Stewart Krentzman

Stewart H. Krentzman (born March 30, 1951) is founder of Hummingbird Enterprises, Inc. a private holding company involved in several entrepreneurial startups.

From 2003 until 2010 Krentzman was the president and chief executive officer of 1200 employee Oki Data Americas, Inc., headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. He was responsible for all company operations throughout North, Central and South America. Its parent company, $6.2B Oki Electric, is based in Tokyo, Japan.^[1]

Krentzman was selected by Computer Reseller News as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Executives in Technology. He was credited with creating a team that revitalized the Oki Americas product line, expanding to new areas of printing in healthcare, high end graphics, and revamping the original equipment manufacturer sales strategy to include the company's light-emitting diode (LED) printing technology.^[2]

Krentzman is a 23-year sales and marketing veteran of Unilever. He led brand teams using hyper-local marketing techniques for Lipton tea, Wish-Bone salad dressing, fruit snacks and many other Unilever food brands.

Krentzman, along with several doctors trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center consulted for Sheik Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Eremites on a concierge medicine model in 2013.^[3]

Between 2010 and 2011 he created a business plan for The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College to expand the Monahan model of more efficient and compassionate health care services to digestive healthcare groups outside of the NYC area.

He serves on the board of New Taste Dimensions Foods, Inc., a company committed to return a portion of its profits to homeless children. The company focuses on binding glutens and has worked with McDonald's Corporation in the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Along with his son Jeffrey, they founded Ovenu North America, LLC. that does business as TheBBQCleaner.com, a home-based business opportunity company that began in April 2009 and has expanded to 198 locations across the United States.^[4]

Krentzman has founded and funded dollarwatcher, Inc., a mobile and web-based technology startup that is in alpha test in Center City Philadelphia. The startup was accepted into the prestigious Facebook Start Program in February 2016.

In May 2014 he was nominated to serve as one of three consumer representatives to the State of New Jersey Medical Practitioner Review Panel. The panel is responsible to review medical malpractice and health care facility or health maintenance organization privilege cases.^[5]

Krentzman teaches marketing planning and strategy and, along with the director of strategic partnerships at Facebook, co-teaches social media and mobile technology at the New York University Stern School of Business to second-year MBA candidates in the executive, full-time, and part-time MBA programs. He has been teaching at NYU since 2004.^[6]

Education

Krentzman graduated from Colonia High School (1969) in the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, and from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey, with a BA in psychology in 1973. In June 2007 the university awarded The Pinnacle Award to Krentzman, the highest award it gives to university alumni.^[7] He holds an MA in human resources from The New School in New York City, which he received in 1977.

Early career

Prior to joining Oki Data Americas, Krentzman held various sales and marketing positions at Unilever N.V., including director of marketing/beverages, managing the Lipton tea brands. As director of marketing/beverages, Krentzman helped to develop and execute the scorched-earth strategy for defending the Lipton tea brand against Snapple and Tetley Round Teabags using hyper-local marketing techniques.

As director of marketing/condiments and snacks, his team returned Wish-Bone Salad Dressing to the #2 share position. Krentzman helped launch and then managed Unilever's entry into the $400 million fruit snack category in supermarkets and other retail outlets. Unilever's fruit snack brands were a composite of licensing agreements with Sunkist, Disney, Warner Bros, Nintendo, and Hanna-Barbera properties. He also developed the sales strategy for the launch of brand Equal (the sugar substitute).

Career at Oki Data Americas

Before becoming president and CEO, he held the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer, in which he was responsible for overseeing sales, marketing, consumables, engineering, Latin America, and new business development. During his tenure at Oki Data Americas, Krentzman also served as vice president and general manager of the inkjet printer line, senior vice president of marketing, and senior vice president of sales and marketing. Computer Reseller News named Krentzman to their Top 100 Most Influential Executives in Technology in 2009 and Top 25 Executives for Peripherals in 2004. "Everything Channel's CRN Announces the Top 100 Most Influential Executives in the Industry" ^[8] He was a member of the Computer and Communications Industry Association in Washington, D.C.

In October 2007 PC Magazine ranked Oki Data with the highest overall score across all printing categories in Reader's Satisfaction Survey; going on to say That "the Land of Color Laser Printers... Has a New Ruler: Oki Data". In an article published in August 2009 by Computer Reseller News Magazine it states that Krentzman was in talks to leave the company in September 2008, 18 months before his actual departure on March 31, 2010. Insiders say a disagreement regarding the company's retail business strategy led to his departure. Krentzman agreed to remain in order to assist his replacement, Takabumi Asahi in the transition to replace Krentzman as President and CEO.^[9]

Academic career

Krentzman teaches the Marketing Planning & Strategy course and co-teaches the Social Media & Mobile Technology course to second-year MBA candidates in the executive, full- and part-time programs at New York University's Stern School of Business.

From February 2009 until March 2010, Krentzman served on the Business-Higher Education Forum that is composed of several major university presidents and business CEOs to help establish education policy priorities for the Obama administration.^[10]

Community and charitable involvement

Krentzman founded the Arsenal Soccer Club of the Pascack Valley (Bergen County, New Jersey) in December 1991 in the family room of his home with four friends. The club, a member of the New Jersey Youth Soccer Association, has grown to be the largest soccer club in the State of New Jersey. He served as president of the Northern Counties Soccer Association from 1996 until 1999. He also served as a director of the New Jersey Youth Soccer Association from 1996 until 1999. Krentzman was inducted into the Bergen County High School Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame in November 1999.

Krentzman and his wife Bonnie actively support the fight against all cancers.

In cooperation with Graceland they purchased a 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood, which they had restored to become the “Twin Sister” to the single most famous car in the world, Elvis' Pink Cadillac. Beginning in April 2007 the Krentzmans have made this car available, in partnership with Oki Data Americas, to breast cancer organizations nationwide to aide in fundraising to find a cure for the disease that affects millions of women each year.^[11][12]

In January 2008 the Krentzmans purchased and completed restoration of a 1959 pink Cadillac convertible that, in partnership with Oki Data Americas will also be made available for breast cancer fund raising. The 1959 Cadillac made its first appearance as the pace car at the Revlon Walk in New York City leading 42,000 walkers through Times Square toward Central Park on May 3, 2008. Through Oki Data America's the Krentzmans have also made their Neoclassic automobile, the "Spirit of America" available for colon cancer fund raisers.

They are active supporters of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

In November 2017 Mr. and Mrs. Krentzman agreed with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to provide the seed funding for the New Jersey Friends of Memorial Sloan Kettering. This group will assist the hospital’s efforts to support projects at their Middletown, Basking Ridge and Montvale, New Jersey, outpatient facilities.

Krentzman and his wife have been recognized for their fund raising efforts by the New Jersey State Legislature, the Bergen County Executive and by many breast and colon cancer organizations and hospitals.

He was selected the HBO/Octoberwomen Person of the Year in 2008.

Krentzman is married and has two sons. He resides in The Bear's Nest section of Park Ridge, New Jersey, with his wife.

References