David Thompson, founder and president of Home Bistro catalog, took a chance on a good idea and wasn’t afraid to knock down a few doors to make it happen. His persistence was well rewarded in 2002, three years after starting his gourmet food delivery company, when an infusion of venture capital allowed him to build a new manufacturing facility and expand his catalog circulation from 100,000 in 1999 to nearly 5 million last year. Working in the food industry for more than 20 years, Thompson devised an idea for a business that cooks, freezes and ships fully prepared meals. At the time, he was
Associate Edior
Environmental concern has re-emerged as an important issue for the direct marketing industry in the past few years. And the use of recycled paper is one of the issues that has been at the forefront of the resurgence. U.S. catalog companies mailed about 17 billion catalogs last year, using 3.6 million tons of paper, according to the Alliance for Environmental Innovation (AEI), a national nonprofit organization focused on environmental protection. “Catalogers are more aware of the environmental impact of their paper use and increasingly understand that reducing waste, maximizing recycled content and protecting forests are the right things to do,” says Victoria Mills,
