A legend in the meat business, Walter’s story begins in Watkins, Iowa, where he grew up on a 200- acre livestock farm. After graduating from Iowa State University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science, Walter joined the American Meat Institute (AMI) and worked as a commodity broker at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange

Walter and his business partner established the Carriage House Meat and Provision Co. He was part owner of National Centralized Ultrasound Processing Laboratory & Technology Center operating company, which handled data for 26 breed associations. In 1979, he began W&G Marketing, a custom meats company that produced Certified Angus Beef^® brand products.