The Road to the Dallas 100™ – Dallas Business Journal

You buckled in? Because we're about to hit the road, and we're ready to go zero to one hundred. What's going on y'all? Happy Tuesday. It's your host, Daniel Litwin, the voice of b two b, and welcome to another episode of the road to the Dallas one hundred, the biggest show in Dallas since Dallas. Brought to you in collaboration between Market Scale and SMU's Cox School of Business. Well, it always feels good to be in the garage, right, in the hot seat of the d one hundred, and we're excited to bring you another quality interview here and another story of success, professional development, and entrepreneurial drive coming out of the DFW Metroplex. So if this is your first time joining us, welcome. We're excited to have you watching along on the show. The road to the Dallas one hundred is a precursor to the SMU Cox Dallas one hundred awards. This is where we showcase the stories behind the fastest growing companies in the Dallas area, often privately held. But regardless, we're celebrating the company's founders as well as their top professionals. We're celebrating their achievements, their business journeys, their challenges and strategies so that you can learn from Dallas' best and really take the keys and get behind the wheel yourself so that you can pave your own road to the Dallas one hundred. So let's hit the gas y'all. We've got a good interview for the day. Who are we showcasing today on the show? Well, typically, we're doing interviews with, again, company founders, and this year, we've diverted a little bit. We've been doing some round table interviews, right, where we've sat down with founders and, c suite from key industries across the DFW metroplex. Today, we are turning the camera over to the Dallas one hundred sponsor community. Right? These are the companies and the professionals that are putting their weight behind the Dallas one hundred to make it a hub of community and celebration of business success for all of DFW. And we're gonna be zooming in on the world of media and advertising through the lens of the Dallas Business Journal, a Dallas one hundred sponsor, and more specifically, one of the key professionals at DBJ who's been instrumental in shaping the advertising landscape in Dallas. He has personally seen the evolution of this industry firsthand from the transactional side of media product sales to its current state of more expressive, creative, almost entrepreneurial partnership. So we're gonna be exploring how his passion for building relationships, his deep understanding of the advertising ecosystem, and his own entrepreneurial spirit have propelled him forward in one of the most prestigious media organizations in Dallas. And, of course, we're gonna be learning from his time working with Dallas's booming business community, obviously, with the Dallas Business Journal, supporting a hub of networking for the industry. And we're gonna better understand what's setting Dallas apart as a leading city for business and business media across the US. So let's jump in and introduce our guest for today. I'm pleased to welcome mister Randy Kazmierski. He's advertising director at the Dallas Business Journal. Randy, welcome to the garage. Welcome to the road to the Dallas one hundred. How are you doing today? Good, Daniel. It's great to be in the garage. Yeah. Absolutely. You know, we like to, we like to keep things rustic around here. I can see that. I can see that. But, yeah, man. Thank you so much for joining us. It's always a pleasure getting to learn from new professionals and, you know, tap into the energy of various industries within DFW. We've done health care, technology, even private luxury aviation. Today, we get the luxury of not pun intended, luxury there. I'm talking about, the media ecosystem. Right? So again, thank you for joining us. And before we get into your story Mhmm. I think, you know, being that DBJ is a sponsor of the Dallas one hundred, I wanna make sure our audience really understands the role DBJ plays in the community here for us. Being advertising director, you're super plugged in. You're strategizing around how DBJ expands its reach and helps, be a source of promotion as well for the community. So why don't we start with this? What role do you see the Dallas Business Journal playing in the larger business community, right, around fostering community, around professional, development, business success? Right? What role does DBJ play in helping kinda animate those, sentiments and those practical skills for the business community? Yeah. Sure. In, you know, one simple sentence, we connect businesses with North Texas business leaders. Nice. And we do that through a number of different channels, print, digital, events. But the number one, the number one thing that we do is provide on a weekly basis, even on a daily basis actually, news and information, on Dallas the Dallas business community as a whole. And then again, as I said before, connecting business organizations with community and business leaders in North Texas. And, you know, the Dallas business community is one that's evolving a lot. Mhmm. It, is becoming a hub for HQs. It's becoming a leading market for, finance. Mhmm. Right? As we'll get into here in a little bit. But in the years you've been in Dallas, how long have you been in Dallas, man? Been in Dallas over twenty years. Over twenty years. I was gonna say your intro kind of aged me. You were talking about my experience. So Look, with age comes wisdom. There you go. You've got something that we can't tap into, you know. It's it's pretty awesome. So with that, you know, experience in Dallas Mhmm. Being in different companies and different layers of the media