Marketing

A child of immigrants, his interest in art led to a career in designing product packaging

DM was born in Philadelphia to Armenian immigrants who had survived a mass killing of their ethnic group (the “Armenian Genocide”) while his parents were young children living in Europe. DM’s father was a metalsmith in Turkey while his mother was a homemaker there. After his parents landed in America, they moved to Philadelphia, where DM graduated from West Philadelphia High School and helped his parents to navigate their new lives in America.

Following his HS graduation, DM enlisted in the Marine Corps on his 18th birthday, serving for three years until his Honorable Discharge. He inherited his father’s skill and appreciation of craft and art and therefore sought work as an artist while enrolling in college to study art, advertising, and journalism. 

His first advertising job was with a drug company, where he had his initial adult business experience within the world of advertising. After four years, he sought a better opportunity by joining the DuPont Company, describing his job as “Transposing business objectives into advertising and merchandising strategies.” 

DM was a creative artist with a mind attuned to leadership and merchandising. During his 37 years at DuPont, he rose to marketing and communications director for the consumer products division of DuPont. This involved understanding how consumers made product purchase decisions, which he incorporated into marketing strategy, package design, advertising, and media communications for many of the company’s most notable successes, including Rain Dance care products, Corian countertops and Stainmaster flooring, winning three industry awards (CLIOs) for excellent in international advertising, design, and communication. 

Outside his business interests, DM liked to help children with their writing and art projects, taking them to many museums and concerts. DM was an avid photographer and recycler, also a Sunday school teacher, youth director and deacon within his church. 

DM described his philosophy for practically everything: “You brought a challenge to fruition and when it worked, it was enormously satisfying.”