Jim Dougherty

Jim Dougherty is a native of San Diego, California, and a U.S. Marine veteran. He is an entrepreneur who transformed vacant warehouses and grocery stores into one-stop pet product wonderlands. With his charismatic personality, Jim convinced many pet product manufacturers and distributors to partner with him in an idea that others in the pet industry deemed far-fetched.

He founded PetSmart and Petsense by Tractor Supply, focusing on meeting pet owners' needs and encouraging customers to bring their pets when shopping. The stores did not sell pets; instead, they invited local pet rescues to host adoption events for animals in need of homes. This initiative aimed to help find homes for adoptable pets and attract new pet owner customers—a simple idea that ultimately changed the way pet owners shopped.

Jim is the recipient of the February 2025 Author of the Month award from the International Impact Book Awards in the Biography/Memoirs category.