About Lenz

With a eighteen-year track record of success, Lenz draws upon our varied experiences to be able to match our client’s needs with the appropriate mix of integrated marketing and advertising tools.

Our in-house team produces fresh, creative graphic design; launches web sites and social media campaigns; drives proactive public relations and media campaigns; and engineers integrated advertising campaigns.

Richard J. Lenz founded the company that is now Lenz, Inc. in 1992. He began the business with a singular focus on print design and production. By 1997, the business relocated to its current home on the Decatur Square.

Today, Lenz is an integrated marketing company that will bring you marketing expertise, business strategies, creative talent, and a group of people who will do their best work for you.

Principals

Richard J. Lenz, Founder, President, and CEO

Richard J. Lenz is founder, president, and CEO of Lenz, Inc., an integrated marketing firm that uses advertising, public relations, graphic design, and web-based technology to help clients achieve their goals. His most recent accomplishments include launching one of the most celebrated festivals in the country; rebranding a major hospital system; designing and installing a 2,000- square foot museum exhibit; steering a $20 million fund raising campaign; and launching a web site that is revolutionizing cancer care across the country. He has won industry awards for his graphic design, ad campaigns, writing, and photography and is author of several popular non-fiction books.

John R. Lenz, Vice President

John joined his brother Richard at Lenz in 1993, and is a managing partner. John uses his 17 years of experience to match client needs with the appropriate matrix of integrated marketing and advertising tools.

John is proficient in standards-based coding practices using four different programming languages, and recently conceived a novel coding method using CSS and JavaScript to solve the issue of print functionality for ChemoOrders.com. This solution was a cost-effective alternative to purchasing, installing, and maintaining expensive plug-in software.

John is also President of the Tall Rocker Company—a firm that creates smartly-designed outdoor furniture. Before joining Lenz, John attended Oglethorpe University, where he was a starting pitcher on the baseball team.

John is a graduate of the Leadership DeKalb Class of 2010, is married with two children, and lives in Atlanta.

Development Department

Jim Cotton, Sales Director

Decatur native Jim Cotton has more than 25 years of domestic and international sales management experience, and has been recognized in Who’s Who Worldwide for providing timely and innovative solutions to Fortune 100 healthcare, life science, manufacturing, and distribution companies.

A proud US Army Veteran, Jim is a member of the American Legion and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Briarcliff Road, and founded the Cobb Chamber’s Info on Exports from the Experts.

Jim attended Winnona Park Elementary School, Decatur High School, and The Baylor School in Chattanooga. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in business.

Jim is married to New Orleans native Paulette Cotton and they have two adult children, who are graduates of the Marist School in Atlanta.

Marketing Department

Michael Killeen, Marketing Director

Michael directs client marketing at Lenz. His responsibilities include marketing strategy and consultation for several of Lenz’s largest clients. Most recently, Michael helped develop Georgia Cancer Specialists’ “The Cancer Answer" advertising campaign, which featured impactful messaging extended through the mediums of print, radio, TV, and outdoor.

Michael received a Journalism degree from the University of Georgia and joined Lenz in 2002. He is a performing musician, who has released two albums and shared the stage with southern rock legends The Marshall Tucker Band and Grammy-award winners the Blind Boys of Alabama. Michael sits on the board of directors at The Magic of Life Foundation, a non-profit cancer education and support organization.

Gene Pinder, Senior Marketing Strategist

Gene is a 20-year marketing and communications veteran who specializes in consumer marketing, marketing strategy, research, tourism and non-traditional educational platforms, such as distance learning and Web-based learning. He is the former senior vice president of marketing for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (home to U.S. Space Camp and Aviation Challenge), where he generated more than $25 million in annual revenue, and he was the first public relations manager for the highly successful Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Gene has also been the senior marketing executive for two e-learning startups, and he owns and operates a strategic marketing and research firm, PinOak Analytics. He holds a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. He is a long-time state board member of the Arthritis Foundation and a self-taught artist of oils and acrylics.

Alice Murray, Strategic Marketing Consultant

A long-time Decatur resident, Alice has more than 25 years experience in the newspaper business, most recently in the Marketing Department at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She joined Lenz in 2007, and uses her community contacts, writing ability, and leadership skills to support Lenz clients. Alice is a graduate of the Leadership DeKalb Class of 2006, received her Journalism degree from Auburn University, and for 12 years was co-owner of The Freight Room, a restaurant and music venue in the old Decatur depot. She is currently chair of the board of the AJC Decatur Book Festival and on the advisory board of Georgia Shakespeare. She served for six years on the board of the Empty Stocking Fund.

Tali Benjamin, Account Manager

Tali is a Marketing Manager at Lenz, overseeing the daily communications of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. Her responsibilities include project management, event coordination, copywriting for both print and web, public relations, and advertising.

Prior to joining Lenz, Tali graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Art History. She has worked in publishing and public relations, most recently at the Memphis Botanic Garden.

Allison Farmer, Account Manager

Allison Farmer brings an exciting new vision and capability to Lenz with her multi-platform experience. Having worked on the agency side and for a corporation’s internal marketing department, Allison’s expertise in strategy, branding, digital implementation and traditional marketing provides the ideal mix for the Lenz portfolio of clients. Her work here includes brand strategy, account management, and campaign implementation for Lenz's medical group.

