Alan Rimm-Kaufman Passes Away After Courageous Bout With Leukemia

Jul 20, 2009 at 12:59pm ET by Elisabeth Osmeloski

The editorial staff at Search Engine Land has just learned that over the weekend, on July 18th, Alan Rimm-Kaufman passed away following a 16 month long battle with leukemia. He bravely faced countless rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant in hopes of a cure.

Alan Rimm-Kaufman was just 41 years young, and is survived by his wife, Sara, and two young children, Sam and Davida. A moving tribute to his life can be found on Legacy.com.

Alan was a valued contributor to Search Engine Land – his articles on paid search marketing and other search issues can be found here.

Co-founder and CEO George Michie, provided us with these thoughts about Alan Rimm-Kaufman:

We are deeply saddened by this loss. Alan was a man of integrity, intelligence, and humility, which he combined with nearly boundless energy and a joy of life few can match. We will miss his exuberance and his tremendous generosity of spirit.

The Rimm-Kaufman Group remains a strong and vibrant company. We remain committed to providing both thought-leadership in the industry and peerless results for our clients. Like any good leader, Alan built this team to be stronger than any individual member. Our growth and continuing success during his 16-month absence is a tribute not only to his vision, but also to our well-established shared vision for the company.

The family has requested in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the Alan Rimm-Kaufman Legacy Fund, CBI Preschool, 501 East Jefferson Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902. In addition, they ask that individuals consider joining the bone marrow registry at www.marrow.org.

Since the spring of 2008, George Michie has been the acting CEO of the Rimm-Kaufman Group, and will continue to lead the company and its veteran leadership team. There are no plans to change the company name.

The entire SEL staff is terribly shocked and saddened by the news, and our thoughts are with his family and his colleagues at Rimm-Kaufman Group.

Elisabeth Osmeloski As managing editor of Search Engine Land, Elisabeth oversees the site’s logistics and performance, as well as posting updates from the travel search industry, reporting user search trends and online shopping news.Follow her on twitter @elisabethos or visit her blog, AdventuresinSearch.com for occasional commentary on travel & retail verticals, social media and search marketing for luxury and lifestyle brands.

See more articles by Elisabeth Osmeloski >

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