ecosystem, How have you seen the Dallas business community change over the last twenty years? What feels unique about the energy that's here now versus twenty years ago? Yeah. That's a great question. I think it's gone from what I've seen is gone from a regional, focus to to more of a national, even international focus. You know, we have DFW airport sitting twenty miles from here, nonstop flights almost anywhere in the world, and then, that just lends itself to businesses based here to really take advantage of not only local, national, but international, marketplaces. So with all of that growth then and the fact that DFW really is a hub for international capital and, business success and innovation, how have you seen the strategies for cultivating business community in Dallas change as of late. Right? You've been with the DBJ for about a year now. Mhmm. So with all of that growth, like, what does that change look like in the most recent period, the last twelve months. Right? Especially as a leader in stimulating that community through media. Mhmm. You know, as you're trying to cultivate community, now that we have all this fresh energy, you know, a lot of, California imports. Right. How have you seen the strategies for cultivating community change? Yeah. That's a really good question as well. So, what we've seen is that and it makes sense we talked about a lot of businesses moving here, is that there's, a big need for networking and building a network. And so what we're able to do is work with organizations and individuals within that organization to help them build a network of their peers Yeah. A network of, potential clients, and and really establish themselves within the Dallas Fort Worth area. Yeah. Well, the, you know, impact that the DBJ has in the community is undeniable. And so now it's time to learn a little bit more about your career and intersect your learning lessons with, you know, the growth of the market, but also tap into, some of the key takeaways from your professional career so that our audience can maybe learn a thing or two themselves. Right? So let's jump in. Right? You're a media professional, but, you know, you've had a few detours in terms of where that energy was gonna manifest itself. You started with a little early interest in media as a lot of us journalism pros, you know, start out at the, high school newspaper. Sure. Right? I, I dabbled in the high school TV department, which was essentially a glorified, video we'd show the cafeteria once a week. So I I I know sometimes the struggles of that environment, but regardless, this environment sparked some passion for media. Right? What was it about the media ecosystem that drew your attention in the first place? You know, that even in those early days as a teen, you were already feeling drawn to participating in the media ecosystem. I think just the natural curiosity that, one has to have to be successful or to have an interest Yeah. In in that industry. And I think that it really did did spark my curiosity, in terms of learning, more about things that I might not have ever been exposed to. Totally. Well and then eventually, you know, you found out that maybe doing the whole TV reporting or writing articles on the hamster wheel for the rest of your life was maybe not the path for you. Right. So instead, you take the PR Mhmm. Media sales route. Right? You get more involved in the media or or, excuse me, the business side of media. Mhmm. Why? Right? What was it about the business ecosystem around media that you felt was maybe more up your alley, or, you know, an area where you could better plant your flag? Yeah. That's, I think it was an understanding that going that route allowed me to work and engage with organizations and marketers, and eventually throughout my career, really get involved in the strategy, helping them with their goals, objectives, building a strategy around that, and activating on that. What is the because, you know, essentially, what you're describing here is a key infrastructure that supports the creative lifeblood of the industry. It's an infrastructure that promotes Mhmm. Supports, curates, creates connections for the media ecosystem. You know, as you started to dabble in that environment, how did it, you know, come into focus that this was an important layer of the industry? Right? I guess in practice, what were some of those initial experiences that helped take this idea of, I wanna be on the business and the strategy side of media and turn it into, wow, this is the tangible impact that, you know, a career in advertising or PR or sort of the business infrastructure around media, that's the kind of impact that I can have. Right? When did it go from kind of theory to practice? Yeah. So, when I first started in this business, and again, I'm aging myself here. You love it. But, I, my my first role in real role in the the media advertising sales side Yeah. Was with an in flight magazine here locally, American Airlines Publishing. They were the only airline that owned its own publishing company and, published their own in flight magazine. I was a sales rep for them and again, this was quite a quite a long time ago. It was at the time media sales was very and media was very transactional. We would talk to organizations. They would tell us, here's who our target market is. Here's what our budget is. What can you do for me? Right. That transitioned when I left American Airlines, went to a travel publishing company in a highly competitive category. We were forced as a not only a salesperson, but as an organization to think more strategic. So I went from a very transactional role to being forced to think in a very strategic way to help you solve your problems and position