Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise News

Backyard Bird Feeding and Nature Specialty Franchise Puts Underserved Children in Touch with Nature
May 18, 2012 // Franchising.com // Carmel, Ind. – The average young person spends more than 53 hours per week connected to electronic media – more absorbed in the digital world than the natural world – and Wild Birds Unlimited and the National Audubon Society are taking action.
For the sixth consecutive year, Wild Birds Unlimited, the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores, and Audubon, a more than 100 year-old conservation organization, have partnered to provide scholarships to underserved children attending National Audubon Society summer camps nationwide. Wild Birds Unlimited Pathways To Nature for Kids allows young people to connect with nature and gain a desire to preserve it for future generations...

Specialty Retailer Plans to Support 275 Stores Through Social CRM Solution NORWALK, CT--(Marketwire - Jul 26, 2011) - Engage121, Inc., a social media management software company, announces that Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., the original and largest backyard bird feeding and nature specialty retail franchise system, selected the Engage121 Enterprise portal as its social network software solution.

By implementing Engage121, Wild Birds Unlimited will be able to fully participate in the social community of avid hobbyists who enjoy backyard birding while supporting the local social efforts of its more than 275 stores across North America.

Margaret Collins, Media and PR Manager of Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., explained that, "The Wild Birds Unlimited mission is to bring people and nature together...

CARMEL, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Thirty years ago, very few retailers specialized in providing supplies and information for attracting and feeding backyard birds. So on January 28, 1981, Jim Carpenter, an unemployed nature enthusiast, combined his retail experience with his passion for backyard bird feeding to open the first Wild Birds Unlimited store in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are now more than 270 locally-owned and operated Wild Birds Unlimited stores throughout North America, each dedicated to bringing people and nature together.

"Everyone questioned my idea," said Carpenter, founder, president and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited. "And though I didn't realize the full-potential of the business at the time, I saw a niche for a hobby store and a great way to be my own boss and do something I loved...

January 05, 2011 // Franchising.com // Carmel, IN – Thirty years ago, very few retailers specialized in providing supplies and information for attracting and feeding backyard birds. So on January 28, 1981, Jim Carpenter, an unemployed nature enthusiast, combined his retail experience with his passion for backyard bird feeding to open the first Wild Birds Unlimited store in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are now more than 270 locally-owned and operated Wild Birds Unlimited stores throughout North America, each dedicated to bringing people and nature together.

"Everyone questioned my idea," said Carpenter, founder, president and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited. "And though I didn't realize the full-potential of the business at the time, I saw a niche for a hobby store and a great way to be my own boss and do something I loved...

CARMEL, IN - (Marketwire) - With its new line of EcoClean™ bird feeders, Wild Birds Unlimited® is revolutionizing the way people feed their backyard birds. Available exclusively at Wild Birds Unlimited, EcoClean bird feeders feature parts that protect themselves against the surface growth of damaging bacteria, mold, mildew, fungus and other microbes.

Wild Birds Unlimited EcoClean technology (patent pending) incorporates Agion®, an antimicrobial agent which is based on naturally occurring silver. Silver is a naturally occurring element that has been proven safe and effective in fighting a wide range of damaging microbes.

When microorganisms come in contact with an Agion treated surface, silver ions are released on demand to the surface of the product to combat the organism...

America's Largest Bird Feeding and Nature Specialty Store Franchise Looks to Saepio to Customize and Localize Its Marketing Materials in Record Time KANSAS CITY, Mo. /PRNewswire/ -- Saepio, a leading provider of marketing technology for corporations with distributed marketing networks, announced today that it has been selected by Wild Birds Unlimited to power marketing materials for all 270 of its franchises. Wild Birds Unlimited is the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores with locations throughout the United States and Canada.

According to the 2006 Department of Interior's National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, more than 53 million enjoy feeding wild birds, making it the second most popular hobby next to gardening...

February 03, 2010 // Franchising.com // Carmel, Indiana – The 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place February 12 – 15. This citizen- science project allows participants to enjoy nature while being part of a very important study that helps better define bird ranges, populations, migration pathways and habitat needs.

Wild Birds Unlimited is a major sponsor of this joint project between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Individuals, families, schools and organizations are encouraged to count birds at bird feeders and in backyards, local parks or other locations. Participants can count for as few as 15 minutes on one day or for as long as they wish each day of the four day event...

