Back in the day when matchbooks were popular, Chris Bird used a rubber stamp to imprint his contact information on them to promote his lawn-mowing business. Before that, he operated a drink stand by the neighborhood tennis court. And in college, he started a company with the lofty name of 1520 Enterprises Unlimited to loan money to fellow students who had a short-term need, similar to today’s payday and title loan businesses.

“When I was in grade school, there was always a candy sale at school or for the baseball team,” Chris said. “I was always the top seller because I would invest in some product myself and use it as free samples. People couldn’t say no to a kid giving away free candy.”

In other words, Chris Bird has always been interested in business, sales and marketing.

He was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and grew up in Dallas. Chris moved to Memphis in 1986 after graduating from UT Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and philosophy.

After college, he passed the life insurance licensing exam then started a series of very different businesses: software design and consulting; buying, improving, developing and selling real property; and architectural consulting, with major projects that included Peabody Place, Target House and FedExForum.

Then, after a chance meeting between Chris Bird and John Dillard Jr. at Memphis Rotary in 2000, the two agreed that Chris would buy Dillard Door and Specialty Company from the retiring Dillard. Chris took $75,000 in savings and a personal note from Dillard to capitalize the new company.

At the time, the company had 12 employees and about $2 million in revenue. Chris became president of the company, which provides commercial perimeter security products and services. In just five years, Chris had grown the company, which he renamed Dillard Door and Security, to 50 employees and $6 million in revenue. Today Dillard Companies has more than $25 million in revenue and more than 120 employees in Memphis and Florida, where high-dollar mansion owners are big customers of the overhead doors Dillard sells. Since then, spin-offs of strong pieces of the business and acquisitions have continued to shape the business that years ago installed the gates at Graceland.

In 2019, Chris was inducted into the Society of Entrepreneurs. Today he serves on that board and is active in other organizations including Regional One Health Foundation, Calvary Episcopal Church, Door and Hardware Institute, Construction Specifications Institute, Morrison Architectural Scholarship Fund at the UofM, Memphis Heritage, NFIB

State Leadership Council and Crime Stoppers. He also remains active in Memphis Rotary, where that chance meeting with John Dillard Jr. started it all.

Chris and Dillard Companies are also Chairman’s Circle investors. “Being part of the Chairman’s Circle offers us invaluable opportunities including direct involvement in key task forces and committees shaping Memphis’ economic future,” he said. “We benefit from exclusive access to meetings with political influencers and private events, as well as concierge access to expert teams in economic development and governmental affairs. This significantly enhances our growth and visibility. Overall, the Chairman’s Circle provides a platform for strategic networking, influence and long-term success. And it’s fun, too!”

Chris and his wife Helen have three children. He enjoys hunting, wine, gourmet cooking, UT sports, Grizzlies basketball, Redbirds baseball, travel and music.