While serving in the US Army as a young man, Thomas Hicks graduated first in his class from both the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Academy and the Primary Noncommissioned Officer Academy. He went on to attend Mississippi State University (MSU) in Starkville, where he studied business and served as president of his fraternity and director of the Interfraternity Council. Thomas Hicks earned his bachelor of arts in business statistics and data processing from MSU in 1984. Subsequently accepting a sales position with Procter & Gamble, Mr. Hicks worked his way up to unit manager within several years. Over the next three decades, he held leadership positions with Frito-Lay, Metz Baking, Naked Juice, and Monster Energy. Thomas Hicks has served as the chief commercial officer of Ojai Energetics since 2019. His work with this early-stage CBD retail company centers on bringing its food and beverage products to market and commercializing the Ojai brand. He has secured commitments from more than 65 beverage companies to partner with Ojai, pending FDA approval.