Carmel, IN --(PR.com)-- They may be the world's smallest birds, but beginning in August, millions of hummingbirds will be making a big trip to Mexico and Central America. This annual journey is part of an instinctive migration pattern that they have followed for hundreds of years. For many, this trip includes a trans-gulf, non-stop flight that takes approximately 18 – 22 hours and covers 500 to 600 miles.

Bird enthusiasts can expect to see waves of hummingbirds visiting their feeders during this time. At the peak of migration, bird banding studies indicate that, with very few exceptions, the hummingbirds that visit feeders on any given late-summer day are completely replaced by new migrants within 24 hours.

To estimate the number of hummingbirds using your feeders, multiply times five...

July 29, 2009 // Franchising.com // BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN – On August 28th and 29th the Milwaukee County Zoo will host the Eighth Annual Great Lakes Bat Festival, presented by the Organization for Bat Conservation, sponsored by Batcone. The festival is free for all ages with any zoo admission.

The event starts Friday night at 7PM with a "Bat Encounter" presentation by bat expert Rob Mies, Director of the Organization for Bat Conservation. Attendees will learn how to attract bats to their backyard. On display will be the world's largest bat, a Malayan Flying Fox, which is a fruit-eating bat with a six foot wingspan. Saturday's events begin at 9AM in the Katz Conservation Education Center and will feature leading bat experts including: Dave Redell (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources)
Dr...

July 16, 2009 // Franchising.com // Carmel, IN – Though the newest Wild Birds Unlimited (WBU) franchise store owners value the recommendations and support given by the franchisor, they're enjoying their autonomy and being in charge of their careers despite these difficult economic times.

Joe and Sharon Kaestner's store in Huntersville, North Carolina has been open for eight months, and David Covey and Mary Anne Kenefic's store in Mesa, Arizona has been open since March of 2009. Both stores are meeting goals developed by the individual owners and trending ahead of system averages for new stores.

"At the time we started down the path of owning a WBU franchise the economy was still pretty good," said Joe Kaestner, co-owner of the Huntersville store...

June 22, 2009 // Franchising.com // Carmel, IN- Wild Birds Unlimited franchisees will converge on the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Meydenbauer Convention Center in Bellevue, Washington June 25 – 29 to participate in their Annual Meeting.

This year's Wild Birds Unlimited Annual Meeting, themed A Business That Enhances Your Life, will focus on streamlining and implementing processes that will help franchisees run an efficient business while improving their cash flow and bottom line.

"Owners have been asking for time management workshops at Annual Meeting," said Pat Perkinson, Vice President of Retail Sales. "This year we are excited to bring in E-Myth Worldwide, the leader in small business coaching, to work with our owners on identifying the three major perspectives that drive business decisions – entrepreneur, manager and technician...

June 10, 2009 // Franchising.com // Carmel, IN - Despite economic conditions that have hampered many retail businesses, Wild Birds Unlimited (WBU), the leading backyard bird feeding specialty store franchise, has experienced sales growth by relying on their brand equity and strong relationships with loyal customers.

WBU's 2009 success (at the end of April WBU same store sales were up almost 10% year to date) is due in large part to each WBU franchise store owner's ability to differentiate their products and services from their competition, offer their customers an exceptional shopping experience and apply the strategies and tactics that are recommended by the WBU Franchise Support Center.

"At the end of 2008 we took a strategic look at the marketing tactics for our local stores and asked them to be daring and agile," said Kermit Wilfon, Marketing Director at Wild Birds Unlimited...

March 30, 2009 // Franchising.com // Carmel, IN- Wild Birds Unlimited has once again received a Franchisee Satisfaction Award from Franchise Business Review. Of the more than 2,500 active franchise systems in the United States, only 115 companies received this award in 2009. This elite group represents the top five percent of all franchise companies. This is the fourth year that Wild Birds Unlimited has been recognized for Franchisee Satisfaction and the third year they have been in the top two in the Specialty Retail Franchises category.

"We are honored and overjoyed that we continue to deliver a level of satisfaction to our franchisees that is award winning," said Paul Pickett, Vice President of Franchise Development at Wild Birds Unlimited...