us as a solution provider. So, I mean, what a unique opportunity to get your, you know, initial exposure in the industry working at an organization with such scale. Mhmm. And with you know, even if there was a bit more of a you know, you were operating a more transactional zone to start your career, the opportunity to run, you know, media sales for an in flight magazine, I'm sure afforded some creative flexibility as well because, well, you know, it's, you're beholden to less stakeholders. Right? It's it's operating for the American Airlines ecosystem. And so to some degree, you know, the the vibe and the actual product that you can curate, you know, are a little more flexible. Yep. Now with that in mind, I'm curious what key lessons you learned during your time at American Airlines. Right? Especially in terms of how media sales operate. Right? What what were some of the key, learning lessons you got from your time working in that more transactional infrastructure that still support a lot of your strategic decision making today? Yeah. So, it it it gave me a great foundation and basis for understanding what's involved in advertising Yeah. In media, in media planning, in marketing. So while, you know, I had that background and knowledge educationally and academically, I didn't have real world experience or I wasn't exposed to it actually, being a part of a real world problem solving situation. And so it did allow me that great base, to to really hone my understanding and knowledge of what advertising, what media, sales, and what media planning is all about. Yeah. And, you know, even in those early years of starting to develop your career, you know, your trajectory took a lot of different turns. Right? You know, initial exposure, in the sort of newspaper, kind of student newspaper, but regardless newspaper ecosystem, then, you know, an interest in the PR ecosystem, then media sales, and then having to execute more creatively in that ecosystem. So a lot of twists and turns, and I'm curious if you had to kinda summarize the learning experience of having to shift gears so often as you were getting your footing. What advice would you give to someone early in their career trying to figure out the direction they wanna take in the media industry to make sense of all of these different paths? So here's what I always tell people is and I tell my team this Yeah. Is put yourself out there Yeah. And be uncomfortable, because that's the only way you're gonna grow. Totally. And I can look at different points in my career where I've done that consciously or subconsciously, you know, but whatever for whatever reason, I've done that. Yeah. And I think that it's really helped me grow. And so I always tell our team, hey, look. We're gonna do some things that are uncomfortable for all of us, me included. And some are going to work and some aren't, but we're gonna learn from it. And we're gonna amplify those opportunities that work, and we're gonna learn from those opportunities that don't work. Yeah. Hey. I couldn't agree more. I mean, the best learning lessons I've had in my career so far, in the grand scheme of things, is still still a young one, I guess. Right? What are you what are you saying? I'm no Paradigmoid. I'm I'm I'm I'm knocking myself, not you. No. No. No. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I love it though. You know, it's it's been critical to put myself in situations where I need, almost through necessity, to take on new skills Mhmm. And new strategies and force myself to be valuable. Mhmm. Right? Even if, you know, I don't have these skills right now Mhmm. I gotta force myself to make sure that within a week, I can be operating well and confidently and contributing to a larger team in the media ecosystem. Mhmm. So I agree. I agree with that takeaway. Big time. Okay. So you've had a lot of evolution Mhmm. In your career. You shifted from selling media products to then creating custom solutions Mhmm. Right, in the larger sort of advertising infrastructure ecosystem. This really started to take form when you shifted to your, the travel publishing company that you worked for, where you developed, a bit more of an entrepreneurial mindset too with your career. You started to bring a more creative approach to your client relationships. Mhmm. So tell me a little bit about that that transition. Right? How did transitioning from selling sort of polished structured media products in advertising to creating custom solutions for clients kinda change your approach to your advertising career and advertising as a, as a professional skill set. Yeah. Yeah. So we, or I, went from, as you said, from a selling selling media to a custom publishing role, which was providing clients with custom solutions. Yeah. It required us, me, to be and our team to be, really position ourselves as more of a consultant, sitting down with a client, thoroughly understanding what their goals are, what their objectives are, what are your challenges, and what are you doing currently that's working, what are you doing that's not. Yeah. And then taking all of that information away, brainstorming with the team, and coming up with a solution that's specific to their needs, to our to a potential client's needs. And so that's what custom publishing when I made the transition, it really forced me to think like a marketer Yeah. Versus like a sales guy. Interesting. So, when did that come more into focus? I guess maybe a better question would be if you could share an anecdotal example here of when you know, a time when having to step out of the box, think a little more creatively, think like a marketer Mhmm. Help you deliver a successful campaign for a client and, you know, really prove to you that the