Creative Cut - Draper's & Damon's (1,589 words)

Says Nic Romano, creative director at the Irvine, CA-based company, "We're one step away from leading edge when it comes to implementing catalog production technology. We don't want to necessarily be first. But [being] second is nice."

Founded in 1927 as a women's fine clothing retailer, Draper's & Damon's launched its first catalog only six years ago. Brent Bostwick, one of the company's co-presidents and a nephew of one of the founders, started the catalog as a test project when he opened up a box and took out his first Apple computer in 1993. Bostwick is whom Romano credits with giving the company the drive to incorporate new technologies early on. "He's a true hands-on technical expert with excellent style taste," Romano explains.