ACSC History
ACSC Creed
“I believe in the Atlanta City Sales Club, in the goods I am selling, in the firm I am working with, and in my ability to get results. I believe that honest goods can be sold to honest people by honest methods. I believe in working, not waiting; in laughing, not weeping; in boosting, not knocking; and in the pleasure of selling goods. I believe that you get what you go after; that one order today is worth two orders tomorrow and that you are not down and out unless you have lost faith in yourself. I believe in today, and the work I am doing; in tomorrow, and the work I hope to do; and in the sure reward which the future holds. I believe in courtesy, in kindness, in generosity, in good cheer, in friendship and honest competition. I believe the best way to help myself is by helping the other person first.”
ACSC History
During the great depression when the whole nation was going through hard times, the business concept of the ‘leads club’ was formed. Louis Zinkow was a member of such a club in Louisville, Kentucky. When he was transferred to Birmingham, Alabama, as manager of Birmingham Linen Service, he founded a salesman’s club in that city. He later took a position with Atlanta Linen Service and, gathering about seventeen men that had like ethics and sense of commitment, started the Atlanta City Salesman’s Club in June of 1948. Louis Zinkow was the club’s first president, and the only president to hold two consecutive terms. The first treasurer was Oscar DeLozier, and the club’s original secretary was Tom McLain.
The Creed came to the club along with its author, Louis Zinkow. Tom McLain gave Red Caplan $5.00 for being the first member (in 1948) to recite the Creed from memory, and this practice continues today. Each new member still gets $5.00 when they first say the Creed from memory. In more than fifty years, the Creed has undergone just two minor revisions — both in the early 1980s with the inclusion of women members, changing the name to the Atlanta City Sales Club and eliminating all other gender references. When ACSC members say the creed, its not just from memory, its from the heart.
The first and only weekend trip the club ever took was a train trip in 1957, to visit the Birmingham City Salesman’s Club. The members’ spouses promptly put an end to such activities.
ACSC lunch meetings are held every Thursday to exchange leads, sharing business information and camaraderie. The first meetings were held at Camellia Gardens. Other locations have included the Squire Inn, Cross Creek Country Club, The Roundtable, the Ramada Inn, Dusty’s Barbeque, Travel Lodges on Spring Street and North Druid Hills, and the Ramada Plaza Hotel. The club holds an annual installation banquet, a holiday party, and a ‘Spring Fling’, along with various other social events during the year. The member who wins a weekly drawing has the additional good fortune of being ‘allowed’ to recite the Creed from memory the following week.
Women were first admitted into the club in 1982-83, thanks to the lobbying efforts of Phyz Lemmon. Rita Johnson was the first woman member, and the first woman president. Bonnie Salamon, the second woman member (and second woman president), was also the first person since Louis Zinkow to be asked to serve a second term as president. Helenanne Frobose was the club’s third woman president.
The highest dollar thank you to date was to Julien Hodgskin, who gave a lead to Nelson Valle that resulted in an $8 million sale. Tom Morrow’s Presidency (1980-81), has so far been the only time the club reached its statutory membership limit of fifty. There have been three pairs of father-son members: J.H. and Fred Vickers, Frank and Jerry Eaves, and Bobby and Rob Jobson.
The only wife and husband members are Bonnie and Steve Salamon. Ed Ashman was the first member to receive the Most Valuable Player Award in 1984, winning again in 1996-97. George Raburn is the only member to date to have received the award three times.
The ‘Joke of the Day’ started during J.D. Holmes’ presidency in 1991. The annual recognition for the best humorist became, affectionately, the Erv Roberts Award, as when Erv told a joke, he always laughed uproariously (and was usually the only one to do so.)
The Atlanta City Sales Club has a rich heritage, thanks to its founder, charter and current members, and all the other past members that have participated over the last fifty years. The club looks forward to the opportunities in the future, and it’s members will continue to honor, in both word and deed, the idea that,“the best way to help myself is by helping the other person first.”
Past Presidents
1948-50 Louis Zinkow
1950-51 Bo Carroll
1955-56 Bill Collins
1956-57 Hubert Moody
1957-58 Herb Kenaston
1959-60 Elbert Smith
1962-63 Red Caplan
1963-64 Milton Berry
1964-65 Joe Rickett
1969-70 Dennis Nash
1972-73 Julien Hodgskin
1973-74 Billy White
1974-75 Ron Toms
1975-76 Ed Ashman
1979-80 Tom Porter
1980-81 Tom Morrow
1981-82 Phyz Lemmon
1982-83 Bob Gherke
1983-84 George Anderson
1984-85 G. L. Wigley
1985-86 Tom McLain
1986-87 Rita Johnson
1987-88 George Raburn
1988-89 Bonnie Salamon
1989-90 Fred Vickers
1990-91 Steve Salamon
1991-92 J.D. Holmes
1992-93 Bonnie Salamon
1993-94 Alex Bardi
1994-95 George Raburn
1995-96 George Anderson
1996-97 Helenanne Frobose
1997-98 Sam Focer
1998-99 Marty Topper
1999-00 Rob Jobson
2000-01 Sandra McGowen
2001-02 Earl Laird
2002-03 Fred Gerlich
2003-04 Larry Flegle
2004-05 Betsy Candler
2005-06 Harold Davis
2006-07 Frank Humphreys
2007-08 Richard Curran
2008-09 Clark Goodwin
2009-10 Judith Bennett
2010-11 Sandy McGowen
2011-12 Earl Laird
2012-13 Betsy Candler
2013-14 Steve McClelland
2014-15 Harold Davis
2016-17 Terri Bianchini
2017-18 Jon Bodan
2018-19 Sandy Lamberth
2019-20 Kevin Harwell
2020-21 Brian Urban
The following are Past Presidents whose term of office is not known.
C.C. Cochran
Marshall Pittman
Joe Reaves
Richard Moore
George Thurmanh
Roy Waters
Oscar DeLozier
Lew Kimbrough
B.B. White
Lifetime Members
Lifetime Members are given this distinction because they most exemplify the meaning of our creed.
George Anderson
Ed Ashman
Sam Focer
Erv Roberts
Fred Vickers
Bonnie Salamon
Jim Johnson
Phyz Lemmon
George Raburn
Joe Rickett
J. D. Holmes
Hubert Moody
G. L. Wigley
Steve Salamon
Tom McLain
Betsy Candler