THE DMA ANNOUNCES 2004 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: DAVE FLORENCE AND BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

NEW YORK, June 10, 2004 – The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) Board of Directors today approved the selection of Dave Florence, founder and chairman of Direct Media, Greenwich, CT, and the late Benjamin Franklin as The DMA Hall of Fame honorees for 2004. Both will be formally inducted at The DMA’s 87^th Annual Conference & Exhibition on Tuesday, October 19 in New Orleans, LA.

Established in 1978, The DMA Hall of Fame honors direct and interactive marketing professionals’ outstanding career contributions to the practice, growth, and stature of the direct and interactive marketing discipline. With the induction of the 2004 honorees, the Hall of Fame has 84 inductees.

Dave Florence, founder and chairman of Direct Media, Greenwich, CT, developed the first direct mail prospecting database, which is still in use by business-to-business mailers today.

A former lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps who holds a master's degree in business from Columbia University, Florence began his career in 1955 at IBM, where he was a data processing sales representative. He later became the national sales manager of the automated productions division at Royal McBee Corporation. For nine years, he was the eastern region manager for National Business Lists, Inc., a position he held until 1969 when he founded — with a staff of one — Direct Media. The company today has more than 300 employees and is one of the industry's largest mailing list and alternate media firms in the nation.

A current trustee of the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF), Florence served on The DMA Board of Directors from 1987 to 1993 and The DMA Hall of Fame Nominating Committee from 2001 to 2004. He also has served on numerous DMA and industry committees and task forces over the past 25 years as well as the Advertising Mail Marketing Association's Board of Directors. He has been an active member of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Board of Trustees since 1997 and has served on the boards of trustees for the Purchase College Foundation and Trinity-Pawling School.

Florence was the recipient of The DMA List Leader of the Year award in 1993 and several other industry awards, including The DMA Insert Media Council's "Legend Award" and the Direct Marketing Club of New York's Silver Apple and Mal Dunn Leadership Awards.

One of America's greatest minds and a pillar of our national heritage, Benjamin Franklin is famous for being a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a philosopher, an economist — and a direct marketer. Well known are his inventions including bifocals, the Franklin stove, and the lightning rod as a conductor of electricity. In addition, he is believed to have been the first cataloger in the United States.

The contributions Franklin made to the mail-order marketing industry were crucial. In 1744, he formulated the basic mail-order concept when he produced the first catalog, which sold scientific and academic books. Moreover, the catalog came with the first mail-order guarantee: "Those persons who live remote, by sending their orders and money to B. Franklin may depend on the same justice as if present."

With all of his experience using the mail as a business tool, Franklin became the postmaster of Philadelphia. He moved on to become the deputy postmaster general of the colonies in 1753 and in July 1775 he was appointed the first postmaster general of the United States.

Each year, The DMA Board of Directors may elect as many as four industry leaders to The DMA Hall of Fame. The DMA Hall of Fame Committee of Judges makes its selections based on nominations received through the annual call for nominations to DMA member companies and the industry at large.

This year’s committee of judges was chaired by John F. Temple, president and CEO of Guideposts. Joining Temple on the 2004 committee were Jock Bickert, CEO, Looking Glass; C. Eduard Bjorncrantz, partner, the Callahan Group, LLC; Lee Epstein, chairman, DMD Foundation; Alan M. Glazer, president, Alan Glazer Associates LLC; Jim Kobs, president, Kobs Strategic Consulting; Katie Muldoon, president, Muldoon and Baer, Inc.; Jerome W. Pickholz, 1992 DMA Chairman of the Board; Stan Rapp, president, Maxi Marketing, Inc.; Jules Silbert, consultant, The Silbert Group; Emily F. Soell, vice chairman and chief creative officer, Draft Worldwide; Jack E. Rosenfeld, Chairman, Potpourri; and H. Robert Wientzen, president & CEO, The DMA.

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