Name: Tony Persson
Age: 40
Position: Vice president of operations, Hawaiian Natural Water Co.
First job: Usher in movie theater
Favorite pastimes: Fishing, coaching soccer, gardening
Tony Persson will manage production, quality control and distribution for the Hawaiian Natural Water Co. which gets its water from a well in Mauna Loa on the Big Island. The firm distributes bottled water in the United States, Middle East and Asia. Speeding up Hawaiian Natural Water
"My background is in high-speed plants and we're trying to bring some of that here," Persson said. "We're looking at some new labeling (equipment) that will save us a substantial amount of money."
He has more than 10 years in the beverage industry, including three years with the Perrier Group in Boston and eight years with the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York, working out of Hartford, Conn. While with Perrier, production at the bottled water plant increased by 50 percent.
Persson, a native of Sweden, has a bachelor's degree in business management and international economics from Bromma College in Stockholm.
By Jerry Tune, Star-Bulletin