Prior to Lenz, Allison led the marketing strategy and implementation for Live Oak Lodging hotel group in Texas as well as the launch of a new interactive concept, WebbChange. She also led corporate branding efforts for La Madeleine restaurant group in Dallas where her duties included corporate marketing strategy, managing a multi-million dollar annual marketing budget and providing local store marketing for 64 locations. Prior to La Madeleine, Allison was with one of Dallas’ premiere agencies servicing large and diverse clients like national REIT Regency Centers and Odyssey Healthcare.

Allison’s first love may be soccer. She played in college at the University of Texas where she earned a degree in corporate communications and business. When not on the pitch, you may catch her wrestling with her English bulldog, Byron. Allison and her family make their home in Atlanta.

Jenny Paynter, Account Manager

Jenny is a Marketing Manager at Lenz, overseeing the daily communications of several Lenz clients, including Georgia Cancer Specialists, the Georgia Cancer Foundation, and DeKalb Medical. Her responsibilities include project management, event coordination, and copywriting for both print and web.

Jenny joined Lenz in 2005 after graduating from Georgia State University with a Journalism/Public Relations degree. While there, she served as President of GSU's Public Relations Student Society of America chapter.

Anna Swindle, Account Coordinator

Anna joined the Lenz team in 2010, shortly after receiving her master's in journalism from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Illinois, where she focused on magazine journalism. Prior to that, she spent eight months teaching English in Malaysia through the Fulbright program, and also graduated magna cum laude from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, with degrees in both journalism and Spanish.

At Lenz, Anna acts as a copywriter, researcher, press release composer and more. An Atlanta native, Anna lives in the Stone Mountain area and enjoys both freelance writing and photography in addition to her work at Lenz.

PR Department

Ryan Klee, PR Director

Ryan joined Lenz as a Marketing Assistant in January 2004 after graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in Communications. At Lenz, Ryan further pursued his interest in media and soon ascended to Public Relations Manager, where he oversees both PR and advertising for Lenz clients.

Ryan is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, and excels in building strong, productive relationships with local, regional, and national media. Most recently, his PR efforts helped Georgia Cancer Specialists collect nearly 4,500 backpacks and suitcases for foster children, during the practice’s statewide Totes 2 Tots event.

Abby Nelms, PR Assistant

Abby joined Lenz as a Public Relations Assistant in June 2009. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia State University in 2008 with a B.A. in Journalism/Public Relations and a minor in English. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.

Abby is responsible for conducting media research, helping coordinate events, composing press releases, building web content, developing stories for media use, media reporting, broadening Lenz's online and social media scope, and assisting with media opportunities.

Design Department

Scott Sanders, Creative Director

Scott is an award-winning graphic designer and the architect of numerous successful branding and advertising campaigns for Lenz clients. His most recent accomplishments include brand development and extension for DeKalb Medical—a 775-physician, 627-bed hospital system and the Decatur Book Festival—an annual event that draws 60,000 “bibliophiles" to downtown Decatur each fall.

He excels in print design, corporate branding, illustration, logo design, and web design, and is proficient on both Macs and PCs. Previous to joining Lenz, Scott was an art director at an advertising firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where his clients include Bell South, Cingular Wireless, Krystal, Restaurants, and several other regional clients.

Cameron Spivey, Art Director

Cameron is a conceptual graphic designer with years of experience providing creative solutions for branding, identity, marketing communications and strategy development. His client list spans across national and regional accounts and includes IRWIN Industrial Tools, Nationwide Insurance, PolloTropical Restaurants, CRUNK Energy Drink, John Deere and many others. He has won numerous awards in print and broadcast, not only for his creativity, but also for its effectiveness.

Prior to joining the Lenz team, Cameron served in virtually every role of the agency environment—from Art Director to Copy Writer, Project Manager and Creative Director. His ability to balance creative insight with project management priorities makes him a proactive and versatile creative problem solver.

Matt Tinsley, Art Director

Matt joined Lenz in 2004 after working as a designer at a television production firm where he produced, directed, and edited full-length programs, feature segments, and commercials that aired on ESPN, Fox Sports Net, and Spike TV.

At Lenz, Matt has found his niche in the environmental field, where his achievements include illustrating the Governor’s Quail Hunt invitation and designing the Joseph W. Jones Center’s Biennial Report 2006-2007.

Matt was also the brand architect of The Community Campaign 2008, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s multi-million dollar fundraising campaign. He designed the Georgia Center for Total Cancer Care’s logo and graphic identity and the cover art for Mike Killeen’s Guns Kill People album, as well.

Matt received a graphic design degree from the University of Georgia and excels in print design, illustration, and logo design, and is proficient in both Mac and PC formats.

Web Design/Interactive Department

Rick Pattillo, Lead Web Developer

Rick Pattillo is a problem solver. At Lenz, Rick utilizes his decade of programming experience combined with his specialization in databases to build and maintain robust data-driven web applications tailored to meet each client's needs.

Prior to Lenz, Rick obtained his B.S. in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology with focuses in databases, operating system design, compilers, and security.

Crystal Wrenn, Web Developer

From a very young age, Crystal was known for taking things apart, studying how they worked, and quickly rebuilding and improving them. As a graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Computational Media, Crystal is focused on developing user-centered and user-friendly applications that are designed well on both the front and back ends.