Special Report

WJZ Talks To Chicken Man Jim Perdue

SALISBURY, Md. (WJZ) ― Perdue. You know the name and you buy the chicken, but very little is known about the man who runs an empire from his family home on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

In a rare interview with Jim Perdue, Denise Koch quickly learned his down-home style is backed by brains, a doctorate degree and a passion for people.

Three generations of Perdues turned a 1920s hatchery into the largest chicken supplier on the East Coast. 

Jim's grandfather Arthur started it all, but Frank really put Perdue on the map. He took control of everything, starting with the egg and ending with the chicken on your table.

"For us success is truly maintaining a family-run company, continuing into the next generation.  We categorize our goals around people, products and profitability. We call them the 3 Ps," said Jim Perdue.

The face of Frank Perdue, Jim's father, catapulted the company into a chicken dynasty.  It's the eighth largest company in Maryland, employing 2,000 here and 22,000 nationwide with annual sales in excess of $3.4 billion.  Perdue is the third largest poultry company in the country. 

"He was a true entrepreneur who worked literally 18 hour days and the truth of the matter is I saw very little of him even though he worked 50 yards from the house.  I didn't know him very well," said Jim Perdue.

But father and son shared a vision for positioning their family-run company for success. 

As a young man, Jim actually left the company for a decade to prove he could find success in a place where his name meant nothing. 

"It's very tough in a family business when your name is the name on the door. [You wonder] whether you're getting a pat on the back because you did a good job or because your name happens to be Perdue," said Jim.

Frank respected Jim's detour, but was determined Jim would one day run the show.

"He was always trying to get me back. He was a good salesman," he said.

Jim's father welcomed him back in 1983 and it's been a busy 25 years.  In addition to expanding the business, Jim's focused on worker safety, put quality control in the hands of hourly workers and devised a way to deal with waste.

"We built this facility to process poultry litter into a pasteurized organic fertilizer.  To this day, 50-60,000 tons in the plant, 70% of it leaves the shore and goes somewhere else out of the watershed," Jim said.

Tackling chicken waste, a huge environmental concern, is just one way Jim has carved out his own progressive path.

Once highly uncomfortable in the spotlight, he's Perdue's front man.  Jim works in a cubicle, but walks the halls of his plants and labs. He's involved in everything, right down to the recipes.

Jim's been married 34 years and has big plans for the next generation of Perdues. His father and grandfather practically worked until the day they died, but Jim has a better idea.

"There's more to life than your work.  You have to invest in your family and your spouse as much as you invest in your company," Jim said. 

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