Gift for Life Industry Achievement Award: Bobbie Gottlieb
Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 8/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
Gift for Life, founded in 1992, is the only united charitable organization in the gift, home decor and stationery industry. Since its inception, the organization has raised more than $4 million dollars to help fund research and education to fight AIDS. In 2008, Gift for Life selected DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids — one of the largest funders of HIV/AIDS service and education programs in the U.S. — as its sole charity partner.
This year, Gift for Life is honoring Bobbie Gottlieb, co-founder and CEO of Two's Company, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009, with the Gift for Life Industry Achievement Award in recognition of her four decades long contribution to this industry. Gottlieb joins a prestigious roster of past recipients including outstanding industry leaders such as Eugene Freedman, Andrea Grossman, Skip Ungrodt, Bert Tonkin, Will Little and Peer Baekgaard, among others.
A Family Affair
Bobbie Gottlieb entered the gift industry with her husband, Robert Gottlieb, in 1969. Originally called Two Plus Three — referring to Bobbie, Robert and their three sons — the company's first products, were giant inflatable replicas of Chiquita bananas, Hellmann's Mayonnaise jars and Heinz Ketchup bottles that debuted at the New York show. The Two's Company line has certainly changed in 40 years.
But this was the beginning of a small business that slowly grew in size, and soon became a passionate enterprise. And Bobbie spent years balancing the life of a mother of three, while maintaining her position as a busy executive.
After the passing of her husband in the late 1970s, Bobbie took over as head of the company. Never one to give up, Bobbie, with no formal business education, took a few small business classes at Harvard University and rose to the challenge of running the company on her own.
Over the years, the Two's Company product line has evolved from those early pop-art inflatables of the 1960s, to acrylic and Lucite products in the 1970s, to various "million-dollar" novelty items in the 1980s.
Today, Two's Company, based in Elmsford, NY, offers a mix of well-priced decorative and fashion accessories, giftwares and home decor. And Bobbie, in the true spirit of entrepreneurial enterprise, continues to rise to the challenge of guiding her company into its fifth decade as an industry leader.
Everybody knows the Name
Today, the company maintains showrooms in various market centers and is a strong presence at numerous gift shows around the country. There are probably few trade show attendees that don't have one of Two's Company's iconic black tote bags.
Bobbie's son, Tom Gottlieb, officially joined Two's Company as an executive in 1981 — keeping Two's Company a true family business. "Bobbie is very lucky to have Tom working with her with the same kind of enthusiasm and excitement for the business," states Ed Bazinet, founder and former chair of Department 56. Ed goes on to describe Bobbie, whom he has known for more than 35 years, as "intuitive, inquisitive, savvy, shrewd, stylish, a one-time competitor and a friend."
Another gift industry veteran Sharon Adler, offers this special tribute, "Bobbie Gottlieb has been a leader in the gift industry for 40 years — a leader in design, a leader with her family and a leader in the contributions she has made to her charities, including Gift for Life. Her acute design sense and knack for spotting trends has contributed to the development of an array of exciting and affordable product through the years."
We would love your feedback!
-
Industry Pioneer Norman Sadek Dies at 92
Nov 14, 2010 -
Randy Eller
Aug 21, 2010 -
Michael Aram
Aug 8, 2011
Featured Company
-
FurnitureCore.com
FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
