John Teets, former industry leader, dies at 77

John Teets, the former CEO of the Dial and Greyhound corporations in the 1980s and 1990s, has died. He was 77.

Teets died August 5, 2011, at his home in Paradise Valley of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

 “He’s a giant, in my mind,” said Joe Fassler, who worked with him from 1976 until Teets’ retirement in 1997. “He defined leadership. He was a no-nonsense guy and a very, very energetic manager. I was in awe of him.”

Teets grew up in Chicago, Ill. In 1963, he joined Greyhound to develop the company’s restaraunts that were operating at the World’s Fair in New York.

In 1965, he became president of two food service divisions. At age 32, he was the youngest COO in the history of Greyhound. Later on, Teets became president and CEO of the Greyhound Food Management group.

From then on, Teets made it his job to restructure and streamline the company. By 1987, he had sold Greyhound Lines, the bus transportation division, to Dallas-based investors for $350 million.

Teets continued to head several other major companies, including Dial, the Scottsdale-based soap maker and Viad Corp, a Phoenix-based company.

Teets is survived by his wife, Nancy, four daughters and five grandchildren.