Background and experience

"I'm a small business owner who comes from middle class parents who came from poor hard-working immigrants, The greatest lesson I learned from my grandparents and parents is that we live in the greatest country of all where we as individuals have the right and freedom to pursue our dreams and achieve our goals, whatever those goals may be. The character and dignity of achieving those goals through hard work and our own merits is unmatchable." - James DeCocq

• Key Biscayne Renourishment Project — Led the beach restoration effort as the youngest person in US history to manage a project of its scope

• Public Administration — Assistant/Interim/City Manager for Key Biscayne, Sunny Isles Beach, and Marathon; District Manager for 50+ Community Development Districts with combined budgets exceeding $14 million; authored the award-winning $14.5 million Pelican Landing Visioning Plan

• Feld Entertainment — Assistant Tour Manager; managed merchandise operations for Monster Jam World Finals X–XV in Las Vegas, helping break sales records

• Aramark Contracted Retail Efficiency Expert — Directed merchandise operations for Super Bowl 50 and the 2016 NHL Stadium Series, the latter recognized by upper management as the highest-grossing and most professional outside retail operation to date

• 17+ Years in Live Event Management — Merchandising, logistics, and staffing across major NBA, AHL, and WNBA retail operations, plus events with attendance upwards of 90,000 and sales over $1.5 million

• NJC Corporate Enterprises — Co-Founder & President; oversees strategy and operations for major live events including the Super Bowl, US Open, Spartan Race, College Football Championship, San Antonio Brahmas, and national concert tours

• Education & Certifications — M.A., Marine Affairs & Policy, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami (1998); B.S., Marine Science and Biology, University of Miami (1993); Strategic Management Planning Certificate, Florida International University

• Eagle Scout

Highlights

James DeCocq was raised in South Bend, Indiana, the middle child of five, in a household built on quiet discipline and hard work. His father spent 44 years in television and radio at the local CBS affiliate, eventually retiring as Program Director, while his mother taught elementary school for over 25 years and instilled in all her children a simple rule: if you're going to do something, give it your best. James's grandfather, who emigrated from Belgium, left an equally lasting mark — after being laid off from the Studebaker plant in South Bend, he turned down a higher unemployment check to instead wash dishes at a nearby country club, telling a young James he hadn't come to America to take money from the government, but to build something of his own.

James carried that ethic to the University of Miami, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Marine Science and Biology, followed by a Master of Arts in Marine Affairs and Policy from the Rosenstiel School. What started as an internship with the Village of Key Biscayne turned into an appointment as Assistant City Manager within a year — and not long after, James led the Key Biscayne Renourishment Project, becoming the youngest person in the municipality's history to head a project of that scale. He went on to serve as Interim City Manager for Sunny Isles Beach and City Manager for Marathon, eventually overseeing more than 50 Community Development Districts with a combined annual budget exceeding $14 million.

In 2012, James was brought in to diagnose severe revenue losses in Monster Jam's live event merchandise operations. Within weeks, he had identified the root cause and cut the loss down to the industry standard of 2%. That fix opened the door to a new career: James stayed on to run the Monster Jam circuit, then expanded into major live events across the country — the Super Bowl, the US Open, Spartan Race, the College Football Championship, San Antonio's Commanders and Brahmas, and a growing roster of touring concerts. Along the way, he helped Aramark reorganize retail operations for Super Bowl 50 and the 2016 NHL Stadium Series, and spent seven years as Assistant Tour Manager for Feld Entertainment, running merchandise operations for six consecutive Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas.

James married Mayra Etayo in April 2000 at the Key Biscayne Lighthouse. Together they founded NJC in 2007, building the company alongside raising their daughter, Jordan.