InfoCision founder dead at 59

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Taylor

Staff report

AKRON

Gary L. Taylor, who in 1982 founded the regional telemarketing company InfoCision from a room in his home, died Saturday. He was 59.

In a news release, the company said Taylor initially fell ill after a heart attack in 2009.

Taylor eventually grew the company to a footprint stretching across three states. Today, InfoCision employs more than 5,000 people, including at locations in Boardman, Austintown and New Castle, Pa.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Gary,” said Steve Brubaker, InfoCision’s chief of staff, in a statement. “We have all lost a great friend and leader. Gary made this company what it is today through hard work, dedication and a strong sense of integrity.”

As Taylor’s fortune grew, so did his philanthropic efforts. In 2004, he established a marketing institute at the University of Akron, his alma mater, with a gift of $3.6 million. He later contributed $10 million for the naming rights to the university’s football stadium.

Taylor received numerous professional awards and industry accolades, including the American Teleservices Association’s Pioneer Hall of Fame Award.

He is survived by his wife, Karen; his children, Lindsay Tadsen and her husband, Thomas; and Craig Taylor and his wife, Mindi; and a grandson, Thomas Tadsen III.