Lenny Florence - SMP Silver Salon Forums

SM Publications

Silver Salon Forums - The premier site for discussing Silver.

SMP | Silver Salon Forums | SSF - Guidelines | SSF - FAQ | Silver Sales

The Silver Salon Forums
Since 1993
Over 11,793 threads & 64,769 posts !!

General Silver Forum

Silver Salon internal search
or

REGISTER (click here)

How to Post Photos

SMP Silver Salon Forums
tline

General Silver Forum
tline3

Lenny Florence

profile | register | preferences | faq | search

SSFFriend: Email This Page to Someone!

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Author	Topic: Lenny Florence
jprice33 Posts: 204 Registered: Sep 2000	posted 06-26-2006 04:48 PM I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Florence apprx 5 years ago at the Syratech Showroom in NY and while debate surrounds his impact on the business of Silver, there was no doubting his passion and excitement for Silver in general... the info below was taken from an email news service: quote: Syratech Founder Leonard Florence Dies NEW YORK (June 26) -- Leonard Florence, the founder of the silver company Syratech Corp. died this morning after a long illness. He was 74. A legend in the housewares and tabletop industries, Florence bought and sold 56 companies over his career. He started out with a small business called Leonard Silver in 1969. In 1978, he merged his business with Towle Manufacturing. After being forced to resign in the mid-1980s following a dock workers' strike, Florence returned to the business and started Syratech in 1986. He began purchasing other businesses and eventually merged again with Towle. In 1992, Syratech, which is now owned by Lifetime Brands, went public. One of the top companies in home furnishings and a leader in the tabletop industry, Syratech was composed of other brands, such as Wallace, International Silver, C.J. Vander, Silvestri and Melancco. One of his biggest accomplishments was the acquisition of the Farberware license in 1996. Splitting the rights with Lifetime Hoan, now Lifetime Brands, Syratech gained partial control of one of the most powerful brands in housewares. (The license has since been sold to the Plaid Licensing Group). Florence was also a well-known philanthropist. Among his many charity efforts is the St. Coletta & Cardinal Cushing Schools, a Boston-based program that assists mentally handicapped children, which Florence helped found more than 40 years ago. He raised more than $20 million from others for the school. He also supported several other causes, including multiple sclerosis and breast cancer, as well as Catholic Charities, Jewish organizations and the Boys & Girls Club. He also helped fund the Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home, an assisted living facility in Massachusetts. In the fall of 2003, Lenny retired as chairman of the board of Syratech, after retiring as chief executive officer in April 2002. After his retirement, he founded the Leonard Florence Group, a Needham, Mass.-based direct-import giftware company that provided custom work for retailers. All proceeds of that business went to charity. Florence suffered a stroke in January 2004 and had subsequent setbacks, including bouts with pneumonia. Services for Florence will be held on Wednesday, June 28, at the Congregation Mishkin Tefila in Chestnut Hill, Mass, (617) 332-7770. IP: Logged
middletom Posts: 467 Registered: May 2004	posted 06-27-2006 04:54 PM It is an interesting posting, so say the least. Lennie's impact on the silver industry was like the meteor impact that killed off the dinosaurs. You ought to speak to people from Towle silver who were there when he destroyed the firm. You'd get an earful. I'm amused that you say he always loved silver, for he was responsible for the making of some of the shoddiest, lousiest stuff ever put on the market. The only thing he loved was a buck, if it was in his pocket. He disrupted and screwed up countless lives of workers in his pursuit of his own aggrandizement. IP: Logged
jprice33 Posts: 204 Registered: Sep 2000	posted 06-27-2006 05:44 PM I never used the word love...it was energy that came through in my personal experience..I honestly do not know enough to comment further and certainly did not intend to offend.. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 07-17-2006 10:26 PM More press/obit is here (Leonard Florence, 74, founder of Syratech, leading philanthropist) IP: Logged

All times are ET	next newest topic \| next oldest topic
Administrative Options: Close Topic \| Archive/Move \| Delete Topic
	Hop to:

Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46a

^1. Public Silver Forums (open Free membership) - anyone with a valid e-mail address may register. Once you have received your Silver Salon Forum password, and then if you abide by the Silver Salon Forum Guidelines, you may start a thread or post a reply in the New Members' Forum. New Members who show a continued willingness to participate, to completely read and abide by the Guidelines will be allowed to post to the Member Public Forums.
Click here to Register for a Free password

^2. Private Silver Salon Forums (invitational or $ donation membership) - The Private Silver Salon Forums require registration and special authorization to view, search, start a thread or to post a reply. Special authorization can be obtained in one of several ways: by Invitation; Annual $ Donation; or via Special Limited Membership. For more details click here (under development).

^3. Administrative/Special Private Forums (special membership required) - These forums are reserved for special subjects or administrative discussion. These forums are not open to the public and require special authorization to view or post.

| Home | Order | The Guide to Evaluating Gold & Silver Objects | The Book of Silver