Bob Kendrick, Director of Marketing
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
 Bob Kendrick serves as Director of Marketing and Assistant to
the Executive Director for the Negro
Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City, Missouri. A position he has held since 1998. The
NLBM is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and
celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its
impact on America’s social advancement.
In his role at the NLBM, Kendrick oversees marketing, special
events, public, media and community relations activities for the
501 c3, not-for-profit organization. He is also responsible for
managing the Museum’s fundraising strategies and initiatives.
Kendrick began his association with the NLBM during his 10-year
newspaper career with The Kansas City Star. As senior
copywriter for the newspaper’s Promotions department, he
won or was part of a creative team that won numerous local and
regional advertising and marketing awards. He developed the advertising
concept and campaign that helped attract more 10,000 people (in
less than 30 days) to see the debut of the Museum’s traveling
exhibit in the summer of 1993. The success of that promotion led
to an appointment to the museum’s Board of Directors in the
fall of ‘93.
In his nearly five years on the Museum’s board, Kendrick
served as Secretary/Treasurer and chaired the Membership and Event
Planning committees. He was co-chairman of the Museum’s grand-opening
gala celebration that attracted more than 1,700 people to Bartle
Hall in November of 1997. The event raised more than $300,000 in
support of the NLBM. He stepped off the board in May 1998 to become
the organization’s first Director of Marketing and Development.
Since joining the museum’s staff, Kendrick has been responsible
for the creation of several signature museum educational programs
and events including the creation of the Legacy Awards, which annually
recognize the best Major League baseball players, managers and
executives with awards in the name and spirit of Negro League legends
such as Satchel Paige, “Cool Papa” Bell and Josh Gibson.
Kendrick has committed himself to community service. In 1995,
he joined the Public Affairs department at Kaiser Permanente where
he managed the HMO’s community relations efforts in the Kansas
City area. A long-time supporter of Heart of America United Way,
Kendrick brought that commitment to Kaiser and helped improve employee
and physician contributions by nearly 300 percent.
He is still active in the community, serving as a volunteer basketball
coach and mentoring underprivileged Kansas City youths. Kendrick
also spends a great deal of time in Kansas City classrooms giving
motivational talks to area students and sharing the illustrious
history of Negro Leagues Baseball with nearly a 100 social and
civic groups annually.
Kendrick has been honored by the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference and the Black Achievers Society for his community service.
In 2006, the Greater Kansas City Black Chamber of Commerce awarded
him the Mary Lona Diversity Award and was named “Citizen
of the Year” by the Omicron Xi Chapter of the Omega
Psi Phi Fraternity.
A native of Crawfordville, Ga., Kendrick received a basketball
scholarship to attend Park College (Parkville, Mo.) in 1980. He
graduated from the liberal arts college in 1985 having earned a
B.A. degree in Broadcast Communications and Journalism.
Professional Accomplishments
Fundraising:
Secured more than $5 million in support for the Negro Leagues Baseball
Museum through corporate sponsorships and grants.
- Developed and sold $1 million naming rights sponsorship to
Coors Brewing Company for the Coors Field of Legends at the NLBM.
- Secured $300,000 grant from Bank of America in support of a
three-year national Black College tour of a Negro Leagues traveling
exhibition. Developed the concept, proposal and negotiated terms
of the deal.
- Developed the “Thanks a Million, Buck” campaign
to generate awareness and cultivate individual support for the
building of the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center.
The campaign, to date, has raised nearly $2 million.
- Created the NLBM Legacy Awards in 2000. The annual national
Baseball Awards event honors the best Major League baseball players,
managers and executives with awards named for Negro League legends.
Since its inception, the Legacy Awards have generated more than
$2 million in revenue in support of the NLBM.
Educational Initiatives: Developed and generated
funding for all core NLBM educational and community outreach programs.
- Reading around the Bases: Literacy program
for students K-5
- Project Retrace: Student art program for students
middle school to high school
- Driven to Succeed: Creative writing program
for middle school students
- Crisis Management:
Developed strategy and managed NLBM media/communications plan
for death of NLBM Chairman John “Buck” O’Neil.
- Serves as museum’s spokesman
SPECIAL EVENTS: Plans, coordinates, executes
and secures funding for various NLBM special events including:
- The Buck O’Neil Golf Classic
- Buck O’Neil Negro Leagues
Baseball Classic
- Annual Buck O’Neil Birthday Bash
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