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Jim Ellis

Jim Ellis has been President and Chairman of Ellis Diversified, Inc. (EDI) since 1990.  A real estate developer, investor and entrepreneur, Mr. Ellis directs the operations of EDI. 

Mr. Ellis’ principal focus is on creating exceptional products and services that have the scope and innovative qualities to enrich our communities. Accentuating his many business ventures, Mr. Ellis has been successful at developing underutilized real estate into exceptional properties. 

To date, Mr. Ellis and his company have identified, selected, financed and/or developed over 10,000,000 square feet of retail, residential and commercial real estate. His projects include diverse and innovative residences from exclusive, multi-million dollar single family estates to award-winning, competitively priced and luxuriously appointed multi-family developments.

Prior to forming EDI, Mr. Ellis was Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Movies To Go, Inc.  He grew Movies To Go from one video store located in St. Louis, Missouri to 29 stores in three states.  When Blockbuster Entertainment, Inc. purchased it in 1987, Movies To Go was the largest privately held, independently owned video store chain in the country. 

Joining Blockbuster, Mr. Ellis served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development.  While at Blockbuster, Mr. Ellis was directly responsible for spearheading their aggressive growth, which resulted in the acquisition of over 1,700 stores in less than two-and-one-half years.  Mr. Ellis also lived in London where he established Blockbuster in the European market. 

 A passionate advocate for children, Mr. Ellis serves on the Board of Jack & Jill Children’s Center, a non-profit organization that provides care for the children of low-income, one-parent working families. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Museum of Discovery and Science and is a member of the Riverwalk Trust. 

In addition, Mr. Ellis played a key role in spearheading a dramatic turnaround of the Lauderdale Beach Home Owners Association and has been actively involved in the revitalization of Flagler Village.