advertising world had a lot of room for you to tap into that creative entrepreneurial drive that even got you into the journalism space in the first place? So, a while ago, when, we when when the telecommunications infrastructure Yep. Was made up of regional companies. And, the regional companies, and this was well before, people working from home was an option. Right. It was kind of at the cutting edge. You know, technology was there to to allow it to happen, but businesses weren't thinking that way yet. And so you had a lot of of entrepreneurs of single proprietor companies, organizations, or people that were working from home. And a lot of the regional bell companies or regional telephone companies, wanted to move those people from a residential phone line to a business solutions phone line, but they had no way to identify them. And so what we did as when I it was when I was working for a technology company that was focused on home office and small business computing, what we did is we provided them with a custom publishing solution, basically a newsletter that they would then promote to their residential customers about running your small business Nice. Home. Okay. Cool. And so what it did was it enabled them to identify those individuals who are operating a business from home Mhmm. Even though when they looked in their in their database, they couldn't identify them. Interesting. So basically, those people were waving their hand and saying, yes. I'm identifying myself. Right. So That's cool. It's almost like you were part of getting that first wave of pulse checks on what's now a really a really common way to operate your business. Absolutely. Out out of your kitchen, you know. Absolutely. And and and consistently. Right? Like, not even just as the garage face, you know, of your, of, you know, I built my business out of my garage, and now we, you know, are in a a skyscraper. But a lot of businesses and workers today, you know, build their careers from home. And Mhmm. That's pretty cool that you've got to creatively tap into that transition in the professional ecosystem before it was even clear to most of the ecosystem. Right. Yeah. Right. Pretty neat. So, you know, I I think that really showcases, like you said, an example where you could, get creative and have your, you know, your advertising product reflect real needs in the community, which takes a certain listening ear. It takes a creative fire. It takes having, you know, your radar attuned to real sentiments in the community. And this is not to say that, you know, media sales don't still exist. Mhmm. But when you describe this shift towards advertising being more akin to marketing than sales, I say that's now a standard in the industry. Sure. So I'm curious what you see as the biggest shift in the advertising industry that kinda has required a more entrepreneurial approach. Now that this is standard, right, what skill set, what sort of mindset do you do you advise that folks wanting to get into this space? Make, you know, make sure that they have fine tuned or that they explore or, are ready to challenge themselves on improving. In in today's environment, there are so many options for marketers Yeah. And a finite budget. And so what their what a marketer is challenged with is how can I make an impact, and how can whatever my objectives are, how can I, put together a successful program that, achieves what we need it to in a cost effective manner? Right. And so I think nowadays, people on my side really have to bring solutions and have to have a have to understand what it is that you're trying to do from a marketing standpoint Yeah. And then bring solutions to you that are going to help you achieve what you're trying to do, again, in a very cost effective manner. Right. I wanna shift gears here a little bit now and, reflect a little bit on the people who've helped you refine these skill sets. Mhmm. Right? I'd say no good professional is made without some good mentors. Mhmm. Right? We all take cues from our leaders, and, you know, we're we're, made in a social ecosystem. So there's someone who planted those seeds. I know you've had a lot of mentors who've helped shape your creative thinking, your leadership style, which we'll get into here in a little bit. Right? Helped you, refine your critical thinking skills, helped you creatively problem solve, you know, all by working closely with industry veterans. Mhmm. So I'm curious if you could just reflect a bit on who some of those mentors are that have shaped your professional journey. What key lessons did they teach you? Tap into a few of those for us. Sure. Sure. Early on in my career, when I moved from, I said earlier, transactional role to more of a strategic thinking role, what, one of my mentors really was instrumental in helping me to think differently, and helping me to understand that I needed to think more like a marketer if I was going to be successful in the individual contributor role that I was in and eventually in the management role that I was in. So I transitioned from an individual contributor to a a manager, but at the same time, earlier, I transitioned from an individual contributor focused on transactional sales to an individual contributor that had to think creatively. And my mentor in that role really challenged me to think that way by asking questions. Why are we doing this? What's in it for them? How does this solve their problem? And so it really again, early on in my career, it really made me sit back and think more and really have an understanding of what I wanted to accomplish for that client. Yeah. Well, that's awesome. I I think you're tapping into an important, you know, an important layer of leadership, which is that the best