DALLAS, TX / AGILITYPR.NEWS / March 31, 2026 / Hiland Dairy Foods Company has announced a leadership transition at its Dallas-Fort Worth operation following the retirement of longtime dairy industry leader Ray Gibson, who has served the region’s dairy market for more than four decades.

Gibson concludes a distinguished 43-year career in the dairy industry, including decades serving the Dallas-Fort Worth market. He began his career in 1982 as a route salesman with Borden Dairy and advanced through a variety of leadership roles before becoming general manager in 2009. After Hiland Dairy acquired Borden’s Texas operations in 2022, Gibson continued serving as general manager for the Dallas operation, helping guide the transition and ensuring continued service to retailers and customers across the region.

“Ray’s leadership, industry expertise, and dedication to the customers and communities we serve have made a lasting impact,” said Hiland Dairy President Rick Beaman. “We are grateful for his many contributions and wish him the very best in his retirement.”

As part of the leadership transition, Hiland Dairy has named Mike Leibacher as general manager of the Dallas operation, effective March 1, 2026. Leibacher brings more than 23 years of experience in the dairy industry. Since joining Hiland in 2019, he has held several leadership roles including key account manager, branch manager, and most recently, district sales manager in Dallas. His experience spans operations, merchandising, sales, and national account management.

“Mike’s operational knowledge and strong customer relationships make him well suited to lead our Dallas team,” Beaman said. “We are confident in his ability to continue building on our strong foundation in this important market.”

Also assuming an expanded leadership role is Julian Hernandez, who has been named assistant manager/controller. Hernandez joined the organization in 2017 and has advanced through several financial leadership positions. Following Hiland Dairy’s acquisition of the Texas operations in 2022, he was named controller and has played a key role supporting operational performance and financial processes.

This leadership transition reflects Hiland Dairy’s continued commitment to serving retailers, customers, and communities across the Dallas-Fort Worth region while building on its tradition of delivering high-quality dairy products and dependable service throughout the market.