Speakers Bureau List

Timothy M. Andrews is president and chief executive officer of the Advertising Specialty Institute, president of The ASI Show, and vice chairman of ASI Computer Systems, Inc.  

ASI is the largest marketing and media organization serving the $18 billion advertising specialty industry; The ASI Show produces five national promotional products trade shows, 70 Advantages Roadshows and three Stitches Roadshows; and ASI Computer Systems, Inc. is a provider of innovative accounting and systems software to the industry. 

Andrews was recruited to join ASI as president in 2003 and is responsible for the strategic vision and all operations of ASI, which has nearly 25,000 customers in North America using a variety of its magazines, catalogs, online research and data services, marketing tools, educational resources and trade shows. 

Under his leadership, the company’s product line has expanded and he drove the company’s first acquisition of three complementary magazines.  Profitable and dynamic accompanying digital e-media have been developed and marketed for all seven publications. 

Prior to joining ASI, Andrews served as chief executive officer of Primedia Business Magazines, the second-largest magazine publisher in the United States.  He led key business, editorial and product strategy for the company's 80 magazines, 100 websites, 20 trade shows and its group of 450 books and directories. 

Before Primedia, Andrews served for 16 years at Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.  He was hired as a journalist, transitioning in seven years into senior technology and marketing assignments.  His final role was as founder, president and chief executive of Factiva, a joint venture he championed with Reuters, which at launch had annual revenue of $225 million, 750 employees in 30 countries and products in 12 languages.

Andrews is active in a number of community organizations and is director of the local American Red Cross, the Arts Council of Princeton and The Johnnetta B. Cole Global Diversity & Inclusion Institute at Bennett College for Women. 

You can reach Tim at TAndrews@asicentral.com

Richard Fairfield, Publisher and Senior Vice President, joined the Advertising Specialty Institute in 2004. 

Fairfield is responsible for all of ASI’s editorial and advertising properties.   These include seven magazines:  Counselor, Advantages, Successful Promotions, Supplier Global Resource, Wearables, Stitches, and Uniforms; eleven catalogs; digital newsletters; and advertising placements in over nine thousand LogoMall websites and in the industry’s number one research tool -- ESP online. 

Under his leadership and in partnership with Editor-in-Chief Melinda Ligos, ASI magazines have won a variety of prestigious awards from American Business Media, the American Society of Business Publication Editors, and Folio magazine.  In addition, new catalogs, and many new digital offerings have been introduced.

Before joining ASI, Fairfield was senior vice president of corporate development and operations for American Express Publishing, where he managed strategic planning for traditional brands and online media. In that role, he launched all digital products for publications such as Travel + Leisure, T & L Golf, Food & Wine, Departures, and SkyGuide – winning two Best of the Web awards from min online: “Community” for T+L.com and “Integration with Print Category” for Departures.com.

Prior to that, Fairfield was a business manager at Time, Inc., where he is credited with expanding franchise development at publications such as Money and Life magazines. He started his career in Chicago with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).

Fairfield holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in physics and music from Columbia University.

You can reach Rich at RFairfield@asicentral.com

For more than ten years, Denham has focused on helping to advance the industry's technology, sales and business management expertise. At ASI, he guides the vision for the electronic products, working with the sales, support and marketing teams to incorporate customer input.

He currently serves on the board of directors for ASI Computer Systems in Iowa as well as non-profit boards in the industry and in the Philadelphia community. He was selected as Corporate Logo’s 100 most influential people in 2004 and selected as a "40 under 40" in 2001, by Counselor Magazine. He is a past president of PPAF (Promotional Products Association of Florida) and PPNA (Promotional Products Networkers Association).

Denham received his business administration degree from the University of South Florida with a minor in economics.

You can reach Dale at DDenham@asicentral.com

In her 14-year career, she has been involved with both the distributor and supplier activities and has worked closely with the marketing and membership divisions at ASI. Christine has served on the Promotional Products Association International’s Marketing Information and Research Committee and the Promotion Products College Education Foundation. She has also served on the board of Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) and was Co-Chair of the Membership Retention Committee.

Currently, she is the Board Secretary for the Gold Coast Promotional Products Association and is also active on its Membership and By-laws Committees. Christine was selected as one of Counselor magazine’s 2004 Women of Distinction and has consulted with several suppliers and distributors to further define and develop their market positioning strategies, business plans and proactive marketing plans.

You can reach Christine at CLovell@asicentral.com.

Larry Basinait is ASI's Director, Marketing Research. He has been analyzing and researching markets for over a decade, with such companies as Ryder System, General Electric (Financial Assurance Division), and CIGNA Corporation. He has been with ASI since 2003, and has defined and implemented a new market research role that supports all of the company's divisions. His other accomplishments at ASI include product development, market segmentation, and the conception and implementation of company-wide programs to increase customer satisfaction and retention. His research is frequently published in ASI's magazine “Counselor ” including the annual “State of the Industry” issue. Topics of his published work include industry trends, forecasts, and key drivers of success for managing business.

You can reach Larry at LBasinait@asicentral.com

Melinda Ligos is editor-in-chief of ASI Magazines and VP of Professional Development. Before joining ASI, she spent more than 13 years at Nielsen Media in New York overseeing a group of business-focused magazines that included Sales & Marketing Mangagement. Under her leadership, Sales & Marketing Management was awarded the honor of "Magazine of the Year" from the American Society of  Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). She also has been a frequent contributor to the business section of "The New York Times," and her work was featured in the 2001 edition of "The Best Business Stories of the Year."

You can reach Melinda at MLigos@asicentral.com

Andy Cohen is editor of Counselor Magazine. He previously was editor of Incentive & Potentials magazines at The Nielsen Company in New York. While working for Nielsen, Andy's work received four Jesse H. Neal Awards, the highest honor in business journalism. This year, under Andy's leadership, Counselor magazine received its first ever Neal award for its Family Business Spotlight series, an ASBPE award for best department and two Folio magazine awards for best feature article.

You can reach Andy at ACohen@asicentral.com