By Carole Reinert

Physical attributes, mannerisms, and traditions are passed from generation to generation. If your name is Jonathan Plesset, grandson of Joseph M. Katz, you also inherit the desire to give back.

“My philanthropic spirit comes from both sides of my family, and it runs deep,” says Plesset. “It all started at the dinner table; it’s what I grew up seeing.”

In 1987, Joseph and Agnes Katz made a transformative $10 million gift—the largest in University of Pittsburgh history—leading to the renaming of the graduate business school in Katz’s honor. Their generosity extended beyond academia: they funded the Katz Pavilion at Montefiore Hospital (now part of UPMC), supported their Pittsburgh temple, and helped build a children’s park adjacent to a temple in Israel.

As Jonathan Plesset reflects: “Papercraft Corporation may be gone, but the park, pavilion, and Katz School endure. Business success comes and goes; community impact lasts”—a legacy touching thousands.

That spirit lives on in his family, from his mother’s support of the UPMC Pain Clinic to his sister’s volunteering with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, while Jonathan channels it into animal welfare.

No Dogs Left Behind

In 2002, Plesset and a friend, Brad Child, earned their pilot licenses. They were looking for a way to use this unique skill and started rescuing dogs scheduled to be euthanized at other shelters. They would squeeze up to six dogs into their tiny plane. “It was a lot of work, but I just loved it. The dogs somehow knew they were being rescued, and we got to be the people to do it,” he says.

They, along with their wives Megan and Linda, formed a non-profit organization to expand their fundraising efforts. As the organization grew, they realized more animals could be saved if they expanded to include ground transportation. 

This was a rather expensive idea. Thanks to the attention the organization received on social media and in the national press, they were discovered by Rachael Ray, who donated $25,000 to fund their first truck.

They currently have two trucks and work with a team of 10 to 20 volunteer drivers and pilots, as well as one full-time employee. Each truck can rescue 50 to 60 animals at a time. To make the trips efficient, they fill the trucks and planes with dog food and other donations to take to the shelters. 

The name of the organization is No Dog Left Behind, yet the team has also rescued cats, sea turtles, and the occasional pig or python. Plesset says they rescue approximately 2,000 animals a year, predominantly along the East Coast. 

Like his grandfather, Plesset wants to be more than just a successful businessman.

As he explains, “The excitement of closing the deal or selling a business, these are all just fleeting moments. You can’t live like that.”

Countless animals have been rescued by No Dogs Left Behind.

Destined to Succeed in Business

Katz was filled with ideas to start new ventures from a young age, and he possessed a unique ability to know what people would purchase.

Before entering college, he set up a print shop in his family’s garage, where his brothers helped him produce flyers, cards, and a magazine called Boys Ideal.  After the devastating Pittsburgh flood of 1936, he partnered with the photographer who took photos of the flood, turned those photos into a booklet, and sold 100,000 copies in four days. 

During World War II, he sold boxes, called the “Rite-Kit,” filled with paper, envelopes, and a pencil, that could be sent to those serving in the war. When the war ended, he used his relationships with these vendors to secure the materials for a new company, Papercraft Corporation. 

Those stationary boxes for soldiers eventually launched a 100-million-dollar business. 

Relationships are Key to Success

“My grandfather’s relationships with all the paper makers and distributors started Papercraft,” says Plesset. And his relationship with the workers kept the company strong.

Katz was on a first-name basis with all the employees. Plesset has fond memories of visiting his grandfather at the Papercraft warehouse. They would drive around in a golf cart because the factory was so large, and they would talk with everyone.

Plesset remembered that “he introduced me to everyone, including the janitor. He knew their names, their life story, their wives, and their kids.” 

These introductions weren’t just to show off his grandson; Katz genuinely cared about his employees. Plesset shared that his grandfather would wake up in the middle of the night and go to the factory in East Liberty and hang out with the overnight crew, who were producing wrapping paper.

“That was my grandfather, the CEO of a publicly traded company, hanging out with the line guys in the middle of the night. I think that’s the thing I am most proud of, he was the guy who wanted to be in the trenches with the crew,” says Plesset.