BUILT ON INTEGRITY. TRUSTED FOR GENERATIONS.

Tommy Clements is the President and CEO of VSC Fire & Security based in Richmond, VA. He joined the company in 2017 following VSC’s acquisition of Arkansas Automatic Sprinklers/United Fire Suppression, where he had served as the CEO since leading a sponsor-backed acquisition in 2009. Following Markel’s acquisition of VSC, Tommy relocated to Richmond, VA to assume the role of COO and was promoted to President in 2022. He took on the additional role of CEO in 2023. In the spring of 2024 Tommy was appointed to the Board of Directors of the American Fire Sprinkler Association.

Tommy is a former Nuclear Submarine Officer for the US Navy, having served onboard the USS Alabama ballistic missile submarine and in Navy Recruiting as head of enlisted recruiting in the Southeast United States.

After his military service, he worked as a program manager on satellite defense and space shuttle programs before entering the construction industry as a development consultant to owners of casinos, resort hotels and residential properties.

Tommy has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University and an MBA from the Stetson School of Business and Economics at Mercer University. He is married to the former Lori Downs and has four children, ages 28, 25, 15, and 11.

Michael Meehan focuses on VSC’s people, customers and industry needs. Meehan’s secret for success is simple: seek and reward common sense values that prize honesty and treating people with dignity and respect. Good people attract good people and success is a byproduct of good people.

A lifelong Virginian, Michael started his career with VSC as a pipe fitter apprentice while getting his degree in public administration from George Mason University. Immediately upon graduation in 1981, he entered the VSC Springfield VA office as a design trainee. Such foundational bedrocks created strong technical skills that eventually led to estimating, project management, divisional, corporate and ownership roles. Having gone from pulling pipe wrenches to C-suite leadership has led to a deep understanding of construction, fire protection contacting and a foundational life perspective on value.

During his tenure VSC has become one of the largest fire protection contractors in the country with 1,200 plus employees and annual sales in excess of 200 million dollars. Michael has served on numerous community and fire protection industry boards. His accomplishments include being national chairman of the American Fire Sprinkler Association and a 20-year veteran of the NFPA 13 committee.

Dumas Garrett is the Chief Administrative Officer of VSC Fire & Security based in Richmond, VA. He joined the company in 2023 after spending the past 14 years as CEO of De Wafelbakkers, the largest manufacturer of frozen pancakes. Prior to De Wafelbakkers, Dumas spent 19 years with Stephens Inc., one of the largest private investment banks. He at various times ran both the Technology and Telecom Group and the Consumer Group.

Dumas has his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arkansas and his M.B.A. from The Darden School at the University of Virginia. Dumas and his wife, Tori, have relocated to Richmond from Arkansas. They are proud to have three wonderful children and a grandson.

Jeff Riddle serves as Chief Operating Officer of VSC Fire & Security, overseeing company-wide operations and driving strategic initiatives that support sustainable growth and operational excellence. With more than two decades of experience in the fire protection and life safety industry, Jeff brings a rare combination of front-line insight and executive leadership.

He began his career in ground-level operations and advanced through roles in installation, service, project management, sales, and division leadership. This broad foundation and a strong track record in executive management, gives him a comprehensive understanding of the business from every perspective.

Previously Jeff served as Senior Vice President and South-Central Regional Manager, leading multiple high-performing divisions along with the Enterprise team. He is known for building strong teams, navigating complex challenges, and fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and customer focus.

Jeff holds a degree in Business Management and maintains several industry certifications. He and his wife, Tia, reside on the eastern shore of Mobile, Alabama, and are preparing to relocate to the Richmond, Virginia area. Outside of work, he enjoys inshore & offshore fishing and is a dedicated supporter of University of Alabama athletics.

Eric Freeling serves as Senior Vice President and South-Central Regional Manager, leading operations across the company's Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee markets. His path into fire protection and life safety has been anything but conventional, and it has given him a technician's understanding of the work paired with more than two decades of operational leadership.

Eric began his career in 1990 in the commercial and industrial electrical field, advancing from apprentice to licensed Journeyman Electrician and ultimately earning his Master Electrician license. Along the way, he installed far more than electrical systems — fire alarm, video surveillance, access control, and structured cabling all became part of his skill set. In 2001, he moved fully into the low-voltage industry with a contractor in Sherwood, Arkansas, where he served as Operations Manager for sixteen years.

In April 2017, Eric joined Arkansas Automatic Sprinklers/United Fire Suppression in Cabot, Arkansas, as Operations Manager. The opportunity came about when he reached out to longtime friend and former coworker to share that he was ready for a new challenge. There was no open role that matched his experience, but then-General Manager Tommy Clements restructured the organization to create one. Four months later, VSC acquired AAS-UFS, and the next chapter of Eric's career began. As he tells it, an acquisition may have brought him to VSC, but it was his friend and Tommy's willingness to invest in his potential that opened the door.

