Karen Renk guided the IMA, championed the business case for incentives, and mentored a wide group of individuals for the betterment of the industry and the association. She was known for her mentorship, character, collaboration, and professionalism. The Karen Renk Award is given to the IMA member who best exemplifies these qualities in service to the association, either through their work within the organization or through outreach to the community at large.
With over 35 years in the incentive and recognition industry, Mike is widely recognized as an industry champion, mentor, and exceptional volunteer. His nomination cited: “He is teaching the next generation.”
In 2019, Mike won the IMA President’s Award, given to those who have played a major role in the industry's success through a lifetime of achievements in the incentive marketplace. He was a charter member of IMA and served for eight years on the IMA Board and for almost 20 years as a board member of Incentive Merchandise to Reward & Appreciate (IMRA). Mike has been an advocate of expanding the reach of incentive merchandise in the industry, through developing great partnerships with PPAI and ASI, serving for almost 20 years on the board of the Incentive Federation, and co-managing Special Markets Dialogues, a group of thought leaders in the corporate gift and recognition marketplace.
Upon receiving the award, Mike said, “I am deeply honored to receive this award from my peers in our sales channel. On a professional level, it's always a privilege to be recognized for one’s efforts by your contemporaries. On a personal level, I worked alongside Karen in our trade associations for many years. She was a great negotiator, a wonderful moderator, and a force of nature when she had to be. Having her name on this award makes it all the more special.”
Mike is the 11th recipient of the Karen Renk Award. Previous recipients include:
- 2024 – Anne Jetter, SB Collectiv
- 2023 – Rich Killian, CPIM, RK Incentives
- 2022 – John Hanson, CPIM, RepLink/The DataDirect Group
- 2021 – Barb Hendrickson, CPIM, Visible Communication, LLC
- 2020 – Mike Donnelly, CPIM, Hinda Incentives
- 2019 – Cindy Mielke, CPIM, Tango
- 2018 – Michelle M. Smith, CPIM, CRP, speaker, author, strategist
- 2017 – Brian Dunne, CPIM, Giftcard.Consulting
- 2016 – Heidi Chatfield, CPIM, All Star Incentive Marketing
- 2015 – Sean Roark, CPIM, PromoPros/IncentPros
View all of the IMA Summit Award winners on the IMA website.