Myers’ background in the meat industry began as a child when he was raised in the small south-central Iowa town of Mount Ayr, where his father was the meat market manager at a local grocery store. As an undergraduate at Iowa State Univ. (ISU), Myers worked at the ISU Meat Laboratory. After receiving a bachelor’s degree, he continued his education and work in the meat industry, earning a master’s degree in meat science.
Myers began his professional career at Oscar Mayer Foods, followed by four years with Sara Lee Refrigerated Foods. In 2001, he joined the research and development team at Hormel Foods starting as a research scientist. He was then promoted to development leader, group manager, and then director. During his tenure at Hormel, Myers completed his Ph.D. at ISU. In 2013, he was promoted to vice president and later senior vice president of Research and Development.
“Throughout his career, Dr. Myers has demonstrated a sound adherence to scientific principles and the ability to implement policies based on them,” AMSA said in its announcement. “He has consistently earned the respect of his peers through the use of research and data. His contributions to areas that directly impact the industry have set new standards in many cases. His guidance on combinations of antimicrobials and high-pressure processing opened new avenues of validations for conventional and natural cured products,” AMSA said.
