Russell Berrie

In the month before he passed away on Christmas Day, 2002, Russ Berrie signed the papers to establish the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Selling at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, and to invest up to $5 million in the institute over the next five years. According to his wife, Angelica Berrie, it was one of the proudest achievements of a man who donated many millions of dollars over the decades to a variety of charitable organizations. The reason for its importance was that the purpose of the institute goes to the core of Russ Berrie the man.

"He came from a sales mentality," says Angelica.

He also came from a sales family: His father sold jewelry, and his brother, Wally, sold giftware alongside Russ before the two went their separate ways. Russ even used his innate sales skills to land his first job after college, boldly telling his prospective employer, "I'm the person you want to hire." The employer, who had wanted to go with an older candidate, recognized the energy and confidence exhibited by this "shooting star," and hired Berrie. While he only stayed with that job for six months, he and the employer, T.J. Smith, remained lifelong friends as Russ went on to build Russ Berrie & Company, a global giftware giant with headquarters in Oakland, New Jersey.

It was Berrie's reverence for the skills of selling that motivated him to set up an institute to develop professional and academic programs for salespeople, much the way law schools educate attorneys. There will come the day, Berrie predicted, when a mother or father can proudly proclaim, "My son, the salesman!" or, "My daughter, the saleswoman!"

The standards Russ Berrie set for his salespeople were high. So high that many a novice withered under his tutelage and moved on to other endeavors. But those who "got it" became very successful and remain indebted to Russ, whether they've stayed with the company or gone elsewhere. Randy Eller of CBK and Ken King of Van Group are two examples of the latter. "Only the best survived Russ," says Angelica. "As a matter of fact, our biggest competitors got their training with Russ."

To Russ Berrie, selling was a business built on relationships. He would always remember the people and their stories. One such example came from a New Jersey lineman attending Russ' funeral. The lineman told Angelica that he had been saving money for years so that he and his wife could open a gift shop when he retired. He had met Russ once years before, and when they met again some time later, Russ remembered everything about the man and his goals.

That kind of one-on-one, belly-to-belly salesmanship was the perfect relationship for the mom-and-pop retailers with whom Russ Berrie built his company over 40 years. With them, he created the "impulse" market. Russ would go into a store, see empty space above a card rack, and tell the owner to fill that space with product and he'd have "dollars falling from the sky." Today, many of the second-generation owners of gift stores still tell stories about their parents doing business with Russ.

Russ Berrie was also a workaholic, in the best sense of the word, because as he loved his job. The power of e-mail opened a whole new world to him, according to Angelica. He would come home from work, have dinner, then sit down at his computer to e-mail his salespeople and retailers across the country. Because he knew everything about them, from their birthdays to their family members, there was always a lot to talk about.

Work even joined Russ and Angelica on their vacations. Whether on an Alaskan cruise or a tour of Russia, Russ would check out stores to see how they were merchandising RUSS teddy bears, candles, picture frames, ornaments, and inspirational and wedding gifts. He even took the time during their honeymoon to "berate" his Italian distributors after visiting a few stores in Venice and Florence.

Angelica Urra and Russ met 11 years ago at the Frankfurt fair after Russ heard about a line of papier-mache products that Angelica was manufacturing in the Philippines. He told her that if she ever came to New York, to give him a call and they would go to the opera. (Opera was one of Russ' passions. As a young man he sold librettos at the old Metropolitan Opera House.) A short time later, he and Angelica attended a performance of "The Tales of Hoffman" at the new Met, in Lincoln Center. Angelica became a RUSS vendor, and she and Russ married the following year.

Angelica served as vice president of strategic planning at Russ Berrie & Co. before assuming the position of chief executive officer earlier this year. The company's 2002 net sales exceeded $320 million. The goal now, according to Angelica, is to transition the company from "Russ the man to RUSS the brand." The fundamentals are in place. It's a conservative company with money in the bank and no debt, and its sourcing capabilities in Asia are among the industry's best.

"We'll remain customer focused, listening hard to our retailers," says Angelica. "And we'll still be here long after our competitors have disappeared." Music to Russ' ears, no doubt.

Russ Berrie's 40-year devotion to "making someone happy" through the thousands of products his company sold and the almost limitless contributions he made to charitable and community causes are the highlights of a truly exceptional career and the reasons Gifts & Decorative Accessories chooses to honor him with the 2003 Industry Achievement Award. Angelica Berrie will accept the award on behalf of her husband at the Retailer Excellence Awards gala at New York's Plaza hotel, August 10, 2003.