Marc Wortsman, our EVP/GM, will be retiring at the end of this month. He worked for 30 years at Marden-Kane, making all promotions he touched the best they could be, every client feel like they were the most important, and each co-worker valued. We will miss our friend and mentor, and wanted to honor him with a look back (and forward) with some great memories and well wishes for the next phase. Good luck Marc! We will miss you!
Please leave a comment below to add your own Marc tribute and wish for the future!
I recall my first meeting with Marc at MK. He had his sleeves rolled up and was deeply involved in preparing a client project, directing some of the MK staff to check on a legal or technical issue of some sort. What a first impression it was to see a seasoned marketer take such a passionate, hands on approach to his client’s business, making sure their needs were taken care of first and that the project was to be carried out flawlessly. Through his career, Marc mastered the art of staying involved in the day-to-day account work to make sure his high standards were met, while at the same time giving his staff the autonomy to work and grow and make a positive contribution to the process. Opening the Marden-Kane Interactive Department at a time when many agencies were still figuring out what the Internet even was, is a testimony to his forward thinking and clear vision for the Company.
It was truly my pleasure to work for Marc and I’m proud to consider him a mentor and true friend.
Rich
In the late 80’s during my first tour of duty here at Marden-Kane, Marc was my immediate supervisor. He patiently took an enthusiastic but pretty unstructured kid and did some course correcting. One of these corrections was insisting I put Marden-Kane on our client correspondence. Apparently I had the bad habit of sending clients what he termed “mystery memos.” I was happy to accept instruction then and continue to receive words to live by from Marc to this day. Anyways, I showed him my gratitude back then by inviting him and his son Jeremy, who was like 10 years old at the time, out on a speedboat I owned up on the Long Island Sound. We all got knocked around a bit. Hey, it wasn’t the captain it was the weather, yeah the weather. But by the end of the day I’m pretty sure they both decided that boat ownership would not be part of their future plans. I wish you all the best Marc and thank you again for all the guidance you have given me through the years.
Paul S.
Happy Retirement, Marc! May you make the most of your new 7 day weekend. May you have a very happy retirement. Enjoy!
Cheryl
What I’ll most remember about Marc is his great love of animals, especially cats. With us both being animal lovers, we often shared stories about our present pets, and reminisced fondly about past ones.
I’ll also recall Marc’s participation in our company’s Wii Bowling tournament. Marc was more competitive than most of the participants, but also clearly enjoyed himself more as well. He ended up being one of the strongest performers in the tournament.
Good luck Marc! I will miss you!
Paul C.
I remember my last day in the NY office when you wished me well on my journey to moving to Chicago. I now wish you a bon voyage in your awesome new journey. Only the best for you Marc – you deserve it. Don’t take any wooden nickels or buy any bridges. Be well, best regards!
Adam
Thank you Marc for being an excellent listener. I admire you because the high standards you set for your professional life extend beyond the workplace. Your keen interest in your clients, co-workers, friends (canine ones, too) and their families and your altruistic activities make it a privilege to know you. Remember our shared “windy city” roots and there’s always next year for da Bears and the Cubbies. May your journey on new paths bring you much joy and contentment.
Rosemary
My favorite moments with Marc have been brainstorming together on complex promotions whether it was at the round table in his office or over a round pie from Grimaldi’s. I will miss you!
Katie
What can I say about Marc? For nearly a dozen years, he’s been a constant source of support, knowledge, and guidance for me both from a professional standpoint as well as a personal one. He’s been a mentor and a friend – the kind of friend that you can sit in an airport with for hours and not have to say a word. I’m thankful for the time we shared and for the fun memories that will keep me laughing out loud for many years to come – mistaken identities, rain delays, the bistro – good times! I wish Marc the best as he sets off on his next adventure in life and look forward to hearing all of the new stories that he’ll have to share.
Josephine
Yeah Dad!!! What a wonderful post this was
I launched my first online promotion with Marc Wortsman while working at Modem Media in February 1995. We broke new ground together for CBS. It was one of the very first (if not the first) web-based promotion. It was certainly CBS’s: (1) first web promotion, (2) first March Madness promotion, (3) first URL promoted on their TV station and (because they didn’t tell us they were doing this), (4) their first server crash. I knew then that Marc was a pioneer. I stayed in touch with him as I moved to my next job at Ogilvy and realized that online promotions were the tactics that actually drove results. I wanted to learn more, so I asked to join his team and was thrilled when he allowed me to join him. For the better part of three years, we worked together to innovate and build some of the very first online promotions platforms – from instant win game engines to contents and sweepstakes entry processors. I will never forget how much I learned from Marc and the rest of the Marden-Kane team and am proud of all that we accomplished together. Marc, I wish you all the best in your retirement and hope that you are looking back on your many, many accomplishments with a sense of pride and achievement. You were a great mentor to me and have continued to be a friend I could count on long after I no longer worked at Marden-Kane. Thank you for all that you have done for me personally and for all that you have done for our industry. I wish you the very best in your retirement.
I also wanted to share this article I just posted on Inc about my time with Marc: http://www.inc.com/bill-carmody/your-legacy-amp-what-you-can-learn-from-a-30-year-promotional-marketing-veteran.html
Wow Bill! This is great! thank you! I passed along to Marc!
Jenn
Congratulations, Marc!! Marden-Kane’s loss is certainly Canine Companions gain. Thank for your mentorship during my M-K years, I learned so much from you. Wishing you lots of new adventures in your next phase.
With love and appreciation,
Lisa V.
We first spoke with Marc back in early 2000 and despite his busy schedule had a terrific and engaging 15 minute conversation. Through our periodic phone conversations and correspondence we count him as a good friend though we haven’t met in person…yet! Marden-Kane handled the logistics for David Copperfield’s “Disappearance Contest” and via an entry letter we were selected as a semi-finalist. A hundred letters of the thousands received narrowed the field down. We’re professional magicians since 1987 though our entry had nothing to do with magic…the question, “if you could disappear from David Copperfield’s stage and reappear anywhere in the world where would it be?” Our response, “why Mackinac Island of course.” If memory serves correctly believe Marc had visited the island several times himself. Well if we entered a similar contest today we’d have to say “why New York of course to see Marc and continue on with some of our conversations” or maybe “meet up with Marc on Mackinac Island and venture out on a horse and buggy carriage tour or bicycle ride around the island!” Enjoy your “retirement” Marc and keep inspiring the world! Magically, Helen and Joe
Thank you Joe and Helen. You both have been very thoughtful since we first met. I’m grateful for your friendship, an unexpected dividend from the Copperfield promotion. I look forward to meeting you both in person some day. – Marc
Marc, I loved reading all the ways that you unselfishly contributed to the people that posted comments. It is truly an amazing tribute to you as a gentle, caring and loving person. I am honored to have you as my brother. Enjoy your retirement because you deserve it and I look forward to spending more time together. Love you.
Thanks Marc for kicking off my career and teaching me lessons beyond what you may know
Best of luck. Kick those feet up!!
Marc Wortsman: I wish you sunny days, time to live out your dreams, and special time with your family. You might even win the lottery that Alan wants so much! You are a special guy and I loved working with you, knowing you, and learning from you. For a generation of younger folks, you exemplified “professionalism”. At Marden-Kane and for our industry, you were a true leader in delivering promotions for the top brands in the world.
Very best wishes. I hope that you will stay in touch!