Then & Now: Harkins builds career as Little Rock developer

Editor’s Note: The following story appeared in the Jan. 15 issue of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. “Then & Now” is a profile of a past member of the Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class.

James Harkins of Little Rock has worked in real estate for 28 years. Nearly all of his experience has been in commercial real estate. He earned his real estate license when he was 19 and sold Fayetteville properties to help pay for college.

After graduating from the University of Arkansas in 1998, he returned to Little Rock and worked for Bailey Properties and Flake & Kelley Commercial for about four years.

In 2003, he moved to Fayetteville and joined Orion Realty, which was formed to handle the development of Blessings Golf Club in Johnson. The Fayetteville firm was the exclusive listing agent for the Clear Creek residential subdivision at Blessings Golf Club. The firm also was responsible for multi-tenant commercial developments in Johnson, including Clear Creek Tower 1 and Tower 2.

Harkins was a sales manager and partner at Orion Realty when the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal named him to the Forty Under 40 class in 2004. He left the firm and returned to Little Rock shortly before his son was born in 2006.

He worked with friends he’d met at Flake & Kelley Commercial, and in 2009, returned to the firm, which was rebranded to Kelley Commercial Partners after founder John Flake left the company in 2020. Harkins worked there until he co-founded a development company with Eddie Bailey.

“One of the projects that I got to work on at Flake & Kelley was the CARTI Cancer Center here in Little Rock,” Harkins said. “[It’s] their headquarters, 173,000 square feet. That was a fantastic development to be a part of for several reasons. It’s such an amenity for central Arkansas and the state. They recently added a new surgery center, and I’ve gotten to know many people at CARTI. That was a fantastic opportunity.”

Harkins and Bailey, whose father hired Harkins for his first job after college, met at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, and they started working on projects while at Flake & Kelley Commercial. They became friends and, in 2017, partners after co-founding Blue Whale Development in Little Rock.

“It’s been fantastic,” Harkins said. “After a number of years doing brokerage and leasing, I started working on different development projects and realized that’s where my talents lie and what I like to do. We focus solely on single-tenant, triple-net projects.”

Harkins, 47, and Bailey have completed development projects for clients – including Starbucks, Circle K and Zips Car Wash – in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Most of the projects are in Arkansas, including some in Northwest Arkansas.

“Every day is different. And every day seems to bring something new, challenging and exciting, and you never know what’s coming around the bend,” he said. “I’d like to think that there’s a number of highlights in my career to come.”

He pointed to the people he’s met and worked with, including Bailey and Flake, who have led to the successes in his career. Over the next three to five years, he looks to complete investment projects that provide residual income and work with multiple triple-net or double-net, single-tenant clients throughout the region. He declined to provide revenue numbers.

After learning about the car wash industry, Harkins and Bailey established Diamond Wash Group. It operates five car washes in Little Rock, Lonoke and Russellville. The company has five employees.

Harkins was born in Memphis, Tenn., but considers Little Rock his hometown. He and his family moved to Little Rock when he was 4. He’s lived in Arkansas ever since. Excluding college, he lived in Northwest Arkansas for about three years. He and his wife, Amy, have a 17-year-old son and reside in Little Rock. Harkins met Amy in elementary school when he was 7.

“Our families had lake houses next door to each other, and our dads worked together,” he said.

Harkins is a board member of the Commercial Real Estate Council of Metro Little Rock and supports community theaters in the area. He enjoys playing golf and tennis and fishing. He’s also performed with his son in plays and musicals, supporting his son’s interest in musical theater.