Woodland Hills, CA, December 20, 2006—The floor covering industry mourns the loss of journalist and publisher Howard Olansky who died yesterday in Los Angeles after a brief illness. He was 78.
The patriarch of the industry’s trade media and an inductee into the World Floor Covering Association Hall of Fame, Olansky entered the floor covering industry in 1955 as the editor of Western Floors. He later became co-owner, editor and publisher of Specialist Publications--Western Floors and Eastern Floors (now National Floor Trends), Floor Covering Installer and ICS Cleaning Specialist magazines.
Olansky was a co-founder of Eastern Floors, Installation Specialist (now Floor Covering Installer) and ICS Cleaning Specialist magazines. When he and his partner, Harold Arkoff, sold the company to Business News Publishing (now BNP Media) in 1997, he became the publications’ senior editor.
More than a journalist and publisher, Olansky was an industry activist serving on numerous industry committees and task forces. An advocate for the installation community, he was honored a charity luncheon at this past Surfaces drawing well wishers from all industry sectors
A forceful influence in the floor covering industry for six decades, Howard Olansky will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife Ilene and two daughters, Dale and Ellen.
