Jim Dougherty is a native of San Diego, California, and a U.S. Marine veteran who served in Vietnam. Jim is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word. He found a way to take vacant warehouses and grocery stores and turn them into a one-stop pet product wonderland. Jim's charismatic personality convinced many pet product manufacturers and distributors to join him in what others in the pet industry thought was a far-fetched idea. He founded Petsmart and Petsense by Tractor Supply, centered around giving pet owners what they asked for and inviting customers to bring their pets while shopping. The stores never sold pets and instead invited local pet rescues to bring their available pets for adoption events. The hope was to find homes for adoptable furry friends while perhaps gaining a pet owner customer.