March 03, 2009 // Franchising.com // Carmel, IN- The Franchise Support Center (FSC) for Wild Birds Unlimited is proud to have new team members, Mike Gillie and Christy Recio, join the staff. Wild Birds Unlimited, a retail franchise, is headquartered in the greater Indianapolis area.

Mike Gillie has joined the MIS department as the Technical Support Analyst. Gillie comes to Wild Birds Unlimited with over 10 years IT experience and MCP certified. Gillie will provide the first line of support to franchise store owners for all franchise supported applications. He will also provide training and onsite installation services as needed.

Christy Recio has joined the Marketing department as the Graphic Design Manager. Recio has over 14 years in web and graphic experience...

February 06, 2009 // Franchising.com // Carmel, IN- Wild Birds Unlimited, the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores, recently restructured its Purchasing Department to improve work flow and capitalize on the strength of staff members.

"These changes will allow us to better support our franchise store owners with advantageous buying deals from vendors as well as innovative new products to offer their customers," said Jim Lesch, Director of Purchasing. "By enabling department members to focus on specific product lines and develop the necessary vendor relationships, we will enhance our product offerings and the buying deals we can negotiate for our stores," Lesch went on to explain...

January 28, 2009 // Franchising.com // Carmel, Indiana – Thousands of bird feeding and bird watching enthusiasts will be paying a bit more attention to their backyard visitors as they participate in the Twelfth Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), February 13 – 16. The GBBC is a joint project between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, and it helps scientists get an immediate impression of bird populations across the continent.

Wild Birds Unlimited has been a major sponsor of the GBBC for the last ten years. The backyard bird feeding and nature specialty store franchise has also donated prizes for photo contest winners. Wild Birds Unlimited encourages everyone, especially families, to participate as a means of connecting with nature...

January 06, 2009 // Franchising.com // Carmel, IN- Just as many people are making resolutions to stay away from food, birds are using food and other, sometimes odd, techniques to stay warm and survive winter.

"Birds employ a number of methods to survive the adversity of winter," said John Schaust, Chief Naturalist with Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop.

Food is the most essential element, providing birds with the energy, stamina and nutrition they need. To stay warm, birds will expend energy very quickly, some losing up to 10% of their body weight on extremely cold nights. An ample supply of high-calorie foods such as black oil sunflower, peanuts and suet is crucial to a bird's survival.

" We can play a vital role when feeding the birds becomes critical during extremely cold conditions...

November 10, 2008 // Franchising.com // CARMEL INDIANA - During these turbulent economic times, more Americans are looking for easy, inexpensive hobbies they can enjoy while traveling less. For some people, the answer is no farther than their backyard. According to a Department of Interior's National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, more than 41 million Americans are backyard birders, making it the second most popular hobby next to gardening.

"Getting started is simple", according to John Schaust, Chief Naturalist with Wild Birds Unlimited.

"Backyard bird feeding is a great hobby the entire family can enjoy. You can make a game out of identifying different bird species."

The average backyard may be visited regularly by 15 to 20 different bird species...

October 24, 2008 // Franchising.com // Carmel, Indiana – More than 20 years ago, Jim Carpenter attempted to create a bird food in his kitchen that would attract Brown Creepers to his yard. The result would become Jim's Birdacious® Bark Butter®, enjoyed by more than 60 species of birds. Bark Butter is eaten by more species of birds than any other bird food on the market and is available exclusively at Wild Birds Unlimited.

Bark Butter is easily spread on any tree's bark, simply using the back side of a fork. Appealing to seed-, fruit-, nut- and insect-eating birds, it doesn't wash away in the rain and won't melt in direct sun. From nuthatches in the Northwest to Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers in the Southeast, Bark Butter has attracted birds in areas across the United States and Canada...

Environment & Earth DayCARMEL, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This year marks the 37th anniversary of Earth Day, a global event that encourages people to conserve resources and preserve natural habitats. Though people around the world will partake in various festivals, community projects and other environmentally-friendly ventures, you could choose to stay close to home and create a habitat for birds and other wildlife in your backyard.

The average backyard may be visited by 15 to 20 different bird species. However, a bird-friendly yard can attract 60 or more different species. To attract the greatest number of bird species, a habitat must provide at least one of each of these elements: food, water, shelter and a place to raise their young...