At TREW Marketing, each of us on the Crew brings professional experience, specific areas of expertise, and plenty of character. As the resident newbie, I’ve been asked to share a little bit about myself, my background, passions, and marketing knowledge. I’m proud to be part of the growing, collaborative, and talented group of marketing professionals here at TREW.
Lee Chapman, Senior Account Manager
Where are you from originally?
The short version is that I’m from Austin, TX, but I was born in Port Arthur, TX. My father’s job with Texaco moved us around quite a bit: four times in fact. For most of my childhood we were in Houston, TX, but we lived in Westport, CT, Port Neches, TX, and Fairfax, VA. I graduated high school in Houston, and then finally settled in Austin for college and my career. My family hails from Mississippi on both sides for six generations, so I do make a mean gumbo!
What university did you go to?
I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in Public Relations. The hills, lakes, and Longhorn football, have kept me in Austin ever since! Hook ‘Em Horns!
What are your passions?
My biggest passion is my family. My husband John and I have two children, Emily 13, and Noah 9. Together we enjoy sporting and community events and we all love to float the Comal River in New Braunfels, Texas. Additionally, I am passionate about giving back to the Austin community that has given me so much. This year I’m serving as board chair of Green Doors, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to end homelessness by providing affordable housing and services in the Central Texas area. I also enjoy volunteering as a robotics mentor at my son’s elementary school.
What is your proudest accomplishment thus far?
In my personal life, it’s of course my two children. I learn something new from them everyday and I hope I teach them something in return.
In my professional life, I would have to say it was managing a team that designed and developed a new global home page for ni.com in nine languages. The team had challenging design constraints to consider including how dual-byte characters in Asian languages would render on localized versions of the page; how to integrate with other web systems that published content to the site, which then totaled hundred of thousands of pages; and to present multiple concepts, and gain consensus across the global marketing organization. The project exceeded expectations, and improved the customer experience of users in other countries by providing home page content in nine local languages.
What strengths do you bring to TREW Marketing?
Besides my mean gumbo? I bring a diverse marketing background, spanning 20 years across the technology, government, and nonprofit sectors with deep focus in the areas of project and marketing management, content and collateral, web, and brand consistency. Additionally, I’m a word-nerd and love editing projects, creating taglines, and product naming.
In your opinion, what was the most successful marketing campaign you have worked on and why?
The most successful campaign I worked on was leading a cross-functional marketing team that drove the transition of National Instruments’ 800-page, printed catalog, to a 48-page product guide saving over $600K in annual cost savings and funding investments to improve the online eCommerce experience. Streamlining the overall content process and focusing on the web for product information ultimately lead to an improved customer experience with real-time product updates, pricing, and specifications in eight languages.
What advice do you have for future marketers?
My best advice is to listen to your clients more than you speak, and to hone your storytelling skills. Also, go old school and use a whiteboard instead of PowerPoint, you’ll have more impact on your audience.
Describe yourself in three words…
Organized, Creative, Efficient
To learn more about our TREW Crewers visit our team page.
