March 2007

ALUMNI NEWS

Young Entrepreneur Hits Inc. Magazine’s Top 30 List

photo courtesy Garden Media Group

James Messina, SOC/BA ’98, admits he never would have predicted his post-college career after majoring in visual media. “When I was in college, I thought I would be in California or New York working for some television show or film company,” says Messina. But the vice president of Messina Wildlife Management, an eco-friendly company that produces organic animal management products, is reaping the rewards of his hard work in Washington, N.J., where the company is headquartered.

Messina’s green business paved the way for him to be named one of Inc. magazine’s “30 Under 30: America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs” in 2006. Messina’s AU fraternity brother, Stephan Hovnanian, KSB/BA ’98, nominated him to run against other entrepreneurs. Inc. readers were able to vote for their favorite entrepreneur and ranked Messina as number three before voting closed. Although Messina's ascent within the ranks of Inc. magazine seems fast, it took years for this VP to position and market Messina Wildlife in a way that would gain it such wide exposure.

When he graduated, Messina says his father had been creating organic animal repellent for 10 years already, but he hadn't sold it to the masses. Messina saw great potential in his father’s repellent and worked with him to bring the products to retail, creating Big Bucks Enterprises, Inc., in 1998. The name of the company was meant to be an allusion to deer, Messina says. “But I never got taken very seriously when we were going to meetings.”

Messina applied his visual media background to designing Web sites, labels, and packaging for the products. He even used his experience as a founding member of AU’s Kappa Rho chapter of Sigma Chi to promote the business. As the fraternity’s first president, Messina had learned how to market an organization, but most importantly, he had gained specific experience with knowing “how to sell something that never existed.”

In 2003, Messina convinced his father to change the name of the company to the more professional-sounding Messina Wildlife Management. This serious change led to some serious business. The products—including Deer Stopper®, Goose Stopper®, and Plotsaver™—are now sold nationwide in garden centers and hardware stores, including Lowe’s. Messina is looking to launch 10 new products this year and increase the company’s exposure into a national chain of retailers. He says they are already on pace to double sales by the end of 2007.

With a 20-month-old daughter, Alia, and another child on the way, Messina always reminds himself that family comes first. “I make it a point to be home every night for dinner unless I’m on the road,” he says. “There’s always time to get a deal done. Sometimes the most important part of the day is just sitting at home coloring with your one-year old.”

-Tara Shlimowitz ‘08

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