DEAN HOMICKI
CURRICULUM VITAE: THE STORY. THE THINKING. THE PHILOSOPHY. —Expertise, Experience & Education
FOUNDATION
DEAN HOMICKI—FOUNDER & CEO OF DEAN HOMICKI PTY LTD
LIFE & JOURNEY
Dean Homicki is a multidisciplinary creator, entrepreneur and business builder. He is currently serving as CEO of Dean Homicki Pty Ltd, a creation engine for research and development, commercialisation and branding physical and digital products.
A grounded, lifelong optimist, Dean’s multifaceted experience as a product designer and connection engineer has over three decades of hands-on experience. He consistently demonstrates big picture thinking aligned with detailed attention.
Investing mainly in his own start-ups, Dean understands how to make financial profits resulting from outbound sales and successful human-centred business systems. The enterprises under his care focus on the things that deliver enduring brand equity and lasting customer value.
‘Deano’, could be described as a philosopher of business and design who is forward in his approach to entrepreneurship while conducting himself with honesty, clarity and empathy.
Under the umbrella of Dean Homicki Pty Ltd, Dean continues to build businesses around products and services for individuals, companies and their shareholders.
As an advocate of the disabled and persons who are blind or vision-impaired, his recent design and learning business Stæbl Academy provides technical resources for the architectural construction industry to manage compliance and risk.
Dean Homicki Pty Ltd provides expertise and insight for international manufacturing and distribution, product design and marketing, systems design, branding and visual communication. Dean also leads a full-service digital marketing agency MICKIMEDIA with full in-house video, audio and photographic services and the capacity for e-learning, websites, events, and consumer awareness activities.
With significant business successes across his career, Dean contributed to the Tactile Ground Surface Indicator (TGSI) industry as the creator of DTAC Pty Ltd Architectural Products & INSAFE Tactile Paving. He repeated this success in the commercial landscaping industry with ‘Really useful garden products by SKEMAH Pty Ltd. He guided both DTAC, INSAFE and SKEMAH to successful exists with all being sold to private companies.
In addition to running multiple businesses, Dean regularly contributes his business and life insights on social media platforms. He provides coaching and consultation to industry and makes himself available to purposeful innovation through public speaking and events.
EXPERTISE
Being an entrepreneur and creator is only a small part of building an enduring brand and profitable business. Dean Homicki believes that being a CEO requires design and arranging too; to work to your strengths and replace your weaknesses with people better then yourself.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP & BUSINESS
—Proven track record for product & service creation to Return On Investment (ROI)
—Conceiving and financing of more than 16 brands over 30+ years in multiple industries in both local & international markets
—30+ years of skills & expertise building startups & creating products, establishing markets & leading industry innovation, designing & fabricating quality systems & knowledge training libraries, installation services & product maintenance & recovery systems.
—Exited several businesses selling shares, assets & intellectual property to private owners & shareholders
Image: Dean Homicki working with skilled sheetmetal workers on the factory floor in China as a new product prototypes for a garden box system come to life.
DESIGN & COMMERCIALISATION
—Business systems & process, user experience & customer service and journey design, human resources task and job descriptions, computer automation and consistency of business tasks, waterfall and agile project management methodologies
—International manufacturing, product development & supplier coordination in Australia and Asia (China mainland)
—Supply chain research, establishment & management including product assembly, shipping & distribution from point of manufacture
—Research, creation & establishment of new markets including Australia & New Zealand, UK, Europe & South East Asia
—Manufacturing & construction expertise in methods & systems including sheet metal fabrication, tool & die design & fabrication, use of polymers, adhesives & tapes, injection moulding of thermo plastic & composite extrusions, gravity flow & injection casting, pressings, forming, forging, metal spinning 3D printing, CNC turning and milling, surface finishes, coatings & treatments, hand crafted finishing techniques, printing, packaging, material selection, recycling, prototyping, product testing to local and international standards, product sampling & application testing & trialing
Image: Dean Homicki speaking alongside construction industry leaders in at DESIGNBUILD trade show in Melbourne Australia
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
—Compliance & conformance experience with Standards, Regulations, business law, workplace & contractor law including International Trade.
—Producing, licensing & selling patents, trademarks & copyrighted designs, processes and materials, including applying for, defending & acting as an expert witness.
—25 years experience in the roles of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) & Chief Information Officer (CIO), Company directorships and appointments, company board experience managing capital raising, investors, financing & banks, preparation & presentation of financial reporting, compliance & risk mitigation including ASIC legal requirements, State Revenue & ATO reporting.
