Through four generations, the Dunavant family has been involved in the cotton industry, first as a cotton producer near Tunica, Mississippi, later as a pioneer of railroading, hauling cotton in the Mississippi Delta, and in recent times, as the owners and operators of one of the world’s largest and most successful cotton merchandizing firms. William Buchanan (Buck) Dunavant started trading cotton at the early age of twenty on Front Street, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Through The Depression and World War II, the business evolved into W. B. Dunavant and Company. William B. (Billy) Dunavant joined the firm with his father in 1952, and became CEO of the company at the age of 29 when his father passed away in 1960. Under Billy’s leadership, the company became a far more aggressive and innovative business, initiating “forward contracting” and recognizing early on the potential for US cotton sales into export markets.

The firm grew from a small scale Memphis trader into a cotton merchant handling all world growths, and selling to textile mills around the world. Dunavant participated in the first sale of U.S. cotton to Mainland China in November 1972, and since that time has expanded its reach into all world markets for cotton production and consumption, consistently handling in excess of 6 million bales of U.S. and foreign growth cotton per year. In order to enhance the Company’s ability to buy and sell cotton on a global scale, Dunavant relentlessly sought opportunities to get closer to its markets and customers.

Throughout the 80’s, 90’s and into the 2000’s, the company expanded its operations into all regions where cotton is of economic importance, through acquisition or construction of fixed assets in remote areas, including cotton gins and warehouses in the American Southwest, Australia, Central Asia, and Eastern Africa. Along the way, Billy Dunavant’s entrepreneurial spirit and sense of duty to his community has led to forays into a number on non-cotton related ventures.

Dunavant has owned and operated companies engaged in aviation, software development, professional football and tennis, real estate development (notably the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida), offshore supply vessels, and logistics. The present day Dunavant Enterprises has become more focused on its core business--COTTON.

With primary offices in Memphis, Fresno, Geneva, Hong Kong, Beijing, Brisbane, Sao Paulo, and Lusaka, and a number of satellite operations scattered in all cotton producing areas of the world, Dunavant has positioned itself to take advantages of opportunities in the industry wherever they may arise. Dunavant Enterprises has been consistently ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the best small companies in America, as well as largest private companies in America.