List & Data Council:

The List Leader of the Year Award

The List Leader of the Year Award annually honors an individual for outstanding contributions to the list and data industry. Peers nominate and judge the candidates for this award and the honoree will be formally announced at a dinner celebration. The DMA List & Database Council originally established this award.

This year, the award will be presented at a special dinner the evening of the DMA List Leader event on June 14, 2010 in NYC.

Nominating Criteria

The individual must meet the following criteria:

Have a minimum of 15 years experience in the list and database community
Has contributed to improvement in one or more of the following areas: Ethics, Education, List Practices & Standards, Privacy Issues, Postal Reform, Communication, Environmental Concerns

Current Winner

2010 - Martin A. Stein, CEO, RMI Direct Marketing, Inc.
Martin's career in direct marketing began in 1980 at Walter Karl Companies, Inc. where after just a year and a half, he was appointed Vice President of Brokerage. In 1985, Martin resigned from Walter Karl Companies with a vision about how the direct marketing industry would be changing in coming years. He, and longtime friend and business associate John Forte, formed RMI Direct Marketing, Inc. John later sold his share of the company to Martin. Since 1992, Martin has been CEO of RMI. As head of RMI, Martin was committed to serving RMI’s clients above and beyond their expectations. Our clients trusted and respected Martin’s input and leadership, and many deep, long lasting friendships were forged.

Martin was a former List Leaders board member and past recipient of the HVDMA (Hudson Valley Direct Marketing Association) Founder’s Award. He was a voting member of the Direct Marketing Association, Inc. and a member of the DMA List Council, DMA Non Profit Federation, DMA of Washington, DMA Special Interest Council and was on the Advisory Board for the DMA’s PAC Organization. As our boss, Martin's door was always open. We knew we were welcome to walk into his office at any time, bounce ideas off him and get his advice. He earned our respect, admiration and devotion every day.

Martin also gave of himself outside of the industry. He served as a board member of the Charles Ives Center for the Performing Arts in Danbury and the Ridgewood Country Club. He participated in area walks and other fundraisers for the Polycystic Kidney Research Foundation. He volunteered on the fundraising committee for the Danbury Hospital Cancer Center, donated resources to the AIDS Project of Greater Danbury, and helped various local and school organizations. Regardless of his busy schedule, Martin wasn’t all work and no play. First and foremost he was a devoted family man to wife Nancy, daughter Chelsea and son Zachary. He was also known for building a pumpkin launching air cannon and a space ship out of a Subaru. He could speak intelligently on any subject (he was an avid fan of The Discovery Channel). He loved books, movies, the NY Times crossword puzzle, gardening, cooking and good wine, and Italian opera; and he always made us laugh with his outrageous Halloween costumes.

Past Winners

2009 - Adrea Rubin, CEO, Adrea Rubin Marketing
2008 - Linda Huntoon, Direct Media, Inc.
2007 - Fran Green, American List Counsel
2006 - Stefanie Pont, Pont Media Direct
2005 - Deb Goldstein, fr. President, IDG List Services
2004 - Don Mokrynski, Mokrynski & Associates
2003 - Chris Paradysz, ParadyszMatera
2002 - Ray Schultz, DIRECT Magazine
2001 - Ben Perez, The Millard Group, Inc.
2000 - Brian Kurtz, Boardroom, Inc.
1999 - Donn Rappaport, American List Counsel
1998 - Lesli Rodgers, LR Direct

For more information, please contact Lisa Merizio Smith at (212) 790-1567.