BWI

In 1958, Bob Bunch, a traveling seed salesman for Ferry-Morse Seed Company, acquired Smith and Son Seed Store, a farm and garden store in Texarkana, Texas.  The store opened with four employees, including Bob and his wife, Betty.  They sold seed and animals, including monkeys!  A few years later, the small retailer became a wholesale distributor of Ferry-Morse products and within months, the wholesale distribution business grew with the addition of more product lines.  Eventually, the retail store was sold and the family business became a wholesale-distributor exclusively.  The Bunch family has grown that single location retail business with four employees and first year sales of $10,000, to a twenty location corporation servicing fifteen states with 600 employees and 2019 sales of $414 million.

BWI currently distributes products for lawn and garden, animal health, horticulture, professional pest management, and turf markets to outlets, greenhouse growers, nursery growers, landscapers, lawn and land care companies. golf courses, and other related outlets.  Still family owned, the 3rd generation of the Bunch Family is now working for the company. 

The Core Values of a company represent that for which it stands and what its beliefs are as well as how they choose to conduct business.  As the company grew, the Senior Executives decided to state in writing BWI’s Core Values, so employees, customers, suppliers and the community would know the company’s foundational beliefs. BWI is committed to conducting business within the framework of these core values:

  • Ethical Business Practice
  • Integrity
  • Excellence
  • Open and Honest Communication
  • Progressiveness and Innovation
  • Professionalism
  • Teamwork
  • Responsiveness
  • Consistency

BWI Mission Statement - ‘BWI is built on providing our Customers with TopNotch Service and Quality Products at Competitive Values by Professional People.  The end result is a Fair Return to Shareholders.’

“Marion and Lauderdale County have made us feel wanted in the community,” stated Billy Key, Division Manager.  “In 2017, we were doing a multistate search for our new location and Bill Hannah and EMBDC made it obvious to BWI that this community wanted us here.  That recruitment and attention to detail is what made us decide on the Marion location.  The way Bill and the communities have worked with us since, has proven to us their sincerity.”

“We want to help support the community and we know that our future success at this location depends on a local workforce that we can help develop and recruit.  To our local leaders, Billy says this, “Make sure that you continue to invest in a well-trained and educated community.  The local workforce will not only help recruit new businesses to town, but it is the key for existing businesses to be able to sustain and grow.”

BWI
5215 Fairground Dr., Marion, MS