A graduate of Conway High School and a native of Conway, Arkansas, Eric holds a Master Electrician license and resides in Cabot, Arkansas.

Brandon brings decades of legal experience to our organization as our in-house counsel. Prior to joining VSC in 2025, Brandon served as VSC’s outside corporate counsel for over twelve years while a partner in the business section of the Richmond office of Hirschler Fleischer, PC and practiced commercial litigation and employment law with another Richmond law firm earlier in his career following completion of a judicial clerkship. Brandon took his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his graduate degree from Emory University School of Law. He is admitted to practice before all of the courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia.

While in private practice, Brandon was recognized by Best Lawyers of America for Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law and Corporate Law, 2024-2025; by Virginia Business magazine as a “Legal Elite” for Corporate Counsel/Business Law, 2019-2024; and by Virginia Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” for Business/Corporate Law, 2014. Brandon is the author of Chapter 2 of Virginia CLE®’s handbook Limited Liability Companies in Virginia. He lives in Richmond with his wife and two children.

Tom brings over 35 years of operational and sales experience in the electrical and low voltage industry to his role at VSC. He began his career in the late 1980s as an electrical helper while attending Southwest Community College and later enrolled in the ABC Electrical Apprenticeship Program. Tom advanced from Journeyman Electrician managing commercial installations to roles in estimating and project management, gaining a well-rounded understanding of business operations. In 2003, Tom transitioned into Building Automation Control Systems, first as a Controls Technician and then as a Project Manager overseeing installations. He earned his Master Electrician State Contractor’s License in Tennessee and went on to lead an electrical and low voltage installation company. Tom joined Siemens in 2012 as a Project Manager and was later promoted to Area Operations Manager. After his time at Siemens Tom took a new position as Area Sales Manager at Schneider Electric.

Tom and his wife Danna have been married for 34 years and live in Memphis, Tennessee. They have two sons working in the medical field. Outside of work, Tom enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time on the lake. He and Danna also enjoy traveling, especially to the beach.

William Walker was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, where he attended Norview High School. He began his Fire Protection career in 1988 at Tidewater Fire Protection in Chesapeake, Virginia. In 1990, he was given an opportunity at Coastal Fire Protection in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he began as a foreman and was soon promoted to Field Superintendent.

In September 1993, he joined VSC Fire & Security and was promoted to Field Superintendent at the Virginia Beach office, as well as becoming an instructor for the apprenticeship program. He continued his service in that position for 21 years. He was working alongside the current Chairman of VSC Fire and Security, Mike Meehan. During this time, he learned how to successfully manage and run field personnel for the large contract department. He did this by working hand in hand with all the departments in the division. Through this experience, he gained an understanding of each department’s unique role in the success of the division. Over the years, he excelled at overseeing large contracts that he successfully brought to close projects such as the Mid-Town Tunnel project run by SKW, as the general contractor, and many other similar projects.

In September of 2017, William was promoted to a General Management position and was able to bring his management skills to the Roanoke/Salem, Virginia division. In December of 2022, he was promoted to Regional Operations Manager overseeing the Mid-Atlantic Region where he sits today. William has since moved to the Richmond, Virginia area.

William’s goal with VSC Fire & Security was to be successful as a Division Manager, working with the staff to grow the branch and show them what they could achieve. The success and growth of the branch has elevated William to his current role as Regional Operations Manager for the Virginia and Maryland markets.

James Walter is the current Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for the Southeast Region. After graduating from West Virginia University where he was able to utilize his drafting skills in interior design and architecture, James began his career in the fire protection industry as a draftsman and designer. James filled various roles in the industry, primarily in the Northern Virginia area before joining the VSC team in 2021 as Operations Manager. He later went on to run the Springfield Division as Division Manager, and now serves as SVP. James enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, craft breweries, weight training and occasionally destroying golf courses.

John Bates was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, where he attended DS Freeman High School and later pursued his education at Old Dominion University. John comes to us from LL Flooring where he was Program Manager for Business Initiatives. Prior to LL, John spent 23 years with several retail organizations where he worked in multiple areas including business strategy, data analytics, supply chain/inventory management, and sales management. John partners with all the departments and divisions to help develop programming, training, and processes, consistently across the organization.

John resides in Henrico with his wife, Annette, and two children, Audrey and River. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis and other outdoor activities, as well as volunteering his time with the local running community.

