30 Business View Magazine - October 2016
Wild Birds Unlimited
Connecting with nature
Jim Carpenter’s business is for the birds – literally.
But Wild Birds Unlimited, the company that Carpenter
started back in 1981, is also for people who want to
connect with nature – most specifically, the over 50
million people in North America who feed birds and
watch wildlife in their own backyards, and who spend
almost seven billion dollars annually on bird seed, and
other wildlife food and accoutrements.
Paul Pickett, Wild Birds Unlimited’s Vice President for
Franchise Development, narrates the story of how one
man’s passion for connecting with nature grew into
the continent’s largest franchise system of backyard
bird feeding and specialty stores:
“Our founder, CEO, and President, Jim Carpenter had
a Masters degree in Plant Physiology,” Pickett begins.
“He was not accepted into medical school; so instead,
he got into the garden center industry and managed
two garden centers. He found that his favorite part of
the job was working with people and helping them find
the right products to enjoy their backyard bird feeding
