Jim Roberts seeks role models for future generations

ST. JOSEPH — St. Joseph business owner Jim Roberts has a small sign in his office that has a big meaning in his life – “Pay It Forward.”

“I’ve been able to do a lot in my life and I really want to have an impact and make the world a better place,” said Roberts, 64, who is president and CEO of Jim Roberts Enterprises and Jim Roberts Investment Advisors, as well as co-owner of The Lake Co. with Joe Giannola.

He said the volunteer work he does centers around two themes – education and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Roberts, the grandson of Mexican immigrants who settled in Muskegon, has received numerous awards, including being inducted into the Michigan Minority Business Hall of Fame on Oct. 1. In June, he was featured on the jumbotron in New York City’s Times Square as one of the graduates from the Stakeholder Leadership and Governance Institute Directors Program, sponsored by Nasdaq.

This week, he is traveling to Las Vegas as one of the five finalists for the Luminaries With Heart Award, which is being presented during the ThinkAdvisor Luminaries Awards 2024 program.

Roberts sat down with Herald-Palladium Staff Writer Louise Wrege recently to talk about his life.