Garza to Lead Brightspot Incentives & Events

Brightspot Incentives & Events has announced two changes in the company's leadership. Mike May, who acquired the company in 2001, has moved from his role as president and CEO to his new post as executive chairman. At the same time, Rudy Garza, Brightspot's vice president since 2011, has been promoted to president and CEO.

Reflecting on his years with the company, May noted that "Brightspot has grown tremendously during my tenure; when I walked in the door, we had eight employees, and now I can proudly say we have more than 100 employees. We've been able to expand our trusted clients from three to 75, growing from an unknown company to a mid-tier agency.… It's been an incredible blessing to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our executive leadership team. I am incredibly grateful to the exceptional management team, our wonderful clients, our wonderful vendors and clients, and our Brighspots [what employees of the firm are called]. As executive chairman, I look forward to supporting Rudy with strategic oversight and growth projects, and to cheerleading our entire team." 

Prior to joining Brighspot, which specializes in channel-incentive management, incentive travel and corporate events, Garza held a number of positions at PepsiCo/Frito-Lay. A release about the transition cites Garza for being instrumental in Brightspot's operational efficiency, expanding capabilities, delivering strong performance across key business units and playing a role in growing and shaping the company's culture. He serves on the Incentive Research Foundation's board of trustees and is chairman of the IRF research committee. 

In the statement about his promotion, Garza said, "Stepping into this role is both humbling and exciting. I care deeply about our people and the clients we serve; we've built something special together and I am committed to keeping that momentum going." 

He added "Our foundation is strong, our people are exceptional and our future is bright."