Image: Selection of Dean Homicki Pty Ltd’s video & filmography tools including Cannon hardware & prime glass 24, 50 70-300mm, GoPro Hero 7, I-Phones & time lapse units
Image: Dean Homicki Pty Ltd’s selection of professional digital audio recording & editing gear including RODE directional, reporting, voice and podcasting microphones, lapel mics and Zoom F6 6x channel professional stand-alone digital audio recorder & Yamaha AG 06 mixing console
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY & EXPERTISE
—Video & Audio - Mobile studio with:
2x Cannon DLSR camera units (Still & Motion photography) & accessories with fixed lenses: 24mm, 50mm, & 70-300mm
Go PRO Hero 7 & I Phone 10 & 12 Pro
Rode professional audio directional microphone, podcasting microphones & wireless lapel microphones and report microphones
Zoom F6 Stand alone 6x channel digital recorder & professional audio leads & connectors
Aputure Led lighting and Light Dome diffusers kits
Ledgo LG- LED 6 inch Battery Panels
DJI Mini Drone (under 500grams)
Post production & editing - Final Cut Pro
Yamaha AG 06 mixing console
—Animation
Keynote & Powerpoint
—Sketching, Illustration, Design & Graphics
Note pad & paper or napkin
Keynote & Powerpoint
Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Pages etc.
— CAD (Computer Aided Design)
Autocad - to design elements & transfer into line drawings including 3D Modelling
Solidworks & E-drawings - to design elements & transfer into line drawings
3D printing & modelling (Makerbot) - prototyping
—LMS (Learning Management Systems)
RISE 360 LMS (Basic)
Teachable LMS (Basic)
Thinkific LMS (Expert)
Designed and built e-learning app using Squarespace and custom coded for added UX functionality - https://staebl.academy
— Website & Digital Design
Squarespace
Aquity scheduling
Unfold
Typeform
VideoAsk
Mailchimp
Capsule
Google/Ads/workspace
Xero Accounting
Notes
Pages
Numbers
Word
Excel
MS Project
Teleprompter
CSS (intermediate)
HTML (basic)
Javascript (basic)
—Posting, Hosting & Broadcasting
Youtube
Vimeo
Wistia
Zoom
Skype
Anchor
Spotify
Soundcloud
Eventbrite
Planoly
Unfold
LinkedIN
Instagram
Facebook
Pintrest
Twitter
EXPERIENCE
Staebl & Staebl.academy—DISABILITY PRODUCT SPECIALIST, FOUNDER & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER
Aug 2015 –Present (6 yrs+)
The hand-built application, the 'Mobility Access Design Library, is an online learning and design resource made for people who serve the built environment. It is designed to enable professionals who influence the built environment to save time and secure technical experience to manage regulatory conformance with inclusive design and disability standards beginning with Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSIs). Stairs, stair nosings, ramps & handrails are planned additions.
DEAN HOMICKI Pty Ltd— FOUNDER, CEO,&DESIGN DIRECTOR
Jul 2011 –Present (10 yrs+)
Dean Homicki Pty Ltd is a startup incubator and multidisciplinary studio led by creator, entrepreneur and business builder Dean Homicki. Under the structured business umbrella, the company is a proof of concept engine for the research & development, commercialisation & branding of physical and digital products.
The design practice has invested in the growth markets of garden design & landscaping products (Skemah) and disability compliance management services (Stæbl).
In 2016, the graphic design & communication services business (Mickimedia) was launched. It was closely followed by the regional online wine, food & marketing service channel (Vinoweekly).
In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia, the business pivoted its focus to conceiving & creating the world first Mobility Access Design Library & application (Stæbl Academy).
MICKIMEDIA— FOUNDER, GENERAL MANAGER & DIRECTOR
Jun 2013 –Present (8 yrs+)
Under the business umbrella of Dean Homicki Pty Ltd, Mickimedia was created to enable clients to help their customers understand who they are, what they do and the problems they solve. And to demonstrate to the people who care why their product or service is made for people just like them.
This is how founder Dean Homicki has personally built and sold several successful businesses.
Mickimedia collaborates with clients designing & executing practical business strategies. It drives enterprise outcomes designed to attract, retain & keep customers' attention through business processes. The studio creates graphics, animation, photography, video, youtube shows, podcasts, instructional design, microlearning, social media, print & digital media, event design & niche PR. It even offers outbound telephone marketing services on clients behalf to markets.
