Kurt Byrd is the Chief Financial Officer at Carolina Packers, Inc., current president of the NC Meat Processors Association (2019-2022), Principal/Founder of Roots for Strength, and has been working in the meat industry over a decade. Carolina Packers is best known for the famous red Bright Leaf Hot Dog and Kurt definitely has Bright Leaf in the blood! His grandfather, Hilton Byrd, worked at Carolina Packers in some capacity over 59 years! Kurt started on the shipping dock and had the fortunate opportunities to work in many sides of the business, giving him a broad perspective on company operations. Kurt specializes in planning and implementing new strategies to maintain and build business. He is experienced with verifiable track records of successes in sales, logistics, financial and forecast analytics, business valuations, business management, team leadership, capital budgeting, project planning, meat brokerage, IT technical support, Enterprise Resource Planning software development, event planning and coordination, marketing, and customer service.

Beyond the duties at Carolina Packers, Kurt can’t get away from the food industry! He enjoys small-scale farming, cooking, and has the privilege to serve the local community through Roots for Strength. The company was created to leverage his talents by providing consulting services and meat products all over the country. Kurt personally delivers groceries locally with his 3-year-old son, with the ultimate mission of partnering with local churches and community organizations to provide meals to folks in need!