Legion magazine vendor receives lifetime achievement award

Jim Elliott, the founder and president of the James G. Elliott Co., received a lifetime achievement award from Association Media and Publishing (AM&P) at its 37th annual Excel Awards Gala on June 26. The Elliott Co. is The American Legion’s vendor for advertising sales.

Elliott received the Mitch Mohanna Lifetime Achievement Award from Mike Winkleman, AM&P board director, who cited Elliott’s leadership of his company, which began in 1984 and now represents 13 clients accounting for 65 brands.

“After this sort of career, it would be expected that Jim’s knowledge about and understanding of this industry would be encyclopedic,” Winkleman said. “What’s not expected is his willingness to share that knowledge, to impart that wisdom, not only with his clients but with the industry as a whole. And this has made him, as Mitch Mohanna was, a paragon of this industry and truly deserving of this honor.”

Among his other affiliations, Elliott is a member of the Boy Scouts Magazine advisory group.

Last year, Mohanna was posthumously honored with the first award bearing his name. During his acceptance speech, Elliott praised Mohanna, his former friend and competitor.

“It’s been a privilege to be in this business,” said Elliott, a former AM&P board member. “I started in consumer magazines but I really enjoy the association world. And there is a ‘why’ to it. The ‘why’ is this is a real community here that consumer magazines only wish they had. I’ll give you an example: My father was a World War II Marine. One day he saw my name in The American Legion Magazine. I didn’t know he even read the magazine. I asked him how he saw my name in the magazine because I only appear in the masthead. He said that he’s read every word in the magazine for the last 20 years.

“That’s real involvement. That’s real community.”