How a sharpened focus on the market let Terri Alpert carve out new niches for her two catalog businesses, Uno Alla Volta and Cooking Enthusiast

By Mark Del Franco

Veteran Talent
Another element of the organization’s evolution is the level of top talent it’s accrued. In June, Jean Giesmann, the former creative services executive at BlueSky Brands and 1-800-Flowers.com, was brought in as executive creative director. Her hiring follows the November 2007 hiring of catalog veteran Chris Topping, who was brought in as general manager following stints at Petals, J. Crew and Wine Enthusiast.