2002 Catalogers of the Year
• a 30-day trial period on any product.
Helford took Viking public, and the company’s stock traded on the NASDAQ for eight years before its merger with Office Depot. During those years, Viking investors enjoyed three two-for-one stock splits and consistent double-digit revenue and income growth.
Although Helford now is retired from Viking, he remains a consultant for the company. Presently, he is busy with numerous philanthropic endeavors. He is on the board of directors for three agencies dedicated to helping those with Parkinson’s disease, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation. And he recently donated $36 million to the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA. The donation, the largest ever for the renowned cancer research center, will be used to help build a new hospital, the Betty and Irwin Helford Clinical Research Hospital, scheduled to open in 2004. In addition, Helford is involved in a Chicago-based venture capital fund.