Reed’s Inc. promotes Norman E. Snyder Jr. to CEO

Norwalk drinks manufacturer Reed”™s Inc. has promoted Chief Operating Officer Norman E. Snyder Jr. to CEO, effective March 1.

Snyder will succeed John Bello, who has served as Reed”™s interim CEO since September 2019. Bello will continue to serve as the firm”™s chairman of the board of directors.

Bello was named interim CEO after the sudden departure of Val Stalowir, who took over as CEO from founder and former CEO Chris Reed in July 2017. Stalowir was instrumental in the company”™s relocation of its headquarters from Los Angeles to Norwalk in August 2018.

Prior to joining Reed”™s in 2019, Snyder served as president and CEO of Avitae USA, a “premium new age beverage company” in Cleveland that markets and sells a line of ready-to-drink caffeinated waters. Before that he was president and CEO of Adina For Life Inc., a startup beverage venture that markets and sells ready-to-drink fruit beverages, teas and coffees.

He has also held senior executive positions at Rheingold Brewing Co. and at SoBe. Before entering the beverage business, Snyder was controller for National Football League Properties Inc., where he worked alongside Bello. Their careers also overlapped at Adina for Life and at SoBe.

“Over the last few months as our chief operating officer,” Bello said, “Norm has proven he is the best candidate for the position already bringing his over two decades of beverage expertise to the table, leveraging his extensive supply chain and management experience, and proving to be an invaluable asset to our team. Through my extensive experience working with Norm for 20 years, he has exemplified himself as a knowledgeable leader with a broad range of skills that are perfectly suited for the CEO role at Reed”™s.”

“I am honored to have been chosen to lead Reed”™s in this next phase of growth and continue to build upon the work we started last fall,” Snyder said.

The company’s all-natural beverages output includes Reed”™s Ginger Beer and Virgil”™s Root Beer.