Akron, Ohio, May 19, 2010 – Gary S. Laben, chief executive officer (CEO) of KnowledgeBase Marketing, will be honored with the Direct Marketer of the Year Award at Interaction 2010.  Laben is also serving as the keynote speaker for the event, which will be hosted by the Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing at The University of Akron on May 25.  Laben’s presentation will begin at noon.

As CEO of KnowledgeBase Marketing, the data services arm of Wunderman, Laben is widely recognized not only for his extensive information management and marketing experience but also for his expertise in building unified management teams following acquisitions and mergers. A 20-year veteran of the information marketing industry, Laben has long been involved in the growth of successful direct marketing companies.  Today, Laben’s vision of enabling clients to turn customer data into a strategic asset is becoming a reality on a global scale as he continues to expand the company’s footprint and services through organic growth and acquisition.  He is also the chair of the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation and sits on the board of the Direct Marketing Association.

“Gary Laben exemplifies everything that we look for in a Direct Marketer of the Year,” said Taylor Institute Director, Dr. Dale Lewison.  “He has dedicated his career to advancing the direct marketing industry through harnessing the power of customer information and utilizing it to improve marketing efforts and create better customer experiences.  Mr. Laben has been a driving force behind many of the concepts we are teaching our students here at the Taylor Institute, and we are thrilled to be able to honor him with this award.”

Since 2005, the Direct Marketer of the Year Award has honored practitioners who have had a dramatic impact on the direct marketing industry and have epitomized only the best direct marketing practices in regards to the work they produce and the ethical standards to which they adhere.  Past winners have included John Costello of Dunkin Donuts Corp., Lester Wunderman of Wunderman, Jeff Hayzlett of Eastman Kodak and Christa Carone of Xerox.