Norman Cahners
Encyclopedia
Norman Lee Cahners was a major American publisher and philanthropist. The Cahners Publishing Company, which he founded in 1960, had grown into the largest U.S. publisher of trade or business magazines at the time of Cahner's death, three weeks before he was scheduled to retire. Cahners Publishing survived into the early 2000s as Cahners Business Information, a division of the British and Dutch-based Reed Elsevier
publishing empire. The company was renamed Reed Business Information
(U.S) in 2002, and its headquarters moved from Boston to New York.
, the son of James A. Cahners, described in one source as a "businessman, publisher, lawyer, artist, and management consultant". The father owned the Bangor Gas Company and Eastern Furniture Company, and lived on Broadway. The younger Cahners attended Phillips Academy
and then Harvard
, where he became a leading track & field athlete. He and team captain Milton Green
qualified for the trials to join the U.S. Olympic Team in 1936, but boycotted that event because the games were to be held in Nazi Germany. Cahners and Green were both Jewish, and their position was widely supported by American Jewish organizations. As if in compensation, Cahners was one of two Harvard undergrads selected to speak at the Harvard Tercentenery Ceremonies in 1936, before an audience of 10,000 alumni, and over a worldwide radio hook-up. Cahners was also elected president of the Harvard Class of 1936 and was later inducted into the Harvard Varsity Athletic Hall of Fame.
during World War II, Cahners started a newsletter called The Palletizer, taking its name from the pallet
, then a relatively new technology used to move goods on and off ships and around bases. Cahner was an important technical contributor to the nascent field of materials handling, inventing and patenting a 'four-way pallet' which became the military and later industry standard. The magazine gave contractors advice on how to ship goods for the Navy using the new pallet and forklift system.
The Navy let Cahners and his adjunct Saul Goldweitz (who became his lifelong business partner) take both the laboratory and the magazine private after the war and it became Modern Materials Handling
. Cahners began acquiring other magazines in 1956, starting with Metalworking, and launching still others. Abandoning his first career in materials handling, he became one of the pioneers of 'niche-publishing', founding journals to appeal to specific business audiences and loading them with information and advertising. Cahners Publishing had grown to 90 magazine titles by the time of Cahner's death, the best-known being Variety
and Publishers Weekly
. The company was headquartered in the Boston suburb of Newton.. The first Cahners magazine, Modern Materials Handling, was published until 2010.
, and there is an endowed chair in Cahner's name for a cellist's position in the Boston Symphony Orchestra
. Cahners was a Trustee of Colby College
in Waterville, Maine
. Helene Rabb Cahners chaired the Board of Trustees at Westbrook College
, and was a Trustee of Mt. Holyoke College, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS), and numerous Boston-area hospitals.
, Time-Warner, General Electric
, and NBC
.
A second Norman L. Cahners Award is presented by the Materials Handling Industry of America through their Material Handling Education Foundation. Cahners himself won the organization's Reed Apple Award.
In 1970 Cahners was named "Man of the Year" by The Advertising Club of New York
.
Reed Elsevier
Reed Elsevier is a publisher and information provider operating in the science, medical, legal, risk and business sectors. It is listed on several of the world's major stock exchanges. It is a FTSE 100 and FT500 Global company...
publishing empire. The company was renamed Reed Business Information
Reed Business Information
Reed Business Information is a large business publisher in the United States, United Kingdom, continental Europe, Australia and Asia, often referred to as RBI...
(U.S) in 2002, and its headquarters moved from Boston to New York.
Early life
Cahners was born in Bangor, MaineBangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, the son of James A. Cahners, described in one source as a "businessman, publisher, lawyer, artist, and management consultant". The father owned the Bangor Gas Company and Eastern Furniture Company, and lived on Broadway. The younger Cahners attended Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
and then Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he became a leading track & field athlete. He and team captain Milton Green
Milton Green
This article is about the American sportsperson. For other uses, see Milton Green Milton Green was a world record holder in high hurdles during the 1930s....
qualified for the trials to join the U.S. Olympic Team in 1936, but boycotted that event because the games were to be held in Nazi Germany. Cahners and Green were both Jewish, and their position was widely supported by American Jewish organizations. As if in compensation, Cahners was one of two Harvard undergrads selected to speak at the Harvard Tercentenery Ceremonies in 1936, before an audience of 10,000 alumni, and over a worldwide radio hook-up. Cahners was also elected president of the Harvard Class of 1936 and was later inducted into the Harvard Varsity Athletic Hall of Fame.
From materials handling to publishing empire
While directing the U.S. Naval Ordinance Materials Handling Laboratory in Hingham, MassachusettsHingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
during World War II, Cahners started a newsletter called The Palletizer, taking its name from the pallet
Pallet
A pallet , sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies...
, then a relatively new technology used to move goods on and off ships and around bases. Cahner was an important technical contributor to the nascent field of materials handling, inventing and patenting a 'four-way pallet' which became the military and later industry standard. The magazine gave contractors advice on how to ship goods for the Navy using the new pallet and forklift system.
The Navy let Cahners and his adjunct Saul Goldweitz (who became his lifelong business partner) take both the laboratory and the magazine private after the war and it became Modern Materials Handling
Modern materials handling
Modern Materials Handling is a B2B magazine published by Peerless Media. It was founded by Norman Cahners in 1946.The publisher and Executive Vice President is Brian Ceraolo...
. Cahners began acquiring other magazines in 1956, starting with Metalworking, and launching still others. Abandoning his first career in materials handling, he became one of the pioneers of 'niche-publishing', founding journals to appeal to specific business audiences and loading them with information and advertising. Cahners Publishing had grown to 90 magazine titles by the time of Cahner's death, the best-known being Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
and Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
. The company was headquartered in the Boston suburb of Newton.. The first Cahners magazine, Modern Materials Handling, was published until 2010.
Philanthropy
Cahners and his wife Helene became major philanthopists in Boston. There is a Cabot-Cahners room in Boston's Symphony Hall, a Cahners Theater in the Boston Museum of Science, and a Cahners Hall at Northeastern University. The Cahners-Rabb Professorship is an endowed chair at the Harvard Business SchoolHarvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, and there is an endowed chair in Cahner's name for a cellist's position in the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
. Cahners was a Trustee of Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
in Waterville, Maine
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
. Helene Rabb Cahners chaired the Board of Trustees at Westbrook College
Westbrook College
Westbrook College was a liberal arts college in Portland, Maine founded 1831 as Westbrook Seminary in Westbrook, Maine. It closed in 1996 and merged with the University of New England, which uses its old campus.-History:...
, and was a Trustee of Mt. Holyoke College, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(AAAS), and numerous Boston-area hospitals.
Memorials
Reed Business Information dispenses the Norman L. Cahners Life-Time Achievement Award in recognition of the "outstanding, creative use of the business press in the marketing of products and services". This is one of the prestigious CEBA (Creative Excellence in Business Advertising) Awards. Recipients have included the CEO's of Sony Corporation of AmericaSony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America , based in New York, is the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. It is the umbrella company under which all Sony companies operate in the United States....
, Time-Warner, General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
A second Norman L. Cahners Award is presented by the Materials Handling Industry of America through their Material Handling Education Foundation. Cahners himself won the organization's Reed Apple Award.
In 1970 Cahners was named "Man of the Year" by The Advertising Club of New York
The Advertising Club of New York
The Advertising Club of New York, also known as The Ad Club and originally called the Sphinx Club, focuses efforts on advertising industry self-regulation, professional training and good fellowship.- Origins :...
.