of two new DSAs, along with Brooke Hunt of Flower Mound, Texas.
Over four decades, Cormier has worked to make a difference for others. He’s known as an innovator and a passionate champion of private property rights and the real estate industry.
An experience early in his career hooked Cormier on the importance of political advocacy: He had the opportunity to testify before the Minnesota Legislative Commerce Committee, advocating for licensing process improvements that have enhanced operational efficiency for brokers and salespeople. “When you see how you can make a difference, it incentivizes you to want to do more,” he says.
And he has done more—much more. Locally, he served as president of the North Metro REALTORS® in 2002 and later helped to accomplish the merger of that association into the St. Paul Area Association. He was president of Minnesota REALTORS® in 2013 and NAR regional vice president for Region 8 in 2016.
At NAR, he’s a two-time RPAC disbursement liaison and has served in dozens of leadership positions, including on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. His involvement with NAR dates back to 2002 when he joined the Land Use, Property Rights and Environment Committee, and his passion for property rights and political action is a thread that runs through his NAR volunteer service. In addition to serving on a range of committees, for several years he was a federal political coordinator. He is a Golden “R” and President’s Circle member and, in 2011, was inducted into the REALTORS® Political Action Committee Hall of Fame.
Where It All Began
Cormier’s strong work ethic was modeled by his hard-working parents. His mother was a nurse. His father was a business owner involved in numerous enterprises, including a service station and truck stop that serviced buses for local ski areas; a bus company that provided transportation for the disabled, parochial schools and the HeadStart program; and a company that manufactured wooden pallets.
When Cormier was ready to find his own way in the world, he went in a different direction. It was the late 1970s, and a friend of his father offered him an opportunity to participate in land development in the Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minn., area. Cormier entered the real estate business and never looked back.
He’s broker-owner and president of Building Sites Inc., which generates new development sales for real estate property owners. An early adopter of computer technology to enhance inventory management and marketing capabilities, Cormier helped position the company at the forefront of innovation. Under his leadership, the company has grown into a premier land brokerage and development firm in the Twin Cities—over time developing well over 8,000 residential lots, as well as commercial projects, in the Twin Cities, Florida, and Michigan.
Cormier attended Northern Michigan University and the University of Minnesota, specializing in real estate. He’s a long-time member of UM’s Golden Dunkers Booster Club and currently serves as president of the Golden Dunkers.
In his local community, he has been an active supporter of charities that help families in need and has actively worked to ensure safe, stable and affordable homes accessible to all. He served nine years as a director for the Allina Mercy Hospital Foundation, helping to establish a mother-baby center there. He also served 14 years as a director at Falcon National Bank in Ham Lake, Minn., where he resides with his wife, Madonna.
“Plain and simple, I like helping others,” he says. “What motivates me is trying to help people achieve their goals, whether it’s in business or within the association.”
