He wanted to pursue his dream of becoming a marine biologist, and went on to earn his Ph.D. in fisheries.
But in 1983, he accepted his dad's invitation to return to the family business, joining the company as an entry-level management trainee.
After working many different management jobs in just about every area of the company, and earning his master's degree in business along the way, Jim became chairman in 1991 and also took over as advertising spokesman, appearing in the company's TV commercials.
Jim Perdue started doing commercials with his dad in 1995.
As of September 3, 2017, Jim can be seen doing commercials with his sons, Chris and Ryan Perdue, fourth generation in the family business.