Gerald Meyers died at 94 at his home in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Meyers served as chief executive officer for American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1977 until his retirement in 1982. The Detroit Free Press reports that Mr. Meyers died of natural causes on June 19.
Meyers held degrees from Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University): a bachelor’s of science in engineering and a master’s in business. He worked at Ford, then served in the United States Air Force in Greenland during the Korean conflict. After his service, he joined Chrysler in various roles, including running a stamping factory in Cleveland.
Meyers moved to AMC, taking on a series of jobs while quickly climbing the corporate ladder. He was director of purchasing, director of manufacturing, vice president of product engineering, executive vice president, and chief operating officer before assuming the mantle of president and chief executive officer in 1977. During his rise, he helped shepherd the development of some of AMC’s memorable vehicles, including the Hornet, the Gremlin, and the Pacer. He opposed the acquisition of Jeep from Kaiser-Jeep but managed its acquisition and integration with the AMC supply chain. As CEO, he took charge of AMC’s merger with Renault.
Only 48 years old when he became CEO at AMC, Meyers was often hailed as a success story by Detroit’s Jewish community as a visible minority in a leadership position. After his unexpected retirement in 1982 at 53, Meyers enjoyed a long career as a business consultant and college professor, holding positions at his alma mater and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Houghton Mifflin published his book (written with John Holusha), “When It Hits the Fan: Managing the Nine Crises of Business,” in 1986.
