Arthur Bartell, group president of Brand Agents, died on January 11. He was 85.

Bartell had a six-decade-long career in the promotional products industry, working for a number of distributor firms including The Vernon Co. (asi/351700) and his own company, Arthur Bartell Advertising. “He certainly made a name for himself in the industry,” said his son, Stephen. “He had a tremendous love of the advertising industry and was working in it up to when he died.”

His clients have included Burger King, Eastern Airlines, Ryder Truck Rental, the Denver Broncos and the Colorado Rockies. Bartell was known for his high sales volume, bringing in more than $11 million during his four years at the Vernon Co., for example. He told Counselor back in 1990 that, “I never believed in making one little sale. I’ve always felt it was much tougher to make a sale here and a sale there, than to do it the way agencies do it.”

An accomplished singer and dancer who performed on Broadway before starting his advertising career in 1954, Bartell brought a showman’s flair to his work. “He was very dramatic and used it in a positive way in sales,” Stephen said, adding that phrases like “the most spectacular idea you’ve ever heard” peppered his father’s pitches. Bartell was also frequently lauded for his creativity, winning 13 CLIO statues, 24 Golden Pyramids and a National Addy award during his long career. In the 1980s, he received five consecutive CLIOs for promotions he did for Eastern Airlines.

Bartell was born in Atlanta and lived in Miami for many years before resettling in Denver about 25 years ago. In addition to advertising, Bartell also loved animals, sports and spending time with family, Stephen said. He is survived by sons Danny and Stephen; their wives, Carla and Irina; grandchildren Nathan, Jordan, Nina, Zaria and Milana; and his sister Ethel Marx.