Entrepreneur of the Week: Derick Halliman, CEO of Lucid Enterprises
What He Does: Markets Mist Premium Spring Water
Awards: Black Enterprise Rising Star Award (2008)
Promenade of Distinction Honoree at 2009 Trumpet Awards
Named “Best Bottle in Glass” at the 2008 Water Innovation Awards
Here’s what Halliman told rolling out about Mist Premium Water.
How did you get into selling premium water?
The Mist product has been out since 2008. My primary company was water filtration. In 2004 I bought a bottling company called Ice Age but … that really didn’t work out. I only had the company for about a year and a half so I just knew when I was ready to do it again I would just start all over again with a clean slate … and really be in control.
How many employees do you have?
I have 13 employees total but that also includes the water filtration side. For Mist there are only 3 employees.
Are there other people of color in this industry?
There are a few brokers in the industry that are people of color but I am one of the few African American owners in the industry.
What was the inspiration for the design of the Mist bottle?
… Some people said my previous company’s glass bottle looked like a 40 ounce, so when that company flopped and I started my own company, I wanted to design my own bottle and have it have the feel of a perfume and wine bottle — all in one.
What’s the retail price of Mist?
It retails between $6–$8 … the bottle is like a wine bottle so you can usually get between 3–6 servings out of one bottle.
What differentiates Mist from its competitors? Are there any health benefits?
We talk about the green aspect and we have a glass bottle, but mainly it’s the purity of the water.
–christa jackson
For more information, visit www.MistH2O.com.
