Three CEOs of merged groups tell how they handled concerns Carpernter, left, Hamm and MacKie Barry Carpenter was planning to retire as CEO of the North American Meat Association when the group began talks with the American Meat Institute about a possible merger. His members were willing to agree to the deal on one condition: He needed to stay on for at least another three years as CEO of the merged organization. "That wasn't my first plan, as I explained to my wife, but I really liked the industry," said Carpenter, who is now CEO of North American Meat Institute, the new group formed by the merger in 2015. "But the most convincing fact was (the merger) needed to happen. It… Read More