Mr. Owens grew up in Bedford, Indiana, the heart of Indiana Limestone country. He is a graduate of Indiana University with a B.S. degree in Business Administration and has been ILI’s Executive Director for the past seventeen years. He has written various articles for stone trade publications including Stone World Magazine, and frequently lectures to AIA groups and architectural students at various universities including the University of Illinois and Notre Dame. As Executive Director of the Indiana Limestone Institute, Jim is responsible for the management of this trade association which represents quarriers and fabricators of Indiana Limestone (as well as associate members such as engineering firms, equipment suppliers, etc.) and serves as the technical publisher for the industry. Among his other duties, he speaks by phone with architects on a daily basis, assisting them with questions they may have about the use of Indiana Limestone in their respective projects. Among his past presentations were ones for the AIA Minnesota at their State Convention, Masonry Institute of Michigan’s Annual “M” Day, AIA TN Annual Convention, and the AIA North Carolina State Convention. Other presentations included ones to the Masonry Institute of Iowa, the Sealant & Waterproofing Restoration Institute, Nebraska Masonry Institute, University of Kansas in February, 2000, (with an audience of approximately 400), AIA Kansas/Kansas City Convention, AIA Georgia State Convention, and at Build Boston and Construct Canada.
