AnsomMag.com |

Last month, I had promised to use this space to finish up an analysis of the current trade show scene as it now stands for the army/navy market, with an emphasis on putting the proper perspective on the ASD Show.

However, this column has an even higher purpose to serve this month. Please go to our blog at www.ansomonline.com for the pre-empted trade show treatise, or if you prefer paper over pixels, wait ‘til the next issue of ANSOM.

It is with bittersweet feelings that we announce the retirement of Howard Wasserman, for over four decades the owner-then publisher of ANSOM magazine.

We move forward with some trepidation about the void he leaves behind, the ship of ANSOM now steered by new hands at the helm through the maelstrom of a difficult economy and the strong headwinds that challenge both the army/navy market and the publishing industry.

However, we rejoice in the knowledge that Howard will, with good health intact, finally find the time to fully enjoy time spent with his wife Arline, his children Mandy, Camela and Bryan and grandsons Max and Jack.

A man always imbued with a thirst for knowledge and new experiences, he will undoubtedly visit destinations far and wide with his family, or with friends such as trusty travelling companion Rick Tarashinsky.

Perhaps he will join the professional tennis tour, or tutor up and coming raquetball players. His athleticism, energy and passion for an active lifestyle will continue to stand him in good stead for many more years. (more on page 6)

Howard will also now be able to indulge his love of movies, theater, reading, fine dining and even writing - his specialty, poetry.

Prior to his ANSOM-only years, he was a teacher, insurance claims rep and an Army veteran (serving in France for much of that time, post-WWII). His career in publishing started with a sales position at Growler, a magazine publisher in New Jersey. Eventually, he took up the challenge of starting his own publishing company, Howmark, with a business partner. ANSOM magazine was not created by Howmark; rather it was an acquisition.

In the early nineties, Howard sold Howmark and the titles The Pet Dealer, Health Food Business and ANSOM to PTN Publishing in Melville, New York (which is now Cygnus Business Media). Howard decided to join PTN as the publisher of ANSOM.

MENTOR AND MENSCH

Over the eleven years that I had the privilege of working with Howard, I grew to respect his old school integrity in his dealings with advertisers, readers and the industry in general. He was straightforward in his financial arrangements with advertisers, always fair in his pricing and deal-making. He was especially careful to not take advantage of competitive relationships among industry suppliers by playing advertisers against each other.