Marketing Services

Diane Law | Gene West | Michael Sick

Diane Law , MBA, CMO, Marketing Services

As a highly successful business executive in marketing, operations, and finance, Diane is a senior marketing executive with a 25-year professional track record directing all marketing functions. Associated with CUSTOMatrix as a C-level Marketing Consultant, Diane works with organizations to develop, implement and execute effective marketing programs to gain visibility in the market and drive revenue. She has driven company revenue growth through her balanced focus on the client's perception of brand identity (marketing), how clients are treated (operations/process), and the kind of value exchanges clients are willing to make (profitability).

Diane's unique value proposition is her unusual combination of skills. Few executives can boast a solid finance background, and the creativity of a marketer, and the process-orientation of an operations project manager. To this she adds a well-diversified background in the high-technology and services industry, including technology consulting (Fujitsu); large-scale server technology and workstations (Silicon Graphics); mobility software (Motorola); infrastructure and security solutions (Netigy); PC-based communications and networking (3Com); and business accounting (NCR) and finance.

She has held executive positions since 1999, including President, Parachute Marketing (a San Diego based marketing services firm), Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Fujitsu Consulting, Executive Director of Marketing for Starfish Software (a subsidiary of Motorola), and Executive Director of Marketing for Netigy Corporation (a Cisco backed consulting company).

Diane holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona. Her most notable executive training programs include the Executive IT Boot Camp at Stanford University and the Executive Management Program at Michigan State University. She is affiliated with the UCSD CONNECT Entrepreneur in Residence Program, Women in Technology and is the Director of Marketing for the Life Sciences Information Technology Global Institute.

Gene West, Marketing Services
Gene is a marketing and distribution executive for the beverage industry and has been a leader in the successful development of new markets for such brands as SNAPPLE, SOBE, HANSENS, TREESWEET, and SIERRA NEVADA. He coordinated the marketing and distribution program for the John Lenore Company of San Diego, which won numerous awards for being the number one distributor for brands such as Pepsi, Snapple, and Sobe. His talents and service over the years have garnered him ongoing recognition by TARGET, COSTCO, ULTRMAR, MOBIL, TEXACO, CHEVRON, CSI, K-MART, and HENRYS. He is typically the first marketing executive to take the product from its conceptual stage through the entire supply chain, from manufacturing to distribution to key accounts, and from there, finally, to the consumer shelf.

His current engagement for CUSTOMatrix™ includes the development of a marketing and distribution plan for the European natural spring water PURL, which is based in Macedonia and scheduled for importation to the United States in 2008. Gene is also providing marketing services for the nationally distributed MUSCLE MILK nutritional supplement.

Gene earned his Bachelor of Science, from California State University, Los Angeles.

Michael Sick, Marketing Services
Michael Sick is a nationally recognized, innovative management consultant specializing in strategic marketing, advertising and business development. He spent 25 years in corporate marketing and was a Marketing Vice President for Jack In The Box, Pearle Vision, Arby’s and others. Currently he serves as the part time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for a number of clients around the US. He has provided positioning, competitive strategy, branding, product development, product management, packaging, advertising, media planning, PR, business development, channel strategy to the software, wireless, e-commerce, publishing, pet supply, restaurant, hotel, web services, defense, financial services, and customer satisfaction market segments.

Among his many accomplishments, he served as the Vice President of Marketing for Sybra, Inc./Lyons of California/ICH Corporation (AMEX:IH). While in that position for five years, Michael managed a $14 million marketing budget that included the launch of twelve new products, a department with outsourced agencies, media buyers, and designers across the United States, and led the largest Arby’s franchisee and ICH to becoming recognized by Nation’s Restaurant News as the top-performing restaurant stock in 1999.

Prior to that he held Vice President of Marketing positions for Adept Computer Solutions, San Diego, El Chico Restaurants, Dallas, Texas, and Pearle Vision, Dallas, Texas, where he led a department of twelve people and four agencies in the planning and execution of a $41million annual marketing plan encompassing advertising, media, promotion and field marketing. A significant milestone in his Pearle Vision campaign was the development of the “Trusted Leader” advertising concept featuring Dr. Pearle. That ad campaign positioned Pearle as having a track record of better quality than any other chain competitor.

As Vice President for Field Marketing and Promotion of Jack In The Box, Michael posted several significant milestones in his eight-year year tenure. Chief among them were a greater than 90% increase in system sales from 1986 to $1.1 billion in 1994. Other milestones included the introduction of 40 new products; direction of 18 staff people, with an annual budget of $54 million; and the development of tie-in promotions with Home Alone II, Dennis the Menace, Star Trek Generations, and other major motion picture releases.

Earlier in his career, Michael provided creative marketing concepts for Hardee’s Restaurants, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Prior to that Michael began his career with Otto Preminger Productions, of New York City.

Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Finance from the State University of New York, Buffalo and received additional certification in Strategic Marketing Management from the Harvard Business School and the New York University, Institute of Film and Television.