FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Co-owner of Ventura County-based marketing agency takes reigns as founder retires
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (April 1, 2020) – Dianne McKay, who joined Mustang Marketing in 2010 and has co-owned the agency with founder and CEO Scott Harris since 2016, has assumed full ownership effective April 1, 2020. Harris and his wife, Randi, have retired to South Carolina, although Harris will still be available for consulting.
Harris — who was recognized as Man of the Year by the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce on Friday, March 6 — founded Mustang in 1986. He grew the company from an in-house operation to one of the largest full-service marketing agencies in the county, providing strategic marketing services to a variety of B2B and B2C clients, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations. Harris brought on McKay a decade ago to rebuild the company coming out of the Great Recession. Her business expertise and relationships in the community helped the agency attain a consecutive three-year growth rate of 85% and a spot in the Inc. 5,000 list of fastest growing companies in America.
“Now, 34 years after founding Mustang, Randi and I are retiring from the day-to-day and moving to a beautiful lakeside home in South Carolina,” Harris wrote in a retirement announcement that was sent to clients. “It is not easy to leave. We have been blessed with good friends, good clients and great memories. Dianne McKay, who has worked with us for 10 years, and has been a co-owner since 2016, will take over full ownership at the end of March, which means you’ll be in better hands than when I ran it.”
McKay, who previously owned and successfully sold a live broadcast facilitation and distribution company
and is currently serving her third term as an elected trustee of the Ventura County Community College District, is well positioned to carry on the high-quality work, strategic consultations and community philanthropy the agency is known for. In her roles as president and partner at Mustang, McKay has been hands-on in overseeing client accounts, strategic planning and creative collateral development.
“The timing presents a unique set of challenges in this current climate,” McKay said of the transition. “But, Scott’s retirement has been long planned, and I’m ready to take on this next chapter with a strong team in place at Mustang that will work together to navigate the landscape as we continue to provide high-quality work and support to our clients.”
McKay’s own involvement on various boards, including Safe Passage, the Family Justice Center and the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, also lends itself to Mustang’s mission of giving back to the community. McKay was honored as one of the Top 50 Women in Business by the Pacific Coast Business Times in 2016, was recognized as Woman of the Year in 2018 by the Chamber for her charitable involvement and business contributions to Conejo Valley, has been named twice as one of the Top Women in Business by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, and has been named an Education Advocate of the Year by the National Association of Women in Business (NAWBO.)
For more information about McKay, Mustang Marketing and the full range of PR and strategic marketing services the agency provides, visit http://www.mustangmktg.com.mt2.mustangmktg.com.
ABOUT MUSTANG MARKETING
Mustang Marketing is a full-service marketing, advertising and communications company that has served Southern California businesses since 1986. Mustang offers strategic planning, branding programs, print/electronic ad campaigns, social media campaigns, corporate identities and public/community relations. Visit http://www.mustangmktg.com.mt2.mustangmktg.com for more information.
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A shorter version of this press release was featured in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal on April 1, 2020.