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What is Jim Pattison’s Net Worth?
Jim Pattison, a Canadian business magnate, investor, and philanthropist, has an estimated net worth of $9 billion. This wealth is primarily derived from his ownership of the Jim Pattison Group, a conglomerate that operates in over a dozen industries and generates annual sales of approximately C$16 billion ($11.7 billion).
Pattison’s business empire includes a wide range of sectors such as packaging, food, forestry products, media, and automotive dealerships. Notably, he holds substantial stakes in publicly traded companies like Canfor, where he owns 53%, and Westshore Terminals, with a 38% stake.
His investments are not limited to these sectors; the Jim Pattison Group also owns Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Guinness World Records, and numerous grocery stores and radio stations.
Here’s the breakdown of Jim Pattison’s net worth:
Name: | Jim Pattison |
Net Worth: | $9 Billion |
Date of Birth: | October 1, 1928 |
Profession: | Businessperson |
If you’re curious about how we estimate a celebrity’s net worth, you can check out our methodology here.
Early Life and Education
Jim Pattison was born on October 1, 1928, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His family moved to East Vancouver, British Columbia when he was six years old, though he would return to Saskatchewan during summers.
From a young age, Pattison displayed an entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic. As a child, he took on various jobs, including playing trumpet at a children’s church camp, selling garden seeds door-to-door, and working as a newspaper delivery boy.
During his high school years at John Oliver Secondary School, Pattison continued to work multiple jobs. He sold doughnuts in the school parking lot, picked fruit in the summers, and worked as a page boy at a local hotel. After graduating in 1947, he pursued higher education at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
To finance his studies, Pattison worked various jobs, including as a dining car attendant for the Canadian Pacific Railway and washing cars at a used car lot. Although he came close to completing his degree, Pattison left UBC three classes short of earning his business degree to pursue full-time work in the automotive industry.
Business Career
Jim Pattison’s business career began in the automotive industry. After leaving university, he worked his way up from washing cars to becoming a successful car salesman.
In 1961, Pattison secured a $40,000 loan to launch the Jim Pattison Group, starting with the purchase of a GM dealership. Over the next 25 years, his dealership grew to become the largest car dealership in Western Canada.
Pattison’s business acumen led him to diversify his interests beyond the automotive sector. In the 1960s, he expanded into media by acquiring a radio station and an outdoor advertising company. The 1980s saw further growth with the purchase of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and the launch of the Jim Pattison Real Estate Group. Throughout the following decades, Pattison continued to acquire and develop businesses across various industries, including packaging, food production, broadcasting, and entertainment.
Today, the Jim Pattison Group is a diversified holding company operating primarily in the United States and Canada. It employs over 51,000 people worldwide and generates annual sales exceeding $10 billion. The group is active in numerous sectors, including automotive, media, packaging, food, entertainment, and forestry products.
Philanthropy
Jim Pattison is renowned for his extensive philanthropic efforts, primarily channeled through the Jim Pattison Foundation and various companies under the Jim Pattison Group. His charitable contributions have significantly impacted healthcare and education in Canada. One of his most notable donations was a record $75 million to St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, aimed at building a new healthcare facility from the ground up.
In addition, he made a historic $50 million donation to the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan, which was subsequently named the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in his honor.
Pattison has also supported numerous healthcare initiatives, including a $5 million contribution to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s “Building Care Together” campaign and another $5 million to establish the Centre for Health System Learning & Innovation in Kelowna.
Personal Life
Jim Pattison is married to Mary Hudson, whom he met at a church camp when they were both 13 years old. The couple married in 1952 and have three children: two daughters and one son.
Despite his immense wealth and business success, Pattison is known for maintaining a modest lifestyle. He and his family own a residence in Palm Springs, California, which once belonged to Frank Sinatra, and they have preserved it in its original state.
Pattison’s personal interests include music; he enjoys playing the piano, organ, and trumpet, a hobby he has maintained since his youth when he was known as “The Boy Wonder from Vancouver” for his trumpet performances at gospel revival meetings.
Ashley Roberts is the founder of Real-Time Billionaires List. She founded this platform because she likes to know how much celebrities are actually making. She is always curious why these people can make much more money than the ordinary person.
With a Bachelor’s degree in finance, she is skilled at financial analysis and understands numbers related to wealth. Most of the articles on this site are edited by herself before publishing.
