Joseph M. Katz

Joseph M. Katz (1913 - 1991) was an entrepreneur who founded a gift-wrap manufacturing company, the Papercraft Corporation. The University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Business is named in his honor, after his family made a large donation to the university.

Biography

Katz grew up in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was born into a Jewish family. As a teenager, Katz and his three brothers turned their garage into a makeshift print shop, where they created cards, menus, and other stationery items, which they sold door-to-door. He also created and printed his own magazine, Boys Ideal.[1]

Katz took pictures of the Pittsburgh Flood of 1936 and made a profit by selling them as a book. With this money, he started a wholesale paper business called "Printer's Paper Supply Company".[2]

During World War II, Katz created the “Rite-Kit”, which was a box that contained paper, envelopes, and a pencil for servicemen.

In 1945, he founded Papercraft Corporation with his brother Hyman Katz,[3] for selling gift wrap, after acquiring a $10,000 investment.

Katz and his first wife Agnes donated $10 million to the University of Pittsburgh, his alma mater. At the time, this was the largest donation ever made to the university.[2] The university renamed its business school the "Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business" in his honor in 1987.[4]

In 1998 Joseph Katz and his son, Papercraft CEO Marshall Katz, relented control over the company though kept 30% of its stock.[5]

He died of cancer in May 1991.[6] His wife, Agnes Katz, and their children survived him.[5]

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References
  1. "Quintessential Entrepreneur". Pitt Business. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  2. "About Joseph M. Katz". Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  3. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=20051021&id=6pYNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5HADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5387,168351&hl=en
  4. REA's Authoritative Guide to the Top 100 Business Schools. Research & Education Assoc. 1996. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-87891-747-1.
  5. http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2017/07/21/obituary-Marshall-Katz-pittsburgh-cultural-trust-arts-papercraft-corp-joseph-katz-plaza-eye-sculpture-downtown/stories/201707210093
  6. "Joseph M. Katz Dies; Manufacturer Was 77". The New York Times. 8 May 1991. Retrieved 3 April 2015.

Further reading
  • Hardie, Frances C. (1987). The Papercraft Story: a Biographical Saga of a Pittsburgh-Based Enterprise. The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.
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