2002 Catalogers of the Year

At this stage of his life, Helford says, he is simply enjoying his free time. “It’s been a long time since I could sit down and have breakfast with my wife every morning.”

In nominating Helford, Rex Ciavola, senior vice president of global marketing operations for Office Depot, noted: “Irwin’s concept of ‘fanatical’ customer service revolutionized the standard of service in the catalog industry … . We firmly believe that because of him and Viking, business buyers have a different appreciation for, and confidence in, purchasing supplies by catalog.”