Norm Kamikow, president and editor-in-chief of MediaTec Publishing Inc., the parent company of Workforce, died in July after a sudden illness. He was 70.
For more than four decades, Norm was a leading figure in the publishing industry and in later years built MediaTec Publishing’s Human Capital Media group, which includes this magazine, into one of the largest media companies in the human capital industry.
But for many, he will be remembered not for the scope of what he achieved or the impact it had on the professions he covered but for being a dedicated friend and colleague.
“In our journey through this industry we meet people that not only have a profound impact on our business but also on our lives. They become family,” said Bob Mosher, a consultant, and current editorial advisory board member of Workforce sister publication Chief Learning Officer. “Norm was that guy for so many. Yes, we have him to thank for lifting an industry … but he also helped many of us on a personal level.”
After graduating from Drake University with a degree in journalism, Norm moved back to Chicago and began a career in advertising sales at the Chicago Tribune. He went on to work at Seventeen, Internet World and Web Weekmagazines and played a critical role in the launch of Omniand Spinmagazines in the 1970s and ’80s.
Along with his longtime business partner John Taggart, Norm started MediaTec in 1999 with the launch of Certification Magazine, aimed at career development for IT professionals.
On a shoestring budget financed out of their own pockets, Norm and John grew MediaTec from a single magazine into Human Capital Media, one of the largest and most successful media companies in the industry, including four magazines, a series of national and regional conferences and events as well as industry research and benchmarking programs.
Human Capital Media includes Chief Learning Officer magazine (launched in 2003),Talent Management (2005), Diversity Executive (2008) and Workforce, which wasacquired from Crain Communications Inc. in 2013.
He is survived by his wife, Gwen Connelly; sons Jeffrey Kamikow and David Kamikow; stepdaughter Kendra Chaplin; stepson Wesley Chaplin; and four grandchildren.
—Workforce staff
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