Irvin J. Borowsky, Founder of North American Publishing Co., Dies at 90

Irvin J. Borowsky, the publisher and philanthropist who founded North American Publishing Co. (NAPCO), the parent company of Retail Online Integration, died Nov. 25 in Philadelphia, a few days after his 90th birthday.

Known as "Mr. B," Borowsky was born in Philadelphia in 1924, the youngest of nine children born to Polish immigrants. At the age of 14, Borowsky started a printing business called City Wide Press after answering an ad in Popular Mechanics for a $5 printing press. His next company, founded after World War II, was called Foster Manufacturing Company, which sold custom storage equipment to major newspapers of the day. His first stint in publishing was a company, founded in 1948, that would become TV Guide.

According to Borowsky's Wikipedia entry, during this time in his life, he introduced many new concepts to the world: He was the first person to present movies on television, for example, and the first to introduce the marketing of magazines at checkout counters in supermarkets. His redesign of numerous newspaper composition departments also produced major efficiencies which were adopted by newspapers worldwide.

NAPCO was founded in 1954, following Borowsky's sale of the TV magazine to Walter Annenberg. The company's first magazine was Printing Impressions, and NAPCO's titles grew to more than 20 in the 1970s. The company's growth continued after that, eventually becoming the modern media company it is today, comprised of five different subgroups (printing, promotional products, publishing, consumer electronics and direct marketing).

Borowsky stepped away from the company in the early 1980s, devoting his primary energies to philanthropy. For several years he served as president of the Jewish Exponent, the newspaper that has served the Philadelphia Jewish community for more than 100 years. For the Federation of Jewish Charities, he became chairman of the printing and publishing divisions. Borowsky also made many visits to Israel, notably during the Yom Kippur War and, on later occasions, for meetings with that nation’s leadership.

Borowsky also founded the American Interfaith Institute in 1982, to join Jews and Christians in common cause. One of its goals was to remove anti-Semitic language from the New Testament. In 2000, he founded the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. Its programs and exhibits stress the diversity of life in America. It also has an education center and teacher-training programs.

"For those of you who didn’t know Mr. B, he lived a very accomplished life and left this earth with a legacy that will live on for years to come," said David J. Leskusky, president of NAPCO, in a letter to employees. "I’m not sure if he was a more accomplished entrepreneur or philanthropist, but he was great at both. He followed his dreams, worked hard, went where he wanted to go and lived life on his terms. Mr. B lived more in one life than most and he's going to missed. He was a mentor to many and a selling genius. In fact, many of us still have the binder full of how to answer objections that he titled “Selling Is A Noble Profession.” He was truly unique and I'm glad that I had a chance to know him and learn from him."

Besides his wife, Laurie Wagman, whom he married in 1979, Borowsky is survived by four sons, Scott Borowsky, Ned Borowsky, Ted Borowsky and Andrew Wagman-Christian; two daughters, Gwen Borowsky and Michele Sokoloff; two sisters, Bea Peskin and Charlotte Keil; and 13 grandchildren.

Borowsky's funeral was held Friday, Nov. 28.

More information about Borowsky's life and his accomplishments can be read on his Wikipedia page, an obituary published in the Jewish Exponent, and this article published on Philly.com.