Joseph G. Lipic, Sr., the longtime president and owner of Alexander Manufacturing (asi/34040), passed away on May 23, surrounded by his family. He was 89.

“Joseph was not only a beloved patriarch but also a visionary leader whose influence on the promotional products industry will endure,” the company said in a statement. “At Alexander Manufacturing, we feel deeply the loss of his leadership, wisdom and unwavering dedication.”

Joseph G. Lipic, Sr., Alexander Manufacturing

Lipic was at the helm of Alexander Manufacturing for more than five decades, since purchasing the company during a period of closure in the late 1960s. With assistance from his brother Robert, who passed away last year, Lipic released the first catalog of the “new” Alexander in 1969 and gradually grew the business from there.

That growth included, Lipic said in a 2023 video about the company’s history, selling enough pens and pocket screwdrivers to rival the other half of the family’s business dealings – The Joseph Lipic Pen Company, so renamed by Lipic’s grandfather after he bought the St. Louis pen manufacturer from his father-in-law.

In 2003, Lipic was inducted into the Promotional Products Association International Hall of Fame. Outside of his work in the promo industry, he was also extremely active in his home community of St. Louis, MO, including a five-decade tenure on the board of St. Anthony’s Medical Center and as a longtime supporter of his alma mater, Saint Louis University, where he met his wife Joan.

He is survived by his wife, five children and a multitude of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Alexander Manufacturing will be closed on Monday, June 9, for a celebration of life.