HOF 05 Groomed for Success -- Thomas Engdahl

In hindsight, it's easy to sympathize with the hornets nest Engdahl walked into when he accepted the COO post in January of 2001, considering that the economy was starting to bottom out, exacerbated by the events of 9/11. Advertiser spending followed the economy down the well, taking with it precious ad pages and volume. Without volume, expensive equipment could not be filled to capacity.