Vic Rubenstein, longtime Mahoning Valley marketing and political consultant, dies

LIBERTY

Vic Rubenstein, a longtime Mahoning Valley marketing and political consultant, died late Tuesday from complications from surgeries at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He was 72.

“He was a trailblazer and a pioneer in the profession and the best ad man,” said Jennifer Saul-Campbell, a partner at VCRubenstein Associates Inc.

Rubenstein created the firm in 1970 with his wife, Carolyn, and served as its chairman.

“His passions were his family, his work and this Valley,” Saul-Campbell said. “To know him was to love him. He was a joy. He was one in a million.”

Rubenstein handled political campaigns for numerous people in the Mahoning Valley including Youngstown Council President Charles Sammarone, Warren Council President Jim Graham, and Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains.

“He elected literally hundreds of elected officials,” Saul-Campbell said.

Rubenstein led the effort to bring Allegiant Air to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, and he helped package the deal that brought Avanti Motors to Youngstown in the late 1980s.

For the complete story, read Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com