Jim Cooper's involvement in home building spans more than 20 years. Specializing in log and timber construction, he has been a general contractor, builder, sales and marketing vice president for a major log home company, construction consultant and a writer/ photographer on the topics of home construction, energy efficiency, and log homes. As a builder, his first log home project won an Award for Excellence from the local chapter of the National Association of Home Builders. The home was featured in the April-May 1990 issue of Log Home Living. In 1995 he directed the construction of a 2,600 square-foot log home in the rotunda of Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.  The home was  featured in Country Home magazine’s 1996 “Home for the Holidays” issue and raised $300,000 for the Minneapolis Children’s Cancer Research Fund.  His articles and photographs have appeared in Log Home Living, Log Homes Illustrated, Country's Best Log Homes and Log Home Design Ideas. In 1998, his book Log Homes Made Easy: Contracting and Building Your Own Log Home was the top-selling book in the home planning category at Amazon.com. His column "Saavy Builder"  has appeared regularly in Log Home Living magazine since 1992.  He has spoken and written about log homes for the Log Homes Council of the National Association of Homebuilders.  In 2000, Jim published The Log Home Project Planner, a complete workbook for planning, estimating and managing a log home construction project.   In addition to acting as a construction consultant on home building projects, Jim has conducted nationwide workshops on how to be your own general contractor. His Log Homes Made Easy: Six Steps to Success workshops have drawn over 6,000 participants. He has also served as an expert witness in construction-related lawsuits.   Jim’s educational background includes a Master’s Degree in Biology. Before becoming involved in construction, he worked as a biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and served as Director of Environmental Education for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.