James 'Jim' Allen Pattison, O.C., O.B.C., is a Canadian businessman, the self-made billionaire Founder, CEO, and sole owner of The Jim Pattison Group, Canada's third-largest privately owned company (spanning auto dealerships, media, grocery chains, and advertising). Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1928, his entrepreneurial spirit began at age seven, selling seeds door to door.

Pattison dropped out of school a few courses short of his degree (from UBC) and worked various odd jobs, including bellhopping, washing cars, and selling cars to fellow students to pay his tuition. His philosophy is encapsulated by the tenet: no partner, no shareholders, no relatives, which allowed him to maintain sole ownership and act quickly and independently in acquisitions.

• The Jim Pattison Group (Founder, CEO & Sole Owner): The core private asset, Canada's third-largest privately owned company (with $10 billion in annual sales). The company has interests in auto dealerships, media (signage, broadcasting), grocery stores, and packaging.
• Acquisition Strategy: His success is built on a creeping takeover method (gradually buying shares and then taking the company private).
• Civic Leadership: He chaired Vancouver's World Trade Fair, Expo '86 (for a fee of C$1 a year).
• Sole Ownership: He is one of the world's few billionaires who maintains sole ownership of a massive conglomerate.

Jim Pattison's strategic genius was his decision to focus on the automotive sector. He founded The Jim Pattison Group in 1961 with the purchase of a General Motors dealership in Burnaby. He quickly expanded through ploughing most earnings back into the business and pursuing diversification.

His structural contribution is tied to the successful consolidation and privatization of large industrial and retail assets (e.g., acquiring and taking Neonex and Great Pacific private). He is also a major philanthropist, enhancing hospitals and patient care in British Columbia and Saskatchewan through the Jim Pattison Foundation. His immense wealth is secured by the colossal, long-term, stable profitability of his diversified, privately held conglomerate.

Jim Pattison's social impact is structural, stemming from The Jim Pattison Group's role as a massive employer (45,000 employees) and foundational provider of essential consumer goods and services across Canada. His immense philanthropic work (through the Jim Pattison Foundation) is a major structural contributor to healthcare, education, and patient care.

His structural contribution is tied to his civic leadership (chairing Expo '86 and helping bring the 2010 Winter Olympics to Vancouver), ensuring the long-term economic and social development of British Columbia.

Jim Pattison maintains the professional, composed style of a major Canadian executive. His attire is consistently formal and high-quality, favoring tailored suits. His aesthetic reflects stability and immense corporate authority, blending his humble background with his high-stakes acquisition history.

Residing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to industrial acquisition, sole ownership, and large-scale philanthropy.