Gibson (Nordyke), Diane
Class of 1970
Inducted in 2012

Business

Diane's humble beginnings following her graduation from Oak Park led her to learn about business from the bottom up. She got her first break as a financial consultant for companies in the process of executing public offerings. She served as VP of Operations for a relocation and property management firm in Denver. Diane went on to be VP of Pak Mail Centers of America for 7 years, where she learned franchising.

In 1990, Diane discovered an underserved niche in the shipping industry and created the specialty freight industry with the launch of Craters & Freighters, a nationwide bricks and mortar network of packaging, crating, and shipping centers offering a wide variety of solutions for businesses and consumers with unique and specific shipping needs.

Following the success of Craters & Freighters, Diane formed Craters & Freighters Global Logistics in 2005 to meet the unique packaging and logistic needs of national and international companies with high-value, time-critical and multiple pick-up and delivery requirements around the world. Currently, Craters &Freighters has 67 franchises in the U. S. and revenues hitting $50,000,000 per year.

Diane was honored with the Denver Business Journal's Outstanding Women in Business Award in 2008. Ms. Gibson is a member of the International Franchise Association, a nationwide organization for franchise company owners and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. She serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Providence Network, which provides transformation-housing programs designed to fight homelessness in Denver, CO. She also is Chair of the Founders Committee of the ABLE Center for Women Entrepreneurship at the University of Denver.