February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Tony White, chairman & CEO of the Abacus Direct Corporation, will be honored as Business Person of the Year by the Irish Business Organization of New York on Oct. 23 at the IBO’s annual gala ball in the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan.
White has selected the Emerald Isle Immigration Center as the beneficiary to receive a portion of the evening’s proceeds.
"Tony White exemplifies the spirit of Irish entrepreneurship in America," Brian Nolan, president of the Irish Business Organization, said. "Earlier this year, as an IBO guest speaker, White told the story of Abacus Direct’s success. I am sure Irish business people, all business people for that matter, aspire to be as successful as he has been."
Tony White founded Abacus Direct in 1990. The company is the leading provider of information products and marketing research services to the direct marketing industry.
Abacus has developed the most comprehensive and productive source of information regarding catalog consumer purchasing behavior in the United States. The company has created a database that includes consumer-purchasing data from more than 800 merchandising catalogs. Abacus uses this proprietary database and its advanced statistical modeling technology to provide direct marketers with information and analysis, allowing them to increase response rates and profits from their marketing campaigns.
Abacus Direct went public in 1996 with a market capitalization of $140 million. Today its market cap is in excess of $400 million. White is responsible for the overall operations.
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Born in County Monaghan, Tony White received a B.A. from Trinity College Dublin. Before founding Abacus, he was senior vice president and general manager of NDL, The Lifestyle Selector. He was recently appointed to the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) board of directors, has served as chairman of the DMA’s list/database practices information task force and its coordinator’s network of 400 industry professionals.
The 23rd annual IBO gala ball on October 23 will begin with a cocktail reception at 8 p.m., followed by dinner and dancing from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Comhaltas Ceóltoirí Éireann and the Sean Flemming Band will provide entertainment.
Tickets for the formal event are available at $150 per person, $1,500 for a table of ten and may be ordered (Mastercard, Visa or check) by calling (718) 745-9146 or by mail to: IBO Gala Ball Committee, c/o Specialized Travel Services, 425 Bay Ridge Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11209.