NEW YORK — There was a lot of love in the room when Brian Kurtz, vice president of marketing at Boardroom Inc., Greenwich, CT, accepted the List Leader of the Year award from the Direct Marketing Association's List & Database Council at a banquet held in his honor here last night at The Sky Club.
“Respect your elders,” Kurtz said as part of his top-10 list of direct marketing commandments.
Kurtz professed his love for being what he referred to as “a list guy” and acknowledged his colleagues of the past and present.
With 19 years of service, all spent at Boardroom Inc., Kurtz is the youngest list professional to win this award.
Kurtz, who interrupted his family vacation at the New Jersey shore to attend the dinner, received the highest accolades from his peers. The tribute included speeches by his children, Alex and Madeline; testimonies by current and former co-workers; a Dr. Suess-like poem; a limerick; and a top-10 list of reasons he won the award. The No. 1 reason on the list was: “Because he earned it.”
“Every once in a while, nice guys finish first,” said Kurtz's self-proclaimed mentor, Dave Florence, Direct Media Inc. “You're a nice guy, Brian.”
Another of Kurtz's direct marketing top 10 included, “Opt-in e-mail lists are too expensive.” He said the traditional direct marketing list community has the power to change that by refusing to pay the inflated prices being asked.
The award was presented to Kurtz by last year's List Leader, Donn Rappaport, chairman, American List Counsel, Princeton, NJ.
The List Leader of the Year award is given to a list professional with a minimum of 10 years in the list industry. The recipient must be active in one or more of the following list-related areas: ethics, education, list practices and standards, privacy issues, postal reform, communication, or environmental concerns.
The banquet preceded today's List Vision 2000 conference here at the Grand Hyatt, Grand Central Terminal.
