Tyson heard that chickens were bringing a better price in northern markets, so
he cashed in his savings and borrowed the rest of the money he needed to
finance the trip. He sold the birds for a profit of $235, $220 of which he
wired home to pay on his debts and buy another load of birds.
Out of that trip sprung the foundations of a company that would revolutionize
the poultry industry. We invite you to walk through time and discover how the
world's largest poultry company rose out of the soil of Northwest Arkansas.
| 1931 |
John Tyson moved to Springdale, Arkansas, with his
wife and one-year-old son, Don. He made a living hauling hay, fruit, and
chickens for local growers.
|
| 1935 |
Inching northward, John Tyson made frequent poultry
deliveries to Kansas City and St. Louis.
|
| 1936 |
John pioneered the first long-haul trip from Arkansas
to the more lucrative Chicago poultry markets. Within a year, he had extended
his hauls to Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Memphis, and Houston. When
shortages of baby chicks threatened his trucking business, John bought a
hatchery. When he couldn’t get the feed he needed, he started a commercial
feed business, grinding and mixing his own.
|
| 1943 |
Because the company already had the chicks, the grain
to feed them, and a trucking company to haul the grown chickens to market, the
Tyson organization invested in a grower farm.
|
| 1947 |
Tyson Feed and Hatchery was incorporated. John Tyson
and Herman Calico formed the marketing and transportation partnership called
Tyson & Calico.
|
| 1952 |
By 1952, 19 other companies in the Springdale area
had jumped on the poultry bandwagon. Don Tyson left his agricultural studies at
the University of Arkansas to join his father’s battle against a
vulnerable and fluctuating market. When their rollercoaster ride hit a low,
with the market and poultry diseases taking their toll, the Swanson Company
offered to buy the Tyson business. But now, as in the past, adversity fueled
John’s determination. With his son at his side, the "Tyson Team"
pushed forward.
|
| 1957 |
Tyson built its first processing plant on the north
side of Springdale.
|
| 1961 |
Tyson entered the commercial egg business.
|
| 1963 |
The corporation went public. The name was changed to
Tyson’s Foods. The circle already complete from egg to processing plant,
Tyson made its first significant acquisition with the purchase of Garrett
Poultry Company in Rogers, Arkansas. With an "expand or expire"
strategy, 19 other acquisitions marked the path between 1966 and 1989.
|
| 1966 |
Don Tyson was named President of the company.
|
| 1967 |
Tragedy struck the Tyson family. John and Helen Tyson
were killed in a car/train accident in Springdale.
|
| 1968 |
Tyson opened retail outlets called "Chicken
Huts."
|
| 1970 |
With broiler sales reaching 72 million, Tyson’s
Foods hit the Fortune 1000 chart.
|
| 1971 |
The name was changed to Tyson Foods, as it is to this
day.
|
| 1977 |
Tyson purchased hog-production facilities in North
Carolina. By the end of 1979, Tyson was shipping 7,500 hogs a week,
distinguishing it as the nation’s largest hog producer.
|
| 1982 |
Tyson Foods debuts on the Fortune 500 chart.
|
| 1983 |
Diversification continued with the purchase of
Mexican Original in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Before long, Tyson was the leading
producer of corn and flour tortilla products in the nation.
|
| 1986 |
Tyson advanced to the number-one position for poultry
processing. The Tyson Management Development Center, located in Russellville,
Arkansas, was opened.
|
| 1987 |
Corporate headquarters expansion projects were
started at the Springdale Complex.
|
| 1989 |
Pushing forward with the acquisition of Holly Farms,
the nation’s third largest poultry firm, Tyson nearly doubled its already
impressive 13.5 percent of the national market share.
|
| 1992 |
Marking another big diversification, Tyson leaped
into the seafood business with the purchase of Arctic Alaska Fisheries, Inc.,
and Louis Kemp Seafood.
|
| 1994 |
Tyson was shipping products to 54 countries abroad.
|
| 1995 |
Tyson brought both Cargill’s U.S. broiler
operations and McCarty Farms, Inc., into the fold. Tyson also purchased
Culinary Foods of Chicago, which manufactures some 700 complementary food items
from French toast to seafood entrees. About 45 percent of Culinary’s
business is supplying food for airlines.
|
| 1997 |
Tyson acquired Mallard's Food Products of Modesto,
California, an innovator in culinary development and manufacture of
refrigerated-fresh entrees. Mallard's is also the nation's third-largest
producer of refrigerated gourmet pasta and sauce products.
|
| 1998 |
Tyson solidified its position as the world’s
largest poultry producer by merging with long-time competitor Hudson Foods.
John Tyson becomes Chairman of the Board.
|
| 1999 |
Tyson reorganized to concentrate more on the customer. Business groups were
created to realign as specific marketing groups, such as retail, foodservice
and international.
|
| 2000 |
Tyson Foods celebrates its 65th anniversary with family gatherings across the
country. John Tyson adds title of CEO.
|
| 2001 |
Tyson becomes the world's largest processor and marketer of not only chicken,
but also red meat with the acquisition of beef and pork powerhouse, IBP, Inc. |