Kent Huffman is a results-oriented B2B and B2C marketing and branding executive, customer experience advocate, change agent, and published author with a broad range of competencies in virtually all aspects of the marketing discipline.
Kent has earned a reputation as a marketing revitalization specialist, having achieved significant, measurable results in a number of startup, turnaround, and expansion situations during the past 20+ years. He holds a BBA degree in marketing from Texas State University.
CEO & Fractional CMO
DigiMark Partners and East Texas Marketing, LLC
Dallas and Quitman, TX
2014 to present
Kent Huffman, along with the DigiMark Partners and East Texas Marketing, LLC teams, provides fractional, on-demand, and interim Chief Marketing Officer services to listen carefully, analyze your situation, develop measurable goals, and work closely with you to design and deliver integrated digital marketing strategies and tactics that drive profitable growth. Depending on your needs, Both firms can assist across a broad range of marketing functions or focus on just a few. And we can play either an internal leadership or external coaching role—when you need it, for only as long as you need it. DigiMark Partners and East Texas Marketing have successfully served industry stalwarts, ambitious start-ups, and virtually everything in between. The seasoned, award-winning team collectively has several decades of in-the-trenches, real-world experience in every aspect of marketing and branding in business-to-consumer and business-to-business environments.
DigiMark Partners is currently working with an interesting range of B2C and B2B clients across North America, including a virtual reality firm, a cloud computing company, and a tourism promoter in Texas, a wireless equipment provider in Canada, a product engineering and design firm in Montana, a national wildlife conservation organization in Montana, and a well-known winery in California.
Chief Marketing Officer
BearCom Wireless
Garland, TX
2006 to 2014
BearCom Wireless is a nationwide provider of wireless voice, video, and data solutions. Serving as the Chief Marketing Officer at BearCom for eight years, Kent was instrumental in expanding the company’s presence in its target markets across North America, as well as driving all marketing strategies and tactics, including thought leadership, integrated marketing, demand generation, sales/marketing alignment, and customer experience.
In his first year at BearCom, Kent created Today’s Wireless World magazine, which won the International Award of Excellence from the Society for Technical Communication in 2010 and was reinvented as an effective digital content marketing machine in 2012. Kent went on to set a number of marketing records for BearCom, including sales leads generated, website visits, extranet site revenue, e-commerce revenue, customer lifetime value, and marketing budget ROI. As of 2012, BearCom became Motorola Solutions’ largest wireless dealer and integrator in the world. And in 2014, Kent played a key role in enabling BearCom to generate all-time record revenues and profits, dating all the way back to its founding in 1981.
Interim Vice President of Marketing
CompuCom Systems
Dallas, TX
2005 to 2006
CompuCom Systems, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Office Depot, was a $2+ billion IT hardware, software, and outsourcing services provider. As Vice President of Marketing, Kent was responsible for all global marketing and public relations strategies and tactics, including branding, positioning, messaging, competitive analysis, collateral, websites, advertising, promotions, lead generation, events and trade shows, speaking engagements, partner marketing, media/industry analyst relations, and all other marketing functions used to promote CompuCom’s consulting, outsourcing, and hardware and software procurement services.
While at CompuCom, Kent rebranded the entire organization from the ground up. He also engineered the strategy and delivery of the CompuCom story to IT industry analyst firms Gartner and Forrester, which resulted in top rankings in their respective Magic Quadrant and Wave reports in 2005 and 2006. In addition, he helped position CompuCom for sale to Court Square Capital Partners in early 2007. Just prior to that transaction, Kent was selected to receive the President’s Club Award, which recognized CompuCom’s top performers.
Global Marketing & Communications Director
Perot Systems/Dell Services
Plano, TX
2002 to 2005
Perot Systems/Dell Services (now NTT Data) was formed when Dell acquired Perot Systems in 2009 for $3.9 billion. Prior to that event, Kent was responsible for all marketing and communications strategies and tactics throughout North America, Europe, and India for Perot Systems, a Fortune 1000 corporation. Via a contract with Public Strategies, he focused on marketing the company’s consulting, business process outsourcing, application development, and IT outsourcing services.
With a comprehensive marketing and messaging strategy, Kent was able to consolidate all the industry and operational divisions within Perot Systems under one corporate brand umbrella to present a more cohesive, integrated image to the marketplace. In 2003, 2004, and 2005, Kent and his team received a number of regional, national, and international awards for the quality and performance of the company’s various integrated marketing initiatives, including measurable results driven by the Perot Systems website and annual reports.
Marketing Consultant
Marketek Media
Austin, TX
1995 to 2002
Marketek Media, Kent’s own boutique marketing consulting firm, focused primarily on helping mid-market B2C companies increase revenue and market share by applying innovative digital marketing strategies. Kent was responsible for all marketing, design, and technology services, including strategic marketing planning, online and offline marketing and public relations programs, website design and development, branding, advertising, copywriting, research, publishing, and promotion.
Kent’s client list included AT&T Capital (his former employer), AMG Sports (Emmitt Smith’s marketing firm), Escape in Style, Coral Gardens Beach Estate, Sterling Homes, Costa Bella Waterfront Community, M2K, Flagship Software, ValueTronics International, Worldnets/Global Cyber Strategies, Pervasive Software, InfraWorks, U.T. Investment Management Company, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Corporate Communications Director
Marketing Communications Manager
AT&T Capital
D/FW Airport, TX
1990 to 1995
Founded in the mid-1980s, AT&T Capital was the financing and leasing arm of AT&T. Kent was responsible for marketing and promoting computer and test equipment leasing and rental services for AT&T Capital to a variety of commercial, industrial, and consumer markets.
Kent initiated, designed, implemented, and managed all external and internal communications strategies and activities, including magazine, yellow page, and Internet advertising, as well as multimedia/audio-visual presentations, sales literature, marketing/employee events, publicity, media relations, direct mail, trade shows, promotions, marketing research, corporate identity, community relations, employee communications, vendor co-op programs, departmental budgets, and marketing investment analysis programs.
Advertising Manager
Hensley Industries
Dallas, TX
1987 to 1990
District Advertising Sales Manager
Penton Media
Dallas, TX
1984 to 1987
BBA Degree in Marketing
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Kent began his college career at Texas Christian University, where he spent his freshman and sophomore years studying general business management. Beginning with his junior year, Kent transferred to Texas State University (then Southwest Texas State University) to major in marketing. He covered 75% of his college expenses with part-time employment in retail and manufacturing while attending all four years of college. Kent also participated in various extracurricular activities at both universities, including Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and intramural sports.