Director of Development
Mission New Value Group
Authentic, energetic and effective, Shariff A. James has been a successful business man for nearly 25 years. Not only has he demonstrated how personal resilience and determination can lead to entrepreneurial success, but how it can also inspire the next generation. As a successful business owner, life coach, real estate developer, event producer and mentor, Mr. James has a strong passion for speaking to and teaching others through valuable lessons he learned on his journey. Shariff James has leveraged his skillsets, creativity and network to take advantage of real estate opportunities in his own community. Shariff was awarded the Designated Developer for the Summit St. Development from Newark’s Economic Housing Department for his latest project in progress: a $5-Million dollar 14-Unit luxury boutique condo development in New Jersey. This development has received historical design approvals in January and site plan approvals in June 2022. Additionally, Shariff successfully completed ground-up residential developments in Atlanta, GA 2019 and 2021 with collective value of $1.4 million. Shariff’s developer’s network includes professionals with a collective development portfolio of over $30-million dollars in redevelopment projects throughout New Jersey and Atlanta GA (including fix-and-flips, new ground-up multifamily units, commercial mixed-use, and custom multimillion dollar single-family homes). He personally works with institutional investors and private equity JV partners to fund projects. Shariff also serves as a business coach for several new inspiring investors who are seeking to attain similar success.
Business Development
Mission New Value Group
Gary attended Tyler School of Art at Temple University and earned his BFA in Graphic Design. Shortly after graduating in 2006, Gary began working for fashion industry leaders including Berkshire Hathaway, American Eagle Outfitters and Merc USA Inc. After the Great Recession, Gary founded Toneaphone LLC — a mobile application development company specializing in iOS and Android. Toneaphone develeloped over 25 apps, some of which have garnered millions of downloads over the years. Through his success in mobile application development, Gary forged a pathway of passive income, ultimately allowing him to designate more resources to pursue other endeavors. Since arriving in Georgia in 2020, Gary became very active on a local level. He joined a host of organizations including the ABA, MBA, KBA, GAHBA, WBC and other groups. He began leveraging and cultivating relationships through his contracting work in the design and promotional product space. Relationships fostered over the years have allowed him to develop an extensive builder network as well as a robust pipeline and dealflow. Gary has worked diligently to achieve his goals, and he continually strives to better himself. His sharp business management skills and design talents have led him to succeed as an employee as well as an entrepreneur.