Chicken magnate Frank Perdue dies at 84

In building his poultry business, Perdue was the consummate entrepreneur and workaholic, who would put in 18 hours a day and get by on three or four hours’ sleep. He had a cot in his office and often spent the night there, even though his home was 50 yards away.

Perdue said he was initially uncertain about whether to take to the airwaves. He said a New York ad man persuaded him to run his own commercials, but also gave Perdue a warning.

“He said, ’If you do this, you’re going to have some heartaches from it. You’re going to have people yelling at you or maybe screaming at you or criticizing you, but I think it’s the best way to sell a superior chicken, which I think you have,”’ Perdue said in a 1991 interview with The Associated Press.

“It was quite a shock to my nervous system because I’d never been in a school play or anything and I’m basically reticent about speaking in public,” said Perdue, who ultimately did 156 different ads.

Perdue Farms’ expansion in the 1970s was rapid, but it also sowed the seeds of worker discontent. The company opened new plants in rural, often-poor areas of the South, where labor was cheap. Inevitably, union activism sprang up, which Perdue sought to suppress.

In 1986, Perdue admitted to a presidential commission that he had twice unsuccessfully sought help from reputed New York crime boss Paul Castellano to put down union activities, actions he later said he regretted deeply.

In the late 1980s, reports of repetitive motion injuries rose rapidly in the industry among workers who performed the same handling, sorting and cutting tasks all day. In 1991, the company agreed to establish a four-year program to reduce injuries.

Perdue was born in Salisbury in 1920, the only child of older parents. He was a shy boy who spent much of his time working on the family egg farm. His dream was to play professional baseball, but he said he “gathered more splinters than hits” on the team at Salisbury State Teachers College, from which he graduated in 1939.

Perdue’s loyalty to his hometown remained throughout his life. He was heavily involved in civic activities and gave an endowment to his alma mater, now Salisbury University, to establish the Perdue School of Business.

Perdue is survived by his third wife, Mitzi Ayala Perdue, four children, two stepchildren and 12 grandchildren.

MORE FROM FOOD INC.

Food Inc. Section Front

McDonald’s rolling out ‘green’ logo in Europe Tyson Foods profit drops, but sales rise Rain may put pumpkin pie in peril McDonald's redesign aims for European lounge Kellogg warns: Brace for an Eggo shortage Coca-Cola changing look of juice packaging Coca-Cola sees massive global sales growth Starbucks Via stirring discontent CNBC: Coke looking for the next real thing Burger King franchisees sue over $1 promotion Food Inc. Section Front   Add Food Inc. headlines to your news reader: