Martin Edwards Enriching a Tradition

"I learned quite a bit about life in Germany. There were many bombed-out buildings, evidence of World War II," Marty recalls. "Poverty could be seen everywhere, and people tried to sneak across the border from Hungary."

Upon returning, Marty and his brother, Joe, set out to put their signature on the company. Primarily a mail-order house with a small degree of face-to-face interaction, the roles gradually reversed. Sales offices sprung up in New York, Washington, DC, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Atlanta. "We did this step by step, but that decision to put us in front of our prospects and customers was pivotal," he notes.