Norman Glassberg, 70, founder of Trade Associates Group Ltd. (tag), died April 26 while on a business trip in China attending the Canton Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou.
“Norman was a true visionary and a best friend,” said Barbara Turf, former CEO of Crate & Barrel. “His business timing was always impeccable. His work ethic was enviably consistent. Norman’s innovation and brilliance commanded employee and industry respect. He will be deeply missed.”
Born in New York in 1942, Glassberg graduated from New York University with a degree in biochemistry. But his interests soon turned to the home products industry, especially giftware and housewares. He became a sales representative and sales manager, and soon was offered partner status with International Design Group (IDG), now known as Pottery Barn, which he turned down. He had another idea in mind – to establish his own business in Chicago in 1975.
Glassberg founded a rep firm he called tag and opened a giftware showroom in the Merchandise Mart. A year later, he became the American distributor for a small line of French-made candles, taking his young company in a new direction that emphasized wholesaling and the design of its own lines of products. tag grew rapidly. By 1985, Glassberg needed more space and purchased a former factory on Chicago’s North Side. The historic three-story structure was once home to Northwestern Terra Cotta, a firm that worked closely with Chicago architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham.
tag still calls the landmark building home, but has continued to grow. In 2000, tag purchased a new 150,000-square-foot warehouse in suburban Woodridge. In 2006, the company expanded again with the acquisition of Parallel Lines, a Chicago furniture manufacturer and wholesaler, adding tag furniture to its product assortments.
Today, tag is recognized as one of the country’s leading designers and distributors of quality giftware, tableware, home décor items, furniture and seasonal accessories. tag products are sold at thousands of retailers from coast to coast and around the world.
“I like to think we’re a company that is more than the sum of its parts,” Glassberg has said. “We sell textiles, candles, ceramics, glassware, furniture and housewares, but what we’re really about is a look.”
Glassberg was also a dedicated philanthropist. The list of charities he and tag contributed to includes dozens of local and national organizations, foundations, and public service groups. Glassberg also firmly believed in design and manufacturing standards that are responsible, sustainable, and earth-friendly, utilizing a long list of recycled and rapidly renewable materials in the design of tag products.
Glassberg is survived by his wife Eileen, three children – David, Greg and Jessica – and seven grandchildren.
A service celebrating Norman Glassberg’s life and work will be held at the Chicago Sinai Congregation on Wednesday, May 8, at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Attn: Colleen Oliver, c/o tag, 1730 W Wrightwood, Chicago 60614.