Mark Bowlin joined the industry in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area while in college studying fine art and art history. Over the years he has held roles as designer, senior designer, and Design Manager and has designed systems, estimated, sold, installed and fabricated fire sprinkler systems. In 1991, Mark moved to Houston, Texas and had the opportunity to work on some complex industrial and offshore projects as well as commercial, and residential. For 18 years he was a partner in a successful local fire sprinkler company and joined VSC in October of 2024. Mark is NICET IV certified in Water-Based System Layout and license holder in Texas, South Carolina and Georgia.

Mark and his wife currently reside in Conroe Texas and have five grown children, and three granddaughters. In his spare time if he’s not fishing or at the beach, you can find Mark and his wife running their non-profit, Warriors Educate About Rescue, for education and animal rescue of special needs animals. A major part of their mission is their never-lost pet project where they provide free microchipping at public events.

Sam Campbell is our Vice President of General Products. He joined VSC in 2021 when we acquired his company AAA Fire Safety. He founded his company in 2000 while working as a career firefighter and paramedic. He began at VSC as our Engineered Systems Manager before being promoted to Training and Development Manager this spring. During this transition, Sam has helped VSC secure significant agreements and pricing changes with top manufacturers. These efforts have awarded him the new position of Vice President of General Products where he will continue to drive the success of our Fire Extinguisher and Pre-Engineered Systems business, working with numerous manufacturers on OEM agreements.

Sam dedicates his free time to hobbies such as training with his German Shepherd, engaging in extreme long-range shooting, fishing, hunting, and cherishing moments with his family. Sam and his wife Susan are active in their community with the Feed My Sheep Squared and CAAIR, that both offer support and mentorship to individuals facing challenges.

Laura Catlett grew up in Greenville, South Carolina.

She received her bachelor’s degree in accounting at Winthrop University and her master’s degree at Clemson University. She started her career in Public Accounting in the audit practice at Ernst & Young. She served clients in a variety of industries including Manufacturing, Real Estate, and Construction. Prior to joining VSC, she served as the Controller in Real Estate and Hospitality.

Laura currently resides in Richmond, VA with her husband and her three dogs.

Royce Cummings is the Director of Safety at VSC Fire and Security based out of Cabot, Arkansas. He has been a part of the team since late 2019. He joined our team with over 13 years of experience in construction, mining, manufacturing, oil, and gas. Royce aims to provide leadership, training, and development with an emphasis on safety for our staff companywide. Royce has been able to effectively present requirements and improve safety culture throughout our organization by providing desired outcomes and effective solutions.

Royce attended Arkansas Baptist College to complete his Bachelor’s degree and received his Master’s degree from Columbia Southern University. He lives in Sherwood, Arkansas with his family.

Chad Edmondson is the Director of Fleet Services at VSC Fire & Security. Starting with VSC in 2021, he was brought on board to create and implement a centralized professional Fleet Management program and is currently responsible for managing over 1,000 fleet assets nationwide. With more than 12 years of experience in both commercial and public fleet management, he has expertise in many areas of vehicle management and driver safety programs. Chad aims to build a best-in-class fleet program and provide employees with safe and roadworthy vehicles, allowing them to get their jobs done safely and efficiently.

Chad received his Bachelor’s degree from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. He resides in Poquoson, VA with his family.

Lisa Jarnagin worked in human resources (HR) for a structural steel fabricator in Little Rock, Arkansas for over 20 years before joining the VSC family. Hired as the HR Manager for AAS/UFS in 2016, she became Regional HR Manager when it was acquired by VSC in 2018. She currently oversees all Human Resource functions for more than 20 offices at VSC.

Lisa has a B.A. in Human Resources as well as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification. She lives in Cabot, Arkansas with her family.

Tony Knorr has been a part of the insurance, risk and safety arena for more than 30 years. Prior to joining VSC Fire & Security, Knorr gained valuable experience working for a large property and casualty insurance company where he provided trend analysis to allow customers to identify the actual cause of their losses.

At VSC, he continues to focus on the details to identify the issues and to create a safety culture that focuses on eliminating those unsafe behaviors that lead to losses.

Jeff Lewis is the VP of Technical Workforce Development for VSC. He began his fire protection career as a certified firefighter in Forsyth County, N.C., from 1986 to 1990. He graduated from Guilford Technical Community College in 1990 with an associate degree in applied science in fire protection technology.

That same year, he began working in the fire protection contracting field. In 1996, he started his career with VSC Fire & Security. In 2005, he was promoted to vice president of inspections and is was responsible for supporting all inspection and testing activities for VSC.

In 2012, he graduated from Columbia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in occupational safety and health with a concentration in fire science. He is a member of the American Fire Sprinkler Association and the National Fire Protection Association.

