Catalogers of the Year

The company went public in 1983 and maintained an aggressive growth strategy. But Connolly recalls mis-steps along the way, including the introduction of new catalogs that cannibalized one another. “And I was the architect of that action,” he says without hesitation in admitting his mistakes. “We had to crawl out of that and re-establish ourselves. People here really pulled together for it.” He credits Lester, still the company’s chairman, for his strong leadership during those dark days.