After earning a BS in Biology at the University of South Carolina in 1982,
Mr. James Cooper began his career in public service working with the utilities and engineering departments of the City of Columbia. He was part of a team responsible for property and right of way acquisition, construction, and ultimately operation and maintenance of a $100M water treatment facility. After a decade of public service, industry came calling and he began working in the private sector leading the environmental, facility security, and employee health and safety departments of one of the largest manufacturing companies in South Carolina.
He fulfilled a life long ambition in 1999 founding a general contracting firm which performed a myriad of projects including design and construction of custom homes, landfill closures, gas collection and waste to energy systems, dredge spoils dike systems, UST closures, remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination associated with leaking fuel tanks. A certified water and waste water treatment professional, Mr. Cooper also configured, installed, and maintained treatment systems throughout South Carolina. Clients included the US Forestry Service, US Corps of Engineers, and the State of South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Along the way, the company acquired an electrical contracting company servicing mainly heavy industrial clients performing construction and maintenance of their various electrical systems. It was during this time, he forged the skills necessary to successfully navigate the complexities of contracting with large clients with huge bureaucracies. The experience allowed him to obtain the knowledge to complete difficult construction projects under difficult conditions on time and on budget usually while working around and under the constraints of a client's ongoing operations.
In 2012, Mr. Cooper fulfilled another ambition by joining forces with Michael Gillespie, his good friend of 35 years. Each with a keen eye for detail and combining their individual strengths, Cutting Edge Design & Construction will continue to add value to its client's assets in an expeditious and cost effective manner while minimizing the risks associated with such endeavors.
Mr. Cooper serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Cutting Edge which maintains general contracting licenses in Florida CGC060801 and South Carolina BD118077 unlimited.
James Cooper