SKEMAH Pty Ltd— FOUNDER, CEO, DESIGN DIRECTOR & COLLABORATOR
Aug 2012 – Feb 2017 —(4 yrs 7 months)
The creation of the SKEMAH brand was an opportunity to do things differently from the get-go. Its goal was to design with an international focus and collaborate with a diversely talented team. It had a clear brand promise (to be really useful).
Operating transparently, its global team produced a range of garden and landscape products that genuinely solved problems in new and exciting ways.
A series of really useful garden products were designed and made with a global distribution reach. Dean Homicki Pty Ltd exited the business selling it to Moodie Group in 2017, including its modular retaining wall, garden box & gabion systems.
DTAC Pty Ltd— FOUNDER, CEO & DESIGN DIRECTOR
Jan 2000 – Aug 2011 (11 yrs 8 mos)
DTAC began life through a private commission; design and manufacture a stainless steel Tactile Ground Surface Indicator (TGSI) for the Blind & Vision-impaired. The startup began its life through DAHDAH Pty Ltd, researching & investigating an emerging market of disability products, realising the need to resolve several design issues, namely that disability and safety could be sexy!
In brief, under Dean Homicki, DTAC (Dean Tactiles) developed and nurtured an emerging industry to a professional standing amongst architects & the commercial construction & civil Industries. Co-founded with Chris Bertacco, they built a national team of experts, building a brand to become a world leader in architectural disability products.
CEO Dean Homicki authored and published several papers, including the 1st definitive industry body of knowledge on tactile ground surface indicators (TGSIs) 'Dot-dash-dot' in 2010.
Homicki sold his majority shareholding to the RAVEN GROUP in July 2011, including related companies and the distribution company INSAFE Pty Ltd.
DAHDAH Pty Ltd— CEO & FOUNDER, DESIGNER-MAKER, GOLD & SILVERSMITH
Jan 1995 – Jan 1999 (4 yrs 1 mo)
The studio began life in the garage creating jewelry ranges & brands for Myer & David Jones. It developed & delivered executive office-wares for David Jones & other specialty stores throughout Australia, UK and Europe. It undertook exclusive commissions for clients that included furniture & lighting, fixtures & fittings, POS systems for retail and fashion, external signage & sculpture, lighting and portable sound absorption infrastructure, several commercial retail fit-outs.
FORMAL EDUCATION
DOMAINE de BOISBUCHET, FRANCE —C.I.R.E.C.A IN COOPERATION WITH VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM & CENTRE GEORGES POMPIDOU, INDUSTRIAL AND PRODUCT DESIGN, LESSAC, FRANCE
Jul 2012
This week-long workshop was situated in the south of France during a hot, dry summer. It was always going to be an exotic & foreign experience compared to the factories of China that I had grown to love at this time. Under the design leadership of Swiss industrial design Tomas Kral, this workshop aimed to question what a tool can be. This question was designed to broaden our imagination on the conventional use of tools & on which material it can be used.
Committing to this idea required the submission to being confined to the use of only one tool to create a single object. I experimented with three tools on three projects. I fed off of the constraint & made the most of this creative time.
The objects I designed & the tools I chose to make them with were diverse & unique. Each object would take its form from the tool used and the environment that it was applied.
Object 1 —Jewellery (made by hammer - aluminium wire, cans and copper)
Object 2 —Sun chaise lounge chair (made by water in the water - woven wood)
Object 3 —Small Stool (made by vice - copper tube formed in the vice)
BOISBUCHET
RMIT UNIVERSITY —BACHELOR of FINE ARTS (GOLD & SILVER SMITHING) - MINOR IN PRINT MAKING, DESIGN, ART & BUSINESS, LaTROBE St MELBOURNE
1993-1996
1993 —Assisted with copper hollowware sculpture fabrication under the watchful eye of artist/sculptor/blacksmith Daniel Jenkins.
1994 —Worked with fine artist/gold & silversmith Debbie Sheezel/Edwards on large enamel mural project for Brisbane airport.
1994 —Awarded Best Second Year Fine Arts Gold & Silversmithing Student —RMIT Tool Traders Award
1995 —Assisted Dianna Gold at Gallery 101 Collins Street Melbourne with exhibition hangings and viewings
UPWEY HIGH SCHOOL — VCE, ART, DESIGN, MUSIC, ENGLISH, UPWEY, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
1987-1992
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