Who Are They
Jim & Larry
Two lives that kept crossing until they became one story — about believing in people, especially when the world gives them every reason not to.
How they met
They met in 2012 — two regular guys at the same company, LegalShield. No titles, no spotlight. Just two people who recognized something in each other.
When Jim became VP for Missouri, he handed Larry the reins over St. Louis and Kansas City. Believing in people and inspiring them to believe in themselves, they took St. Louis from 47th in the country to 5th in a single year.
How NexCore was born
It started on a drive to Kansas City. Jim, worn out from making that trip two and three times a week just to keep people fired up, turned to Larry and said what they were both thinking. Once a week they'd get people energized — and the other six days, the real world beat it back out of them.
That was the idea: a place where people could stay connected, stay energized, stay believing — every day, not once a week. That's why NexCore had to exist.
What they've survived
Between them: homelessness, addiction, financial ruin, divorce, and two separate brushes with death by rare illness — one told to get his affairs in order, the other flown home from Budapest in a coma. Both came back. Both rebuilt. Every time.
That's the whole point. They don't talk about resilience from a stage they've never left. They've been on the ground — and found the way up.
Jim Shelvy
Believer in Human Potential
Founder of NexCore. Has lived all over the country and been displaced more than once — including living out of his car — and built himself back every time. Survived a rare form of diabetes that a dozen doctors mistook for a death sentence. He speaks about the power of belief because it's the thing that keeps saving his life.
Larry Cohn
Everything Is Always Working Out
Chicago-raised, St. Louis-obsessed. Former board president for a St. Louis revitalization effort, and restaurateur who grew a catering company to millions. Lost everything to addiction, adopted his dealer's kids on the way back up, and later survived Guillain-Barré syndrome. Now thriving in Naples — still pulled back, always, to doing something that matters.
Keep Reading If
They’ve been where you are, where you were, and where you want to go.
- You feel like everything is falling apart.
- You’ve been counted out — maybe by yourself.
- You still believe there’s more, even when you can’t see it yet.