The Best And Brightest

October 11, 2003

Jamie Carroll Founder, Fontis Water Marietta Age: 28

After a lifetime spent in his family’s water business, you’d think the last thing Jamie Carroll would want to do would be start his own bottled water company. Not so. After Georgia Mountain Water, the company where he’d done everything from loading trucks to creating marketing plans, was sold, it didn’t take Carroll long to found a new one.

Still in its infancy, Fontis Water focuses on three- and five-gallon bottles for home and office use, though plans call for offering single-serving bottles in Atlanta-area health foods stores and gyms shortly. It’s still something of a family affair – among the 15 employees are Carroll’s cousin, Brad, and brother, Edward.

Instead of discouraging his son from following in his footsteps, Jamie’s dad, James, is also on board as business consultant. “I’m proud of him,” says James. “After two months he’s probably at the point it took Georgia Mountain Water six or seven years to get to.”

Carroll hopes to extend Fontis’ reach to the entire Southeast, but now he’s focused on the minutiae of a start-up, from recruiting clients to securing permits. And he’s not letting his new role as executive go to his head – a few days ago he unloaded an entire tractor-trailer full of bottled water by hand. — SW