Obituary: Norman Cohn, ASI Chairman Emeritus

Once crowned “The Sultan of Swag” by The Wall Street Journal and venerated by colleagues and competitors alike for his lifelong commitment to the industry he helped to shape, Norman Cohn, chairman emeritus of the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI), passed away, surrounded by family. He was 93.

The 2023 recipient of the Counselor Lifetime Achievement Award, Cohn spent 75 years at the forefront of the promotional products industry, launching his illustrious career first as a distributor while still in high school. He later switched to the supplier side and ultimately, to heading up ASI, the Trevose, PA-based, family-owned organization that serves as a central hub of the promotional products industry.

Under his decades of stewardship, Cohn helped usher the $27.7 billion promotional products industry into a new millennium, championing technology and innovation, while still holding true to the tenet that the industry is a relationship-based business above all. “If I’m to be remembered for anything, I’d like it to be for helping the over 20,000 distributor and supplier members grow their businesses and improve their profitability,” Cohn once said. “I love the idea that they will be able to pass on their businesses to future generations like our family has done.”

ASI CEO Ashish Mittal said of Cohn, “Though our time together was brief, it was enough to understand the depth of what Norman built – not just a business, but a set of values, a culture and a standard of care that has guided this company for decades. I am humbled to step into this role at such a profound moment, and I do not take lightly the responsibility of honoring everything he and this family have created. His legacy will not simply be remembered here – it will be the foundation on which everything we do is built.”

In reflection, Tim Andrews, who retired as president and CEO of ASI in March 2026 after 23 years on the job, said, “Over more than two decades, I had the privilege of working alongside Norman, but our relationship extended far beyond business. He took a genuine interest in my life, my friends, my family and my growth, offering guidance and encouragement in ways that were always thoughtful and personal. He was always there just when I needed him, or saying just what I needed to hear. I came to admire not only what he built, but who he was – a man of deep kindness, humility and with a great sense of humor. I loved him, and I will always be grateful for the influence he had on my life.”

Source + Photo: ASI Central