Howard L. Brown - Yes Is More

As a salesman himself, Howard always cared about the salesmen. He always believed that the more a salesman makes, the more the company makes. No matter what a customer asked for, Howard never said no. He believed make the sale, make the commitment, and then make it happen. And he always found a way to make it happen.

BARRY GINSBERG, Senior Business Consultant, HiTouch Business Services

Howard makes a deal, shakes your hand, and the deal is done. He is the consummate salesman who would never say no to a customer.

GEORGE GOLDBERG, Vice President, Business Development, HiTouch Business Services

Hes one of the best salespeople Ive ever met. He built a good management team. He was loyal to them, and they were loyal to him, and that was a very big factor in his success. Hes very community-minded, which is good for the community and good for business.

STEVEN GOLDMAN, Attorney, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Howard taught me to always surround myself with very strong leaders, so that I could focus on doing business. He believed that if youre not out selling and marketing your business, youve got problems. He always said, Bring on talent early. Continue to bring on talent.

GLENN POPOWITZ, President, Direct Supplies Warehouse

Howards passion is obvious, and hes got great business sense. Hes the best closer Ive ever known. He taught me how to run a business, that you have to have a good cause and you have to believe in it. You have to see customers all the time, and you have to understand your customers.

MIKE PALMER, COO, HiTouch Business Services

Howard said, When the customer wants something, get it done. I dont care if you have to go to another stationer or a store and buy it, Ill reimburse you. Lets show them unbelievable service. Whatever the customer wanted, that was the attitude.

CHARLES KAUFFMAN, Vice President, Business Development, HiTouch Business Services

Howard always surrounded himself with good people. He was always able to accomplish his goal of moving the business forward. If he saw that you had a good work ethic and you fit his model, then you were in. I think thats why he kept going back to the same people, because those were the people who were going to produce for him. If you had a good track record with him, he wanted you to work for him again. And people did, at two or three different companies.

MARYLOU MORGAN, Vice President, Business Development, Regional VP, Sales Northeast, HiTouch Business Services, New York and New Jersey

Howard taught me to look at a relationship with a client, or at the business as a whole, and not get lulled into thinking that things are going well just because sales are increasing. He believed you cant just take a top-level look; you have to look all the way down to every piece of your company and make sure theyre all moving forward.

DEBBIE LAFFERTY JONES, Senior Vice President, HiTouch Business Services

Howards mantra was, Were going to say yes and were going to figure it out later. Thats why our company was different. Thats why Howard has always been successfulbecause Howard is a little bit of a risk-taker.

JOHN FRISK, President & CEO, HiTouch Business Services

Howard had the ability to adjust as the industry adjusted and to back and nurture a relationship that maybe needed repairing from the past. Howard has been in the industry for forty years, but whats remarkable is how he had the ability to get into the new world of e-commerce. That was a brand-new phenomenon in our industry, yet he was able to adapt and really dive into the e-marketplaces. His commitment was the reason why we were so successful... From 2011 to 2017, we went from zero to $60 million in that business.

BUTCH JOHNSON, Executive Vice President of Merchandising, HiTouch Business Services

Howard was a rock, and thats probably the way he dealt with himself and his business issues. His personality and behavior didnt change one iota when things got very rough. He was able to look at and deal with his problems and just keep pushing ahead. His glass was half-full or three-quarters-full all the time. People who deal with stress well happen to be very successful. Hes had many lives with his businesses. He bought and sold and bought and sold again, and thats pretty rare.

MARK CLASTER, President of Carl Marks & Co.

He is the ultimate optimist. He never accepted when people said, We may not get this business or We might lose that piece of business. He talked people into believing that they could get things accomplished. The most important things I learned from him are loyalty and honesty. Hes very well respected, philanthropic, goes that extra effort and that extra mile. He is a pure mensch.

MICHAEL BROWN, Howards son and Vice Chairman, HiTouch Business Services

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To my mother and my fatherfor the values they taught me and the lessons my father shared with me that helped further my career and allowed me to become successful.