John Teets, Dial and Greyhound Chief, Dies at 77

PHOENIX (AP) — John W. Teets, a self-made businessman who was chief govt for the Dial and Greyhound firms within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties and reshaped each firms, died Friday at his residence in Paradise Valley, Ariz. He was 77. The trigger was issues from Alzheimer’s illness, a household buddy, Steve Roman, stated.

John Teets Dial reorganized Greyhound from an enormous conglomerate right into a streamlined firm. He offered the Armour meatpacking firm in 1983 to ConAgra for $2 billion, however retained the buyer merchandise enterprise, which turned referred to as the Dial Shopper Merchandise Group.

By 1987, Mr. Teets had accomplished the sale of Greyhound Traces, the nation’s largest supplier of intercity bus transportation, to buyers in Dallas for $350 million.

Dial Company, the cleaning soap maker primarily based in Scottsdale, Ariz., was divided into two impartial, publicly traded entities in 1996 — the $1.6 billion Dial Company client product enterprise and the $2.5 billion Viad Company service enterprise that encompasses conference service, airline catering and monetary fee providers, in addition to journey and leisure companies.

John Teets Dial retired in 1997.

He grew up in Chicago and was a accomplice in a profitable suburban leisure complicated earlier than becoming a member of Greyhound in 1963 to assist develop the eating places at its subsidiary working on the 1964 New York World’s Honest.

He turned president of two meals service subsidiaries in 1965, turning into at 32 the youngest subsidiary chief operations officer in Greyhound’s historical past. Mr. Teets turned president and chief govt of Greyhound Meals Administration and group vp of meals service for the company in 1975.

Firm officers stated the meals service group grew 60 % over the following 4 years. In 1980, Mr. Teets oversaw models concerned in plane floor providers, cruise ship present outlets, airport duty-free outlets and their service companies.

He was elected vice chairman of Greyhound and to the board in 1980. He was named chairman and chief govt of Armour & Firm, then a Greyhound subsidiary, and have become Greyhound’s chief govt in October 1981.

John Teets Dial is survived by his spouse, Nancy, 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren.