Commissioner Jim Coffin
After graduating from Loma Linda University in 1974 with a BS in biology/microbiology I went to work managing the orchid seedling department of what was then the world’s largest orchid nursery and soon took over the breeding of phaeleonopsis and paphiopedilum orchids. While there is nothing like walking into a warm fragrant greenhouse on a foggy San Francisco morning and deciding which flowers should be moms and which should be dads, for better or worse I decided that my true calling was business and law. I earned my law degree from the University of San Diego, cum laude, in 1986, and practiced business, real estate and finance law until retiring to Orcas in 2000. For the couple of decades I have also managed a contracting and development business owned by my family.
After serving on the Fire District’s planning committee, which was responsible for development of the District’s long range strategic plan, I was appointed to the Commission in 2006 to fill an unexpired term and was elected to the position in 2007.
For me, retirement means using the skills I have acquired over the years to serve my community. Since settling down on Orcas, I have served on the boards of several organizations and have had the privilege to teach at the junior high level. Retirement also means being able to devote more time to my wonderful wife, family and friends, church, dogs, chickens and honeybees.
