Irwin Helford
Irwin Helford or Ian those in UK will know him, served as Chairman of Viking's Board and Chief Executive Officer of Viking from September 1984 until August 1998 when Viking merged with Office Depot. Since September 1999 Irwin has served as Chairman Emeritus of their Viking subsidiary. He is also a director of Brady Corp., and a director of Svoboda Collins, LLC, a privately held investment banking firm. He is a director and Chairman of the Parkinson's Institute and a trustee of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Founded 41 years ago, Viking is the largest direct-mail office products retailer in the world and the third largest direct-mail office products retailer in the United States. Through numerous catalogs, the company has primarily targeted small and medium businesses in the United States. They serve eighteen countries.
He is also well known for his famous pose, which often appears on the front of the monthly Viking Direct magazine.
History
Growing up as one of four sons of Chicago-area restaurateurs, Helford majored in Marketing at Roosevelt University from 1950 - 1952 before going on ACTIVE duty with the U.S. Navy. After his tour of duty, Helford married and went to work for the Wilson Jones Company in Chicago, which at the time was the largest manufacturer of office supplies, where he did shipping, warehouse work, customer service and sales. From there, he became general manager of the Reliable Corp. in Chicago, another major office products supplier, where he worked his way up over 24 years to vice president. Helford moved to southern California in 1984 to become president and chief operating officer of Viking Office Products, which he later built into the largest direct-mail office products retailer in the United States, Europe and Australia. Under his leadership, company sales grew from less than $15 million in the U.S. in 1983 to more than $1.6 billion worldwide by 1998.served as Chairman of Viking's Board and Chief Executive Officer of Viking from September 1984 until August 1998 when Viking merged with Office Depot. Since September 1999 Irwin has served as Chairman Emeritus of their Viking subsidiary. He is also a director of Brady Corp., and a director of Svoboda Collins, LLC, a privately held investment banking firm. He is a director and Chairman of the Parkinson's Institute and a trustee of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Irwin lives with his wife Betty at Rancho Palos Verdes, a city in Los Angeles County, California that was incorporated on 7 September 1973, one of the most exclusive areas to live in the USA.