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William Martin, chairman of the DePaul Catholic High School Board of Trustees, was the recipient of this year’s St. Vincent DePaul Apostle of Charity Award.
Even in the eighth grade, Martin was never one to shy away from a challenge and usually exceeded his own and others’ expectations, according to a press release from the school.
While in middle school, Martin had been told he probably would not pass the Cooperative Admissions Examination Program (COOP) exam for admission to DePaul Catholic High School. Not only did he do well, he gained a coveted spot in the incoming Class of 1964, the release said.
“As the oldest of four, my mother really wanted me to attend DePaul and the school’s administrators persuaded me that I needed to prepare myself for a college education,” he said.
Following graduation, Martin secured a full-time job – at Grand Union headquarters in Elmwood Park -- and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University part-time at night. He earned a B.S. in marketing and graduated in 1969.
“I was intent on doing well in my career and saw healthcare as an industry that had ‘legs,’ as they say. The timing was right to get in at the ground-floor just when the industry was taking off,” explained Martin, who held a wide range of sales and marketing executive positions with California-based Stuart Pharmaceuticals; Benton & Bowles (B&B), a Madison Ave.-based advertising firm; and McGraw-Hill, where he honed his skills specializing in healthcare publications. “I was bit by the entrepreneurial bug – I had an idea and I never wanted to wonder ‘what if?’”
This idea served as the business model for Medical Publishing Enterprises (MPE) Communications headquartered in Fair Lawn, of which Martin was a co-founder and the president. Starting off with one physician-targeted magazine, MPE evolved into a highly regarded diversified medical journal publishing/communications company serving a wide range of medical specialties and pharmaceutical industries.
In 1999, MPE was acquired by Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., a publicly traded advertising company. Soon after leaving MPE, Martin co-founded InComm Conferencing, a Glen Rock-based global conferencing company that focuses on corporate, audio, video and web conferencing. InComm was acquired by Chorus Call, Inc., and Martin remains as a member of its board.
“Building a career and providing for my family were my priorities over the years, so it wasn’t until my son was preparing to go to high school – and my daughter three years later – that I wanted the same DePaul Catholic education for my children that my parents wanted for me,” said Martin, who was presented with the St. Vincent DePaul Apostle of Charity Award for his lifetime of service to others at the school’s Legacy Lasts a Lifetime 60th Anniversary Gala.
An entrepreneur to the core, Martin has never been one to slow down. In addition to serving on DPCHS’ Board of Trustees, he is a member of the Executive Board and chairperson of the Tri-County Scholarship Committee; a member of the audit committee for Oasis in Paterson; and a member of the Board of Governors and Membership Committee Chairperson at North Jersey Country Club.
For the first time in his life, with a milestone birthday looming this March, Martin is planning to ease into a more “traditional” retirement. He will be stepping down as chairman of DPCHS’ Board of Trustees at the close of this year. “DePaul Catholic High School will always hold a special place in my heart,” said Martin. “The time is right to pass the baton to the next generation that will guide us through the next 60 years.”
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