leaders, you know, don't sort of bonk people on the head and you tell them, you know, this is what you have to do per se, but it's more of a it's more of a a guided journey of tapping into the latent potential that you as a blossoming professional already had, just about fine tuning how you make sense of those skills, how you make sense of the industry. And so sometimes the best thing a leader can do is just have you go through the thought exercise of asking yourself a tough question Mhmm. And then letting you work through the answer. Mhmm. Those are the I know the best mentors I've had have really, done the same thing for me. So Yeah. That ask I mean, it's a simple question of why are we presenting this to them? Right. What what what does this do for them? Right. Versus what does it do for us? Exactly. Exactly. And, you know, the best outcomes for us usually happen when we're focusing on them rather than us. You know what I mean? Yeah. I love it. So I'm curious then, you know, now that you're a leader. Mhmm. And we'll get into your leadership transition more. But for emerging leaders, right, what role do you think mentorship plays in even developing leadership capabilities? Right? Because I'm sure those mentors who guided you, if we ask them to reflect, it's in those acts of preparing the next generation to execute, not only for their team, but beyond. Once they leave that company, that really brings a lot of fulfillment and helps them refine their leadership style. So now that you're in a leadership position yourself, for those folks who are finding their way into leadership, Here's what I always tell people when they're first starting out. Yeah. So, you know, I've I've been fortunate enough to to work with people that are first starting out and hire some people. Sure. Is I always tell them within the first week, my goal is to help you create your style. Yeah. And what's gonna work for you? What works for you might not work for me. What works for me might not work for you, and that's fine. As long as we can build your style and that it works for you, you're going to be more successful throughout your career. Yeah. And so that's my goal is to really help you define who you are Yeah. And what works for you. I love that. Wanna be my, my manager? Oh, yeah. I love it. That that sounds great. I don't have any openings. Yeah. No. Okay. Alright. Alright. So, okay. Let's talk about that transition. You moved from being an individual contributor, right, to managing teams. Even before you were advertising director at DBJ, you were a leader. You had to embrace, the responsibilities and mindset of leadership. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when transitioning from, you know, an artisan or a craftsman in advertising to now having to be a team leader of orchestrating a larger campaign and helping impart that wisdom on, younger folks in the industry? I was fortunate enough to do that. My first management role was working for, like I said, the travel travel publishing company back in the day, and they had great training. And one of the two two things that they would say is was the foundation of the training was that at the end of the day, you're responsible for all of these people and putting them in a position to succeed. Yeah. If they don't succeed, then while in some instances, it's on them Yeah. In some instances, it's on you. And so you need to approach the management of the team with the understanding that your goal is to put them in a position to succeed. Yeah. Secondly is that you're not an individual contributor anymore. Right. And so you need to extract yourself at times from the group, the sales team Yeah. And be a manager Yeah. Versus being one of the sales guys. So, you know, that I would say that was the that was the biggest transition that I had to make, and it forced me to be conscious about, pulling myself myself out of situations that normally I would have loved to be a part of. Totally. Yeah. Knowing when to step back. Right. Get your hands out of the pie. Right. Why that's a, definitely a a skill set that I've heard other leaders on the show express. One of the big ones, you know, you really know you're maturing as a leader when you realize what you don't need to be involved in. Right. You know, it's really interesting. So then what would you say is unique about some of those skill sets, strategies in media, specifically? Right? Because leadership takes on various forms, obviously, across industry. So when you're dealing with working with creative teams Mhmm. But the product you're creating is still so tied to specific client outcomes. Right? It's still very data driven. Mhmm. What are some unique ways that leading on that confluence of creativity and data driven strategy, you know, manifest themselves? So I always tell people that, when we're working on a team as a team and you have different skill sets Yeah. That are part of the solution, is the underlying question we need to answer is what's in it for the client? Yes. And it might be a great creative idea. It might be a great creative execution, but at the end of the day, what's in it for the client? And if we can't answer that very quickly and succinctly, then we're going down the wrong road. Yeah. I love it. Keep it simple. Keep it simple. I love it. Alright. Now we get to the chapter of your career where you enter the Dallas Business Journal. Yes. Very exciting. Very exciting. So, there was a chapter there after you were working for that travel, publishing company, and, you know, again, we're kind of condensing your career here a little bit. But you got into independent consulting for a little bit. Right? That was a fun way to dabble a bit in your entrepreneurial fire as well, running