Norman Cohn
USA – The American industry organisation, ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute), is mourning the loss of Norman Cohn, who passed away on April 24 at the age of 93, surrounded by his family. Cohn, whose family purchased ASI in 1964, served as the organisation’s Chairman from 1967 to 2026. Dubbed the “Sultan of Swag” by the Wall Street Journal, he was one of the most influential figures in the American and international promotional products industry. Cohn played a pivotal role in structuring the now more than 27 billion Dollas US promotional products industry and guiding it into the new millennium by championing technology and innovation while remaining true to the principle that the industry is, above all, a relationship-based business.
Norman Cohn with his wife Suzanne at the ASI Show.
Under his leadership spanning several decades, ASI grew into a network of more than 25,000 members and became an international leader in the professionalisation and organisation of the industry. Norman Cohn was born in 1933 in Waterloo, Iowa, and later graduated from the University of Iowa. His parents, Maurice and Bess, became the largest supplier of culinary promotional items in the US in the late 1950s – thanks partly to Norman Cohn, who recognised the potential of the then-novel product segment of culinary gifts at an early stage. In 1962, the 29-year-old Cohn encouraged his parents to acquire ASI from its founder, Joe Segel, who later also founded QVC. The Cohns soon sold their supplier business to focus entirely on ASI and unify its network of distributors and suppliers. Norman and his wife, Suzanne, moved to Philadelphia with their family to manage the company.
Norman Cohn with his son Matthew and his daughter Stephanie Cohn Schaeffer, today’s chairpersons, and a photo of his father Maurice.
Over the course of the years, Cohn introduced numerous innovations to the industry – from the first fax machines and the first full-colour catalogue to the development of the first industry-specific, computerised enterprise software system for managing supplier and distributor businesses. ASI Computer Systems remains the most widely used management system in the US industry. Cohn also spearheaded ASI’s return to the trade show business in 1998 with the ASI Show.
In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Cohn held several honorary positions and supported hundreds of charitable initiatives. He received multiple awards for his contributions both within and beyond the industry. In 2025, he received the Legend Award from the Young Presidents’ Organization, and in 2000, he was named “Person of the Year” by ASI’s Counselor magazine. In 2023, he received the Counselor Lifetime Achievement Award.
Norman Cohn surrounded by his family. All five of his children and ten of his grandchildren have or are still working at the ASI.
The ASI remains a family business to this day: Over the course of time, Cohn has worked with all five of his children in various roles at ASI. During the last decade, he took on the role of Honorary Chairman and worked closely with two of his children, Matthew Cohn and Stephanie Cohn Schaeffer, who have led the company as third-generation chairpersons since March 2026. In recent years, ten of Cohn’s eleven grandchildren have also worked at ASI or completed internships. They represent the fourth generation and are carrying on the family legacy that Norman Cohn helped build over decades.
