Earth Class Mail Announces Key Hires, Underscoring Commitment to U.S. Military

As Chief Operating Officer, former U.S. Army officer Carl Hicks Jr. will lead Earth Class Mail's international operations and sales outreach to government and military sectors; former Marine John Betzina will manage the company's Oregon operations hub.

Seattle, WA (Issues Wire / PRWEB) January 17, 2008 -- Earth Class Mail Corporation, a leading provider of postal-mail delivery online to customers in more than 130 countries, has hired former U.S. Army officer Carl Hicks Jr. as chief operating officer. U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Betzina also joins as the operations manager of its Beaverton, Ore., mail-processing hub.

In his new role, Hicks will supervise Earth Class Mail's Operations, Finance and Legal, Human Resource and IT departments and will lead the company's sales efforts in the military, government, direct-sales and small business sectors. He will be based at Earth Class Mail's U.S. headquarters in downtown Seattle. Betzina will help oversee the day-to-day operations of the company's flagship mail-sorting and document processing facility in Beaverton, Oregon.

"As a company, we have a strong and ongoing commitment to the U.S. military," said Earth Class Mail CEO Ron Wiener. "We hire veterans exclusively -- and disabled veterans as often as possible -- to run our confidential document imaging operations. Their expertise in security procedures and protection of classified data is vital to our company's success. Our customers entrust the personal or corporate information and documents contained in their postal mail to us, and we guarantee their security and privacy."

Hicks served for 22 years in various command and leadership positions for the Army with responsibilities that at times involved supervision of thousands of soldiers. He was a decorated Airborne Ranger whose assignments were concentrated in combat arms units deployed worldwide. After retiring from the military, Hicks served in sales and operations positions and advanced to executive VP, COO and CEO levels in industries as diverse as chemicals, medical devices and finance. Later, he founded his own successful business-management consulting firm with a focus on small to mid-size business development and mergers-and-acquisitions.

"I decided to join Earth Class Mail in part because I believe it is exactly the right solution for our frequently deployed, highly mobile armed forces," said Hicks. "With the ability to instantly see their mail from any computer, the benefits for the service member are obvious. Staying abreast of critical mail from home will benefit everything from morale to their credit ratings. Huge quantities of postal mail won't be tying up critical air- and sea-lift only to be discarded in theater. Security concerns at APOs and FPOs can be significantly reduced. Whether deployed to a combat theater or conducting a permanent change of station (PCS) on return, our service members will never miss a 'mail-call' again."

Betzina brings two decades of warehousing and distribution experience to his role. Prior to joining Earth Class Mail, he was a manager for Oregon Transfer Company, a Portland-based long distance trucking firm; a distribution-center manager for Louis and Company; and warehouse operations manager for Bronson Pharmaceuticals.

About Earth Class Mail:
Earth Class Mail™ (www.EarthClassMail.com) gives people the ability to access their U.S. postal mail online from anywhere in the world, 24x7. The service is used by individuals, small businesses, and major corporate and government enterprises, with users currently accessing the www.earthclassmail.com website from over 130 countries. It is a popular alternative to P.O. Box rental, executive suites and mail forwarding services. Earth Class Mail technologies also manage standardized process mail, such as claim forms, invoices, and checks, more efficiently and cost-effectively than ordinary document management and storage solutions, for companies that are trying to "go paperless" or have large numbers of mobile workers, telecommuters and expatriates. Founded in 2004, Earth Class Mail is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and is venture-capital funded by Ignition Partners. It has over 20 points of presence in the USA from New York to San Francisco where customers may have their mail delivered.

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