Ran into Len.

Len Fischman & Alan Goodman, Fred/Alan, 870 7th Avenue,1987

Walking to work yesterday (2010) through Union Square in Manhattan, I was more than happy to run into Len Fischman, Fred/Alan’s print production manager from the late 1980’s until we closed in 1992. Smiling as usual, he was on the way to his post retirement gig guiding people around the World Trade center site. 

Len really saved our bacon. As we transitioned from television branding consultants to a full service agency, Alan and I were eager to do more print, but we knew nothing about the process of getting a design out the door on time and on budget. Our friend, printer’s rep Jerry Edelman, introduced us to Len, and with a hand that was both gentle and stern, he toughened us up to the realities of keeping our clients happy while continuing to do good work. He was quite a bit older than all of us, and honestly, I think a lot of the time he wondered what the hell he was doing in a place that was so clearly inexperienced. But for us, it was great to have him as a guiding force.

Running into Len reminded me of good times and the excitement of learning new things. Thanks guy.

—Fred