Cushman honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

Longboat Key resident Aaron Cushman was honored by the Publicity Club of Chicago’s highest honor — the Lifetime Achievement Award — for his pioneering accomplishments in public relations.

Cushman founded Cushman/Amberg Communications in 1952 in Chicago as Aaron D. Cushman and Associates. Cushman spent the early days of his career as an entertainment publicist and promoted celebrities such as the Three Stooges, Jane Russell, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The firm later expanded to larger accounts, including Fortune 500 companies.

Today, Cushman/Amberg is an independent, full-service communications firm with headquarters in Chicago and an office in St. Louis and global reach through its long-time partnership with Public Relations Organisation International. The agency represented Marriott Hotels & Resorts as it opened 65 hotels worldwide, introduced Softbatch Cookies for Keebler, and helped McDonald’s establish the All-American High School Basketball Team. The company also developed a specialty in travel and tourism with clients such as Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Canada and worked with Singapore on improving its image as a tourist destination after the caning of an American sparked international outcry. Cushman’s career also includes more than a decade as co-owner and public-relations director for the Chicago White Sox under Bill Veeck.

In a prepared statement, Cushman described his career of more than 50 years in public relations.

“I’m on a 50-year high, and I’ve never taken anything more than an Aspirin," he said.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].