Profile of Success: Not All Fun and Games, (But it Comes Close)

BIGGEST CHALLENGE THIS YEAR: Product development and positioning for the products MindWare develops on its own, as well as those sourced from third-party vendors. MindWare develops products that are true to its mission and market position, which is to be educational while appealing to customers.

WHAT HE ENJOYS MOST ABOUT THE CATALOG/MULTICHANNEL BUSINESS: “The challenge and the excitement,” Smith says. “We continually seek ways to present the product in an efficient way to the customer, so we can show our products to the best advantage through a combination of catalog, e-mail and our Web site. We consistently communicate through those and other less obvious ways, such as the manner in which we talk to our customer in phone contacts or customer-service contacts.”