PPB February 2015

79 / 88

Visstun, Digispec and
CounterPoint—Mike Doria,
marketing manager; Seth
Everard , Visstun (UPIC:
VISSTUN) and Digispec (UPIC:
DIGISPEC) sales counselor; and
Dan McQuarrie and Tracy Derx,
CounterPoint (UPIC:
DOYOUPOP) sales counselors
IN MEMORIAM
Irwin Kaufman , industry vet-
eran and retired Geiger sales
partner, passed away November
16 in Memphis, Tennessee. He
was 88.
A World War II veteran and
graduate of the University of
Mississippi, Kaufman began his
career at Universal Match in
1950. In 1954, he and a partner
founded K&R Specialty
Advertising in Clarksdale,
Mississippi. The company created
campaigns for clients from the
Mississippi Gulf Coast to
Memphis, winning three PPAI
Gold Pyramid awards.
Uncommon for the day, more
than 50 percent of K&R’s sales
force was female, and many of
his staff worked for Kaufman for
30 years or more.
Active in the industry,
Kaufman served on committees
for SAAI and PPAI including the
Advertising Committee, the
Insurance Committee and the
Awards Committee and partici-
pated in his regional association.
Geiger purchased K&R in
1988 and Kaufman managed a
division for the Lewiston, Maine-
based distributor until his retire-
ment in 2000. While with
Geiger, he frequently ranked as
one of the company’s top sales
partners.
Geiger’s Herb Miller, CAS,
says, “Irwin was a mentor and a
friend to many in this industry.
He had both a direct and indi-
rect hand in helping others
begin successful careers in the
business he loved. He was
patient and knowledgeable, and
he had a soft-spoken ability to
pass along the great array of
information and wisdom he had
about sales in general, and our
promotional products business
in particular. He was a true
Southern gentleman.”
Kaufman is survived by his
wife, Hilda; daughter, Pam
Laudenheimer, and son-in-law,
Donnie; daughter, Carol Kahn,
and son-in-law, David; four
grandchildren—Jeffrey, Holly,
Hannah and Ryan; and three
great-grandchildren—Hunter,
Luke and Brylee.
On November 18, graveside
services were held at Beth Israel
Cemetery in Clarksdale,
Mississippi, and a memorial serv-
ice was held at Temple Israel in
Memphis.
GOT NEWS?
We’ll share it. Send your people
news, including high-resolution
images, to PPB’s News Editor
James Khattak at
Full Color Digital Logos are the perfect solution for:
Stahls.com | 800.4.STAHLS | PPAI / 189660 | PPB1502
Selling More Just Got Easier!
CAD-PRINTZ® Full Color Digital Logos
heat apply to virtually any fabric including
leather, nylon, and neoprene. With great
stretch and rebound, it’s your decorating
solution for performance wear.
Can you logo virtually any promotional
product? The answer: Absolutely!
• Short Runs
• Super Fine Detail
• Brilliant Colors
• Fast Turnaround
Visit Stahls.com/digital
PEOPLE NEWS
FEBRUARY 2015 • PPB • 77