2006_lesniewicz | Woodward HOF

Terry Lesniewicz Inducted 2006 - Class of 1966

Terry Lesniewicz has been a successful entrepreneur and businessman in the Toledo area for more than 25 years. As President and Chief Creative Officer of Lesniewicz Associates, Terry has made great contributions to the field of advertising and design and was recently awarded the Silver Medal Award from the Advertising Club of Toledo for his many accomplishments. This award highlights a lifetime of contributions to the communality. Terry has been a mentor to many in the industry including his two daughters who currently work with him.

Terry and his firm have produced and donated award-winning work to the Toledo Public Schools as well as the City of Toledo. He is a strong supporter of Woodward High School. In recent years Terry has developed a passion for design education and has worked to establish a scholarship fund at Woodward High School. This annual scholarship is awarded to a Woodward student who plans to pursue a college degree in art or design.

Terry launched his creative career as a child when he splashed acrylic paint all over his mother's laundry room, using the "Jackson Pollock" approach to painting. After working for four years as head art director with firms specializing in advertising and public relations, he along with a partner started their own company in 1976. Terry is now the sole owner of the company which has 10 employees and operates satellite offices in: Perrysburg, Ohio; Troy, Michigan; and Chicago, Illinois. He is respected by his employees who consider him a superb teacher of young talent. Terry is noted for his clean and distinctive corporate designs. His focus is always to "design to influence" and it has paid off as his print designs are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewett National Design Museum in New York City. Terry's expertise in the design field has led him to judge numerous ad shows in New York, Detroit, and Columbus. His creations have been exhibited throughout the European Continent. Terry has designed many regional logos, including those for Flower and St. Luke’s Hospitals, WGTE, Habitec, and Owens Corning. Terry has won numerous awards including a regional Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1991 for the United Way's Scouting for Food Program. In addition, he is noted for his feature articles in local, national, and international publications including Communication Arts magazine.

Terry gives back to the community by donating his talents to the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce, Racing for Recovery, and the Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan, as well as serving on the Board of the Arthritis Foundation. Terry has traveled extensively on business and has rubbed elbows with celebrities, such as Indy 500 winner, Bobby Rahal, designers Saul Bass and Milton Glaser, and celebrities Bill Cosby, Franco Harris, and Jamie Farr (a Woodward alumnus).

The high level of recognition that Terry has received is a by-product of his ability to consistently raise the bar of design excellence, often forging paths for others to follow while providing outstanding and effective solutions to his clients.