Today we’d like to introduce you to Regay Hildreth.
Hi Regay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin from the McCombs School of Business with a BBA, I launched my business career in the print industry at Consolidated Graphics. Shortly thereafter, I was hired as a sales account executive for NewsRadio 740 KTRH, where my family’s turf business was advertising on the GardenLine program. My specialty was working with accounts that posed a greater challenge and required more attention than transactional businesses.
I was able to find an advertising avenue for each company, no matter how large or small the budget. Consistently ranked among the top sales account executives in the company of 80+ sellers, I rose to sales manager, my final position at Clear Channel Communications. This would propel me into the quest that my entrepreneurial spirit longed for. After experiencing multiple sides of the advertising world in both print and media, I decided the client side of the marketing and advertising business is where my creative and analytical skills would make the biggest impact in the industry.
In December 2004, I turned my vision for RMH Marketing & Media into reality. With two clients, three months of mortgage payments in the bank, and a relentless devotion to success… the business took off! I opened the doors to RMH with one goal in mind: to be a strategic and creative thinker for my clients, advising them on all aspects of their marketing programs.
We are now celebrating our 20-year anniversary, and what a journey it’s been! Here are a few milestones along the way:
2005: RMH Marketing & Media opened its front door (literally).
2008: Onboarded our first Fortune 500 corporation.
2010: Transitioned from primarily media buying to offering a full suite of turnkey marketing solutions.
2014: Moved into our current headquarters on Antoine Drive, a space that has become the heart of our creativity, collaboration, and client success.
2017: Elevated a client’s brand presence to ultimately be acquired by Lowe’s Home Improvement.
2022: Celebrated a second RMH client securing a deal on Shark Tank.
2023: Launched our sports division, SMH Sports & Entertainment.
2024: Procured our 300th client.
2025: Celebrating 20 years in business – 328 clients strong and growing!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running and growing a business is no easy feat. Like most business owners, I have had struggles along the way. Do I scale up, scale down, get funding to expand, or approach growth by acquisition?
There have been several times we grew organically very rapidly, so I was taking advice from mentors and leaders of networking groups I attended while listening to every entrepreneurial audiobook on the shelf during my 5:30am workouts. Work smarter, not harder; work on the business, not in the business; yada, yada, yada.
At that point, the plan was to bootstrap it and staff up to almost double our size. I charged my team to hire employees from their networks to help cover the workload. While I was so “busy” working with our clients and juggling work/life balance, I realized I was not efficiently managing my employees when they needed it most. They needed a true leader, and I learned that you have to pause, take inventory, and assess your company when things are moving fast and furious. It’s tough to slow down and manage growth when that’s exactly when you have the least amount of time to do it, caught between spending countless hours at the office or being with my family. This cycle repeated itself several times during 2008 and the pandemic.
It’s much easier said than done, but I had to make the choice that was right for me. I decided to stay present and maintain my company size, knowing that my kids would grow up and I would have the time and energy to ramp up when that time came. I knew when I was ready, the foundation of knowledge and talent of an experienced company would set us up for success. I decided what was right for me and my family: raising my kids and not missing a single moment of their childhood.
Well, here we are two decades later, and RMH has its most creative and carefully vetted team yet. We are all on the same page; my team can handle the work and growth and, now that my kids are older, I have the time to focus on the next two decades of growth with proper attention to maintaining this well-oiled machine. The foundation is solid, the vision is clear, and the momentum is real. After twenty years of delivering results, we’re more focused and fired up than ever, the next chapter is here, and we are just getting started!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At RMH, we partner with business leaders of mid-market to Fortune 500 companies and pride ourselves on being your full-service agency, delivering an array of strategic, digital, and creative services.
We customize our work process to fit your specific needs. Whether you need a fully outsourced advertising & media solution, a refresh to your company’s messaging or marketing collateral, or a completely new brand identity, we are there for you every step of the way.
We want to be more than just the company that delivers your new logo, website, or radio/TV/digital buy… We want to be your true partner. Our Full Circle Branding program and philosophy, combined with a constant strategic approach, is how we truly satisfy your marketing requirements. No matter what you are looking to achieve, our team brings the greatest return on your investment. Hence the company tagline: “Results Made Here.”
My vision for RMH is to create a tribal environment and culture with loyal, amazing, one-of-a-kind people with work/life balance. I truly believe that slow and steady wins the race, and we have experienced steady growth, year after year, since opening our doors in 2005. We are now set up with clients we believe in, with more on the way, guiding them as their true marketing “therapists.”
Last but not least, my team can attest to the fact that I believe having a sense of humor gets you through the trials and tribulations of running life and business. Life’s too short not to have fun with the people at work you spend just as much time with, if not more, than your own friends and family. After all, people work for people, not companies.
Following is a list of our company core beliefs:
• Find Your Fire
• Challenge Accepted
• No, Think Bigger
• Laugh Out Loud
Beyond business, our commitment extends to the community. We have supported numerous charitable organizations, including the American Heart Association, Houston 20, Children at Risk, Crime Stoppers, the Lone Survivor Foundation, and countless others.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Houston is the best when it comes to the rich diversity in culture and cuisine. Our city also gives a great snapshot of the real world in its makeup, which allows us to work with clients across every industry and vertical within. While having the resources of one of the largest cities in the nation, it also gives the small-town vibes that I grew up with, a comfortability level that is very welcoming.
The only thing that I can say negative about Houston is what every large city comes with…the traffic and crime. But let’s be honest, the traffic, heat, and mosquitoes are at the top of the list!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rmhmarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rmh_marketing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rmhmarketing
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1580370/admin/dashboard/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RMHmarketing
