Ricky Dickson, retired CEO and President of Blue Bell Creameries, graduated from Baylor University with a BBA in marketing and journalism. He began his career with Blue Bell in 1981 as a territory manager in Dallas. He transferred to the Fort Worth branch in 1982 and became sales manager. In 1984, he was promoted to San Antonio branch manager. He transferred to Oklahoma City and then to Tulsa when each of those branches opened. In 1992, Ricky was named assistant Dallas/Fort Worth division manager. He transferred to Kansas City as branch manager in 1993 and returned to Tulsa later that year. He was named Midwest division manager in 1994. Four years later, he became general manager of the Broken Arrow plant but continued to stay involved in sales, particularly with the Walmart account. Ricky was named general sales manager in 2003 and moved to Brenham. In 2010, he was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing and was also appointed to serve as a director on the Blue Bell Board of Directors. In 2017, he was promoted to company president, and in 2019, he was elected CEO and president of Blue Bell Creameries. In 2024, Ricky received the International Dairy Foods Association Laureate Award for his significant, prolonged contributions to the development and growth of dairy. He was also inducted into the Dairy Products Institute of Texas Hall of Fame.