Sidney Merians

Sidney Merians, former owner and CEO of Talon, Inc., the world’s oldest manufacturer of zippers, died Wednesday, March 6, at the age of 86. Mr. Merians passed away peacefully at his home in Alpine, New Jersey.

Mr. Merians first joined Talon as president of the company in 1981. At the time, a New York Times report quoted “the owner of another zipper company” who “applauded” the move, saying, “Talon needs a street fighter.”

He went on to acquire Talon in a leveraged buyout in 1984, an early example of such an acquisition. He ran the company until he retired.

Mr. Merians had a long history as a high-level executive in the textile industry. Prior to Talon, Mr. Merians served as president of Everlon Fabrics, a division of Nabisco that manufactured curtains. He joined Everlon in 1963 after rising through the ranks as a sales executive and division manager at Garan, Inc, and before that at Uxbridge Worsted Co.

Sidney Merians was born in Harlem, New York on December 11, 1926, the child of Russian Jewish immigrants. His father, a furrier, introduced Merians to the textile business, employing him in his small company, which was relocated several times during the Depression --- first to Pennsylvania, and later to New Jersey, where Sidney Merians attended Paterson High School.

Mr. Merians enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the age of 17 and served in the Pacific during World War II. Upon his return, he attended Clemson University on the G.I. Bill, and earned a B.S. in textile engineering. While at Clemson, he met Isabel Bern. The two eloped in 1952, and subsequently moved to New York before settling in Alpine, where they lived for 42 years, and where Mr. Merians was elected to the town council, serving the town for nearly a decade.

After his retirement from Talon, Mr. Merians served as a consultant to, and sat on the boards of, Ivy Asset Management, a financial management service, and Paxar Corp., a clothing label maker.

In addition, Mr. Merians was an active supporter of several charities, including UJA, Jewish Family Services, and Englewood Hospital. He was also a director of the United Jewish Appeal, a member of American Arbitration Association, and was the president of the Alpine Country Club, where he also served on the board of directors.

The Memorial Service will be held 2pm on Monday March 11th, 2013 at the Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors, Hackensack, NJ 07601,

Those attending may begin to arrive at 1pm for ample time to pay respects to the family.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made in his memory to; Covenant House California,

www.CovenantHouseCalifornia.org