Prior to joining Meredith Mergers William Dyer held the following positions: From 1965 to 1974 he was a top marketing executive with General Foods Corporation. In 1975, at the age of thirty-two, he became the President of Old El Paso. In 1977 he became the President of U. S. Grocery Operations at Pet Incorporated. In 1979 he became President of Planters Peanuts, and shortly thereafter, became President of the U. S. Food Operations of the parent company, Standard Brands. He was a corporate officer of Standard Brands which through several mergers, later became RJR / Nabisco. In 1983 he founded the Dyer Group which provided consulting services to privately held and closely held public companies in a broad spectrum of industries. In 1992 the Dyer Group acquired Barnes Management which combined his twenty-five years of corporate experience with his extensive knowledge of his non-corporate interests – motor sports. The merged companies became Barnes Dyer Marketing, Inc., which was recognized as the leader in motor sports marketing. The firm’s focus was developing and managing corporate sponsorship and business to business programs around venues, teams and drivers. Barnes Dyer Marketing, based in Irvine, CA, generated over $100 million in sponsorships for the top teams and venues and did business to business consulting work for the corporations involved in the sport. In 1999 he sold Barnes Dyer Marketing. He has served on the board of directors of privately held companies and civic organizations. Mr. Dyer earned his BA in English Literature at Brown University and his MBA in Labor Relations at the Wharton Graduate School.