Jack Levine: Pioneer and Risk Taker
Jack Levine, founder and CEO of CorpLogoWare, Miami, a Promo Marketing Top 50 Distributor, died yesterday of an apparent heart attack. In the wake of recent news reports that cast a critical light on his legacy and business acumen, one thing that cannot be disputed is Mr. Levine’s pioneering spirit of entrepreneurship. Reported to have started a new business “roughly every five or ten years” according to the asicentral.com Web site, the now-defunct CorpLogoWare was Levine’s sixth and most-recent venture. With an eclectic taste in business, Levine had borne the title of founder and CEO to five other companies offering a range of products and services from fashion jewelry to mortgage lending. Levine was hardly afraid of taking risks. It is this same risk-taking that spurred Levine to establish a philanthropic arm to CorpLogoWare.
In previous years, the company took pride in donating its time and products, including hats, T-shirts, bags and awards to a Miami-based charity run by family friends. Michael’s Magic—a camp for underprivileged children—was founded by the parents of Michael Sholtz, who perished in an automobile accident. At the camp, the children learn about nature, and are introduced to a variety of sports and outdoor activities. With all the talk of environmental conservation, it should come as no surprise that Levine would want to get in on a good thing. Before the companies close this month, he was in the process of rolling out his company’s GreenLogoWare—a program that would have enabled sales representatives to offer clients energy-saving and biodegradable promotional products. Levine also made an impression on many of those who worked for him.
Reflecting on his time with CorpLogoWare, a former colleague said, “My take on Jack is that he was a man of devotion and very sincere about his efforts. I think he was truly motivated to really make this company work. I think it was a desire of his to make this company a very strong success.” At the end of the day, it is evident that an industry mover, shaker and risk-taker had lived and thrived among his peers. And it is this spirit of entrepreneurship that Levine embodied that makes the promotional products industry so attractive to all those that encounter it.
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- Jack Levine