Leadership Team

Breck Speed - Chief Executive Officer
Breck has been in the bottled water business since 1988 when he started Clear Mountain Spring Water Company. He also started Veriplas Containers, a plastics manufacturing business, in 1998 with a separate group of investors. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Tulane University, and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Brad Frieberg - Chief Financial Officer
Brad earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Texas Christian University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a co-founder of Veriplas Containers. He worked earlier in his career with Arthur Young, Arthur Anderson, as an independent consultant to small and mid-sized businesses.

Mike Jackson - General Counsel
Mike joined Mountain Valley in 2004 after serving as Senior Counsel for Litigation at AllTel Communications. He earned a degree in Engineering from Virginia Tech and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Taylor Cranor - Director - Distributor Development
Taylor has more than twenty-five years of consumer packaged goods sales and business development experience at Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and RJR Nabisco. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from East Carolina University.

Mike Blanchat, Director - International Sales
Mike is a Stanford University graduate with a degree in Economics and earned his Masters in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. Prior to joining Mountain Valley in 2006, he worked in the lumber and finished wood products business, primarily importing and exporting goods.

James "Bucky" Roebuck, Director - National Accounts
Bucky worked sales and marketing positions prior to joining Mountain Valley in 2005. He is a graduate of Hendrix College with a degree in Political Science.

John Speed - Director - Private Label Sales
John is the brother of Breck and is a co-founder of Clear Mountain Spring Water Company. After attending the University of Arkansas, he worked in the trucking business as a Sales Manager.

Jo Russell - Director - Quality Control
Jo received her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She has been with Mountain Valley for 17 years and has served on IBWA Technical, Education and Virus/Microbial committees. Jo is a Certified Plant Operator and has over 50 hours of continuing education credits. She is a member of the American Water Works Association and the Water Quality Association.

Dennis Thomas - Production Manager
Dennis has been with Mountain Valley for 18 years, beginning his career on the production line. A Certified Plant Operator, he has also served in Quality Control, Sales and Marketing and several production management positions until he became Production Manager in 2007.