your own ship and, putting your, you know, leadership and creative skills to use for very specific projects. But then you see an opening at DBJ. Mhmm. Okay. A little hesitant at first, but the editorial reputation, the business leadership community, there was an opportunity there maybe for significant growth and impact that you could have for not only DBJ, but the community. Tell us a little bit about your train of thought there. What was it that drew you more concretely to DBJ? And when we talk about, you know, you saw this opportunity for growth and impact, what did that really mean? Right? What kind of growth? What kind of impact? Sure. Number one, it the what drew me was the product. It's well respected. Yeah. It's a great editorial product. Number two was the market. You look around Dallas, especially compared to other markets in the in the US. I don't think there's a better market to be in right now Yeah. Than Dallas, Fort Worth, North Texas as a whole. And so I really saw if you marry the product with the opportunity because of the growth in in North Texas, then there's a big upside here. And it was an opportunity to come into the organization and really ride that wave. Yeah. Pretty exciting stuff. And now you obviously are advertising director at DVJ, which is pretty awesome. What excites you about leading advertising efforts at this hub of business community with such a reputation and such a clear and, you know, community driven product. Right? Yeah. Just kind of reflect a little bit on what excites you about being a leadership in this environment. Sure. First of all, our team, we have a great team. Again, kudos to our our editorial team for the product that they put out. It's second to none. And the relationships that were established before even I arrived, You know, it's well respected in the community, both from a business standpoint and from a community leadership standpoint. And so in in looking at that, really being able to help companies and organizations, here in North Texas realize their potential Mhmm. And what realize their, maybe even realize what they didn't think they were able to do and to be a part of that success. Again, there's no other market like North Texas right now in the US, which thankfully we're all a part of. It's pretty awesome. Yeah. It's pretty awesome to be in. It makes for good interviews. That's for sure. We've got some, you know, awesome folks here leading the charge. I'm wondering if you could give us a more practical example of, you know, that unique opportunity to deliver on community building, on business success, through the DBJ. Do you have an example of a campaign that you've worked on recently that successfully aligned with client business goals, generated strong results, and really channeled the heart and mission of, DBJ? Sure. So, it's, and I I would love to say it was my idea, but it wasn't. Take a little credit at least. Johnny, come on. But, there's one project that we work on. We're now in the third year of it actually, and it is a research project where we leverage our research capabilities, and do a research study of business leaders throughout Texas, and then segment that down to business leaders within four markets in Texas, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, and compare and contrast what their business outlook is for the next twelve months. Yeah. We release that through our partner, in January, and really leverage the results of it from a social media standpoint, from a promotional standpoint, as well as from a thought leadership standpoint Yeah. And providing valuable information to organizations, not just in North Texas, but in all of Texas and how are how San Antonio, compares with Dallas and Austin and Houston. So Yeah. And I mean, I imagine too that there are compounding effects with, you know, helping to evangelize the Dallas business community. It makes the Dallas business community stronger. Mhmm. It gives you more to evangelize. Positive feedback loop. Exactly. Exciting stuff. Absolutely. And now that you, you know, are a leader in the media ecosystem in Dallas, what is it about Dallas that, you know, you see as unique? I mean, obviously, if we look at the numbers, we were talking about this in a pre interview call, but is it I don't know. Clarify this for our audience, but it's something like Dallas is the number two finance capital in the US. Is that right? Correct. And I'm I'm gonna steal I'm kudos to Will Anderson who's our editor. Yeah. But he coined the phrase y'all street instead of Wall Street. That's a good one. It's awesome. Yeah. It's awesome. But, yeah, Dallas is now really the number two market, in terms of financial jobs Mhmm. In the entire US behind New York only. Wow. And, I I I really think that's a testament to, it's so trite to say a can do attitude that we have here. I I like to say it's more of a yes, we can attitude Yeah. In that we can do anything Yeah. And that's the mindset that Dallas has. Again, thinking less from a regional standpoint to more of a national and international standpoint. Yeah. That's what we've become now. And, you know, I've been here for twenty plus years. Looking back, we've transitioned from a regional hub to a national international focus, and the thinking has evolved with that too for organizations. Well, now that it is such a a recognized international hub for business HQs, for finance, you know, creeping up on Wall Street. How does that change the kind of support that this business community needs? Right? Like, what kind of evangelization does it need in this chapter of its development, and how is that influencing some of your strategies as you connect with and solve client problems through advertising? I think the demands