Industry Certifications:

• NFPA: Certified Fire Protection Specialist
• NICET III in Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems
• NICET III in Special Hazards Suppression Systems
• NICET II in Fire Alarm Systems
• NICET II in Inspection and Testing of Fire Alarm Systems

Brian Lockwood is the Vice President of Integrated Systems. He has been in the electrical industry for over 35 years with responsibilities that range from being a self-employed for over 10 years as a consultant in lighting and industrial design to construction engineering and worked for over 7 years as a Director of Operations building divisional assets and departments within Power Design Inc. for integrated and life safety systems. Following Power Design, Brian was the Vice President of Florida Operations for a general contractor out of Maryland specializing in GC, MC, and EC work on elevator modernizations projects and electrical services.

Early in his career, Brian was a lighting designer providing designs consultation for casino exterior light projects in Las Vegas (Mirage, Ceasar’s Palace, and the Lion Entry of MGM Grand) and Cleveland’s Bicentennial Bridge lighting project consisting of exterior lighting and automation of eight historical bridges. For the Cleveland bridge project, he received an Edison Award, IALD Award of Distinction, and IES Award of Excellence. Other projects have ranged from working as a consultant on a private estate for Bill Gates and a 126-meter yacht for Paul Allen to high-rise and high-density multi-family construction throughout the country.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Business Administration in Project Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. In addition, he also holds PMP from the Project Management institute and is on the NICET Advisory Board for development of certification and testing requirements for IB-PSC (In-building Public Safety Communications) Systems regarding ERRCS (Emergency Responder Radio Communication System) installations.

Brian resides in Seminole, Florida with his wife Deborah. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, scuba diving, and spending time with his children and grandchildren

After graduating from Douglas Southall Freeman High School in Richmond, VA, Charlie earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA. Over the past 13 years, Charlie built a strong foundation in corporate accounting as a CPA, working primarily for publicly traded companies. Most notably, he spent six years with VSC Fire & Security’s parent company Markel, where he was part of the accounting and finance team overseeing a diverse range of companies across multiple industries. During this time, Charlie was directly involved in Markel’s acquisition of VSC, forging strong relationships with the leadership team.

Charlie was drawn to VSC because of its outstanding culture and dynamic growth. Having already worked closely with VSC’s leadership, he was excited about the opportunity to contribute to such a thriving organization. Today, he brings his wealth of experience and passion for finance to the VSC team, helping to support the company’s continued success.

Charlie is a Richmond, VA native, who currently resides in the area with his wife, Morgan, and their three sons: Harrison, Pierce, and Avery.

Laura McConnell is our Director of Business Applications, with a career spanning accounting, construction, and enterprise software implementation. She began her career as a Junior Accountant for a residential builder before moving to Moretrench American Corporation (now part of Keller North America) as a Project/Staff Accountant. After taking time off to start her family, Laura returned to the industry as a Senior Accountant and eventual Accounting Manager at Hollister Construction, later advancing into Controller roles, including five years as Controller for Mike Fitzpatrick Corporation.

Laura later transitioned into construction technology, working as an Implementation Consultant with Accordant Company, a Sage Intacct Value Added Reseller, and then as a Senior Sage Intacct Implementation Consultant with ETHOSystems. These roles allowed her to gain broad insight into construction operations and financial systems across many organizations.

Originally from Hopatcong, New Jersey, Laura holds a degree in Applied Mathematics – Finance from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and now resides in Conway, South Carolina, after relocating in August 2025. She joined VSC to return to a hands-on construction office role, where she can leverage both her accounting and software expertise to deliver lasting, measurable results.

Katie Meehan is the Marketing Director at VSC Fire & Security. Born and raised in Virginia, she began her career in marketing, branding, and communications after graduating from Virginia Tech. With more than eight years of experience in the fire sprinkler industry and over a decade in brand management and business development, she is dedicated to helping companies define their voice, tell their story, and build meaningful connections with their audiences.
Since transitioning from the craft beverage industry to the fire sprinkler sector in 2018, Meehan has become deeply engaged in advancing both VSC’s brand and the industry as a whole. She oversees all company-wide marketing initiatives and brand standards and regularly visits VSC offices across the country to support local teams and ensure a consistent, high-quality brand presence.
Meehan is actively involved in the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), serving on several national committees. She is committed to fostering strong relationships with employees, vendors, and customers, with a leadership style grounded in collaboration and putting people first. Balancing her career with family life, she is a proud wife, and mother and brings her perspective as a working mom to her approach in all she does.

Michael Smith worked in IT for more than eight years in several organizations including Apple and the U.S. Senate before joining VSC Fire & Security in 2012. Starting as a systems administrator, he worked hard to update aging infrastructure and policies to move VSC forward.

Under his leadership, IT has brought new ideas to VSC, modernizing IT services, processes and policies. Smith continues to bring new ideas and reevaluate existing ones to ensure VSC continues to adapt to new trends in enterprise IT and stays ahead of the competition.