Kevin Kraft, founder and CEO of events company By Dzign, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Silver State Award, the UNLV Alumni Association's highest honor given annually to a non-graduate in recognition of exceptional support.
Since 2012, Kraft has provided in-kind donations to nearly every major UNLV event, including Rebel Ready Week, graduation celebrations, Rebel Homecoming, and alumni mixers. The total value of his contributions—covering chairs, tables, linens, centerpieces, florals, staging, lighting, AV components, and on-site staff—is estimated at several million dollars annually, averaging approximately $200,000 per year over roughly 20 events annually.
"What I came to realize is that UNLV and Las Vegas elevate one another," Kraft said in an interview with the university. "UNLV produces extraordinary hospitality talent in the greatest hospitality city in the world, and the city gives those students an environment to learn, grow, and lead that doesn't exist anywhere else."
Kraft's relationship with UNLV began in 2012 when a broker approached By Dzign about supporting a university fundraiser. Initially viewing it as a business opportunity, Kraft questioned why UNLV should receive a markup when other organizations received donated services. A UNLV alumna on his sales team, Kathy Dyke, connected him directly with the alumni office and introduced him to the university's significance in Las Vegas.
Over time, the relationship shifted from transactional to familial. By Dzign moved from waiting to be asked about specific events to proactively offering support as part of the university's operational team. The company has hosted dozens of Hospitality College students and alumni as temporary and permanent employees, opened its warehouse for educational tours, and deployed staff as frequent guest lecturers in university classrooms.
Kraft's approach to charitable giving reflects his upbringing. His father, Leonard Kraft, owned bars and nightclubs in New York and instilled in him the importance of supporting the community and conducting oneself with integrity when "you own the room." After arriving in Las Vegas in 2003 with two $1 bills and minimal savings, Kraft rebuilt his career through the hospitality industry—first as a security guard at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas, later as a utility worker across multiple hotel departments, and eventually founding By Dzign in 2008 through a merger with Uptowne Productions.
"Hospitality took a kid from Long Island with no formal training and gave him a career, a company, and a life in Las Vegas," Kraft said. "When that happens, there's a genuine desire to give back."
Kraft emphasized that his contributions are rarely monetary. Instead, By Dzign brings expertise in design, staging, and production to maximize fundraising impact, allowing nonprofits to direct their budgets toward their missions rather than event logistics.
He acknowledged the personal reward in the work: "Seeing people smile makes me smile. That's genuinely why I got into this business, and it's why the charity work has never felt like an obligation."
Learning of the award prompted Kraft to commit to relocating By Dzign to a warehouse more than double the size of its current space in the heart of the city, with views of the Las Vegas Strip.