on us Yeah. Are, are much more, pronounced. Interesting. Because no longer are we just talking about North Texas as a market. We're now working with organizations that say, we have an office in Nashville. We have an office in Atlanta. We have an office in Phoenix. We need solutions in those markets in addition to North Texas. And so now we're which is a lot of fun for our team is now we're not just talking about solutions in North Texas. We're now talking about solutions in several different markets across the United States. Which, you know, is is interesting because y'all are still a regional leader, but you're a regional leader that has become a leader through its international and sort of national threads as well. So it's curious the way that you have to balance, you know, what makes what makes the Allstreet unique, but also being able to speak, the the reality that is the business community truly is a decentralized one. And that comes with unique challenges for engaging that community, for helping evangelize and kinda cut through the noise. Right? So as you look into the future for DBJ, what are some of, you know, the ways that, you and your team are looking to stay ahead of some of those changes coming to Dallas and coming to the media ecosystem in Dallas? Right? What what's on the horizon that you see kinda changing the landscape, and how are y'all strategizing around those changes? You you touched it a little bit earlier in terms of being real data focus. Mhmm. And we're fortunate enough as the Dallas Business Journal to be a part of a larger organization, the American City Business Journals, a network of forty plus, DBJ's around the country. And because of that, we have strong support behind us, whether it's research like I talked about earlier, or data analytics that enable us to answer those questions of did it work? Yeah. And that's being put on us more and more as well it should. You know, if someone's investing in a program with us, they have to, answer internally to the question of did it work. And so again, we're very fortunate to be part of a larger organization that has the tools and the infrastructure that allows us to provide solutions and also the analytics behind whether or not that campaign worked. And sometimes it doesn't, and what we try to do is we try to stay on top of that by doing touch bases with clients throughout their campaign. And if we see something that maybe we want to shift or revise, then it's incumbent upon us to bring that to the client and say, hey. Here's how this is working. Here's how this is working. We think it might be better to shift some of your dollars towards this because we're seeing a better return on your investment there. Interesting. I mean, data is going to drive all these strategies. That's for sure. And so it's cool to know that y'all are, you know, you already were, but are continuing to find new ways to be data driven Mhmm. To make that creative strategy pop, to help evangelize this community. I mean, it's clear DBJ is gonna continue to play a leadership role in the community, and so I'm excited to see where that continues to go. And I'm excited to see, you know, you're a year in at DBJ. There's still a lot of runway to see what kind of legacy you leave behind at DBJ. So, we're gonna be keeping an eye on that, and hopefully, we'll do some follow-up interviews here in a bit. So That would be great, Dan. To see how, you know, how the career continues to develop. But till then, thank you so much for your time on the road to the Dallas one hundred. Folks, again, we've been chatting with Randy, Kazmierski, excuse me, advertising director at DBJ. Randy, your career has been a really engaging and interesting one, seeing you, you know, initially be drawn to the industry for that creative fire, fine tune that in the infrastructure of of, you know, business and the operations that keep media alive, but now back in a place where executing on that, you know, business infrastructure takes a creative eye. It's it's it's a really cool way to see all these different seeds kinda come together and turn into one strong garden of skills and a professional that we see here in front of us today. So thank you for sharing your story. Hopefully, folks, you've learned something good here from Randy that you can apply to your own career, whether that's in media or otherwise. Again, folks, we've been chatting it up with Randy Kazmierzki, advertising director at DBJ. Randy, any final words here for our audience on Good. Crushing it in in advertising. Look forward to see seeing everyone at the Dallas one hundred. Yes. And, if you need a marketing solution, by all means, reach out. Boom. Absolutely. Alright, folks. Thank you so much, Randy. It's been such a pleasure, and looking forward to seeing you at the d one hundred. Sounds great. Thank you. It's gonna be awesome. Alright, folks. Hit the road with us again the rest of the summer as we continue to gear up for the Dallas one hundred. We've got the d one hundred awards on the horizon, the biggest celebration for entrepreneurs and businesses in the big d. And, we're gonna be announcing who the d one hundred are, the class of twenty twenty four here very soon. So keep an eye out for the big announcement and the content that's gonna be getting us amped and excited for the awards show. Till then, I'm your host, Daniel Litwin, the voice of b two b. If you wanna catch previous episodes of the show, you can find them on market scale dot com, and can't wait to share in the celebration of the Dallas business community here as we start to close out the year. Again, I'm your host, Daniel Litwin, the voice of b two b. We'll catch you on the next episode of The Road to the Dallas one hundred.