For Jim Perdue, stepping away from the family’s chicken business helped prepare him to return — and later lead it as part of the company’s third generation.
Perdue, chair of Perdue Farms and keynote speaker for the sold-out 2026 Resnick-Wynn Family Business Conference set for Feb. 20 at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Cohen Student Union, previewed his appearance with Gulfshore Business.
Perdue grew up around what remains a family-operated business that has expanded beyond just chicken. The business now includes multiple proteins, such as turkey, pork, beef and lamb. It employs about 20,000 people at facilities in 15 states, along with international locations and more than 9,000 farming partners. The company’s corporate headquarters are in Salisbury, Maryland. Perdue Farms reported about $9.83 billion in sales in its 2025 company and stewardship report.
“We all worked there in summers,” Perdue said of he and his sisters. “We grew up in a house right next to the office. That was kind of my playground. As we got into our teenage years, we got into the business.”
Perdue graduated from Wake Forest University with a biology degree and developed an interest in agriculture. He later earned a master’s degree in fisheries.
“My objective was to grow fish and shellfish the way we were raising chickens,” Perdue said.
In 1983, at age 21, Perdue said he lacked confidence and chose to leave the family business.
“After six or eight years, I had lots of confidence at that point,” Perdue said. “I had a meeting to come back.”
He later worked in chicken production facilities for eight years, then moved into sales before becoming CEO in 1991, a position he held until 2017. He continues to serve as chair.
Perdue said his outside experience played a key role in his development.
“Having an outside experience was very important,” Perdue said. “I just recognized I had to leave. I didn’t know exactly why but for the confidence issue.
Jim Perdue, chair of Perdue Farms, will deliver the keynote address at the 2026 Resnick-Wynn Family Business Conference at Florida Gulf Coast University on Feb. 20.
Resnick-Wynn Family Business Conference
“I think you need to find out about yourself. It’s hard to find out about yourself when you’re in a family business. You need to find out who you are. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Not everyone is confident when you’re 21 years old.”
Working in the fishery industry provided a different environment while still offering relevant experience.
“I was working with the salmon industry,” Perdue said. “I was writing papers, getting research grants. When you write scientific papers, it’s a very interesting business. It’s very competitive, too. You find out about how competitive you are.”
After rejoining the company, Perdue helped expand its reach into new markets. He said the company made a strategic decision in the 1990s to expand to Chicago to stay within range of production facilities for its fresh products.
“You need to be within 500 miles of a production facility, because it’s a fresh product,” Perdue said.
From Chicago, the company expanded into St. Louis and other Midwestern markets.
“That’s how we grew, just satisfying the demand,” Perdue said, noting that McDonald’s introduction of Chicken McNuggets in 1983 helped boost demand for chicken.
“Chicken was growing 5% every single year,” Perdue said. “From 1970 to probably into the 2000s. So, chicken took over beef. The average American ate 90 pounds per person per year. Now it’s about 60. But chicken went from the ’50s to the ’90s. It’s getting harder to continue to grow with that product. There’s only so much meat a person can eat.”
Perdue Farms now has five fourth-generation employees working in the business. Like Jim Perdue, each spent at least five years working outside the company before joining.
Said Perdue: “We encouraged it.”