Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, Freshpet
Search every verified William Cyr interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. William Cyr, CEO and Executive Director of Freshpet, was inducted into the Carbon County Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. During his induction speech, Cyr recounted his high school running career, noting that he was a three-time Centennial League champion who won 74 individual distance races and set numerous school and course records. He said that his career as a runner began after being told he could no longer play contact sports. Cyr credited his coaches and his father for teaching him lessons he carries into business, stating that "winning as a team is far better than winning as an individual." Cyr also discussed his professional background, saying that he has "succeeded in business and served as a CEO of two different multinational companies: the Sunny Delight beverage company, which I ran for 11 years, and Freshpet." He described his college experience training alongside Olympians and learning to compete for the love of the sport, adding that he went from being a champion to "the inconsequential member of a team" but loved every minute of it.
“I have succeeded in business and served as a CEO of two different multinational companies: the Sunny Delight beverage company, which I ran for 11 years, and Freshpet, the fast-growing publicly traded pet food company.”
“Winning as a team is far better than winning as an individual; that is a lesson I carry in business every day.”
“My dad always seemed to know what was required in times of victory to keep my head screwed on straight and in times of disappointment how to get me back on track.”
“They told me that I could no longer play contact sports, thus my career as a football player ended and my career as a runner was born.”
“Coach George taught me the importance of teamwork in the largely individual sport; my role was to score the much-needed team points, so my career was defined not by the big races I won but by the number of races I was entered in.”
“In college I got training with current and future Olympians and got to watch a world-famous coach balance the needs of the winners with those of us in the supporting cast.”
“I had to learn to work hard and compete just for the love of it, not because I thought I might win; I went from being the champion to being the inconsequential member of a team, but I was on teams that were in the top 20 in the country and loved every minute of it.”
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