Kay Lentz Receives Marketing Achievement Award

by Randle Pollock, FMP, 1998 Marketing Achievement Award Committee Chair

SMPS' most prestigious honor was bestowed upon Kay Lentz, FMP, at the 1998 National Marketing Conference. The 1998 Marketing Achievement Award recipient was in attendance, happily surrounded by friends and colleagues who nominated her for the only SMPS award that honors individuals for exemplary achievement in the field of professional services marketing.

As only the tenth person to be so recognized-and the sixth with ties to Texas-Lentz joins a truly august group of marketing professionals (see box below).

To be eligible, a nominee must demonstrate significant accomplishments in education, marketing programs, marketing communications, professional leadership, and/or research. A distinguished jury evaluates the nomination. This year's jury, including Gayle Guadarrama, SMP; Carol Huntington, SMP; Mitch Levitt, FMP; and Laurin McCracken, AIA, MCRS, FMP, concurred unanimously that Kay Lentz exemplifies the best of the best in our field.

Based in Houston, where she is chairman of The Lentz Group, a consulting firm she launched in 1987, Kay is a beloved role model and respected practitioner, pioneer, innovator, leader, and marketer extraordinaire.

Developing imaginative communication tools to reach target markets is one of Kay's hallmarks. In 1981 at Turner Collie & Braden, she won her first design award and the first McGraw Hill-SMPS Award for marketing with movies. (Pre-video, this was novel indeed.) Since then, she has earned three national and four local SMPS awards, and many others for her clients, too.

Innovation in marketing programs is another of her hallmarks. In 1974, Kay set up the first marketing department at 3D/International. She grew the staff to 13, created new tools, and became the firm's first female associate (and later vice president). To compete for the design of a new city in Saudi Arabia, Kay developed a 16mm film-and won the commission. Long before anyone else, she used advertising and developed mailing list software and templates for SF 254/255s.

Among her other achievements, education also stands out. Highly trained, with bachelor and executive MBA degrees, Kay herself is a devoted teacher: 10 years of workshops at the University of Houston, plus frequent lectures at Rice and Texas A&M universities; an original leader of the Coxe Clinics; a speaker for PSMJ; an advisor to Houston Community College; and a workshop presenter for ACEC, AIA, ASLA, CSI, NACORE, NAIOP, SEGD, and SMPS.

A co-founder of SMPS Houston, Kay has served in numerous leadership roles and became regional director. Even now, she remains active on local and national committees. A speaker at more than 30 SMPS functions, she co-authored Presentations in the SMPS Core Series and oversaw the development of two other Marketing Information Reports. One of the original 25 members elevated to SMPS Fellowship, her influence on countless young (and many mature) marketers is incalculable-and cherished by all.

1997 Marketing Achievement Award Winner