Prior to joining Meredith Mergers Kurt Grindstaff held the following positions: He previously served as President for seven of his seventeen years with The Seven Up Bottling Company of St. Louis. The company had annual revenues of $80 million and was owned by The Phillip Morris Company. He became a principal owner subsequent to The Seven Up Bottling Company going private in 1987. His prior positions were Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance. He spent seven years as Financial Planner and Controller of The Allis Chalmers Corporation – an agricultural equipment manufacturer. Mr. Grindstaff majored in accounting at Indiana University and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1979.