Sure Fit: Sitting Pretty

With an 85-percent share of the ready-made slipcover market, Toscanini told company president Bert Shlensky she believed direct marketing to consumers was an avenue for growth. Shlensky, a promoter of innovation and creativity among his employees, told her to go for it.

Toscanini’s hunch proved right. In five years, the company has created a $70 million catalog business.