James Stephenson grew up in Mt. Pleasant and College Station, Texas and Fayetteville, Arkansas. He is the oldest of six children, four boys and two girls.  His training as an Eagle Scout taught him the importance of "leaving our campsite better than we found it.”

Now Stephenson is devoting his efforts to improving the entire metro Atlanta region.

As president and owner of Yancey Bros. Co., Stephenson heads the nation's oldest Caterpillar dealership, providing Caterpillar products and services to farmers, businesses, and individual contractors throughout the state of Georgia.

With an undergraduate degree from Yale University and a law degree from Duke University, Stephenson specialized in construction law during his 18-year tenure at the Atlanta law firm Smith, Currie & Hancock before assuming leadership of Yancey Bros. Co. in 1994.

His civic activities include serving on the boards of the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross and The Trust for Public Land. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta. He also supports various customer trade associations and remains an active member of Georgians for Better Transportation.