Arkay mourns the loss of its beloved Chairman Emeritus Howard Kaneff, who passed away peacefully in his sleep at age 91 on August 10th.
 
Howard Kaneff, Arkay CEO Mitchell Kaneff’s father, took over the company when his own father – Max Kaneff, who founded Arkay Printing in 1922 – suddenly died in 1962.  A genuine visionary whose dedication and business acumen were deciding factors in the company’s successful 100 years in business, he remained active in the industry even after he retired in 2004.  
 
Just this past May, he was inducted into the NJPEC Hall of Fame—alongside his beloved son, Mitchell Kaneff, Arkay’s 3^rd generation CEO. It was an industry first. Mitchell Kaneff always talked about how his father was not only a visionary and extraordinary mentor, but also his best friend. 
 
A printing student at Rochester Institute of Technology, Kaneff went to work for his father when he graduated and, in a 10-year time period, he forged ongoing relationships with such luminaries as Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, Estée Lauder, and Charles Revson. When, at the age of 30, his father’s death propelled him into the role of CEO, the success of Arkay became his passion – and eventually his legacy.
 
Arkay is thankful for the blessing of having had Howard Kaneff remain such an integral part of its inner workings for so long and grateful that this amazing man and leader was able to fully participate in celebrating Arkay’s Centennial this year.
 
Mitchell Kaneff says: “More than a father, more than the man who ran Arkay for so many years, more than my best friend and my mentor, he was my hero.  My father made me a better man – he made me the man I am today – and his loss will leave a hole in my heart forever.”
 
RIP Howard Kaneff.