Daily Record, Morris County, NJ, Tuesday, November 2, 1999
BUSINESS SECTION
What company does: Using a wide range of Internet-directed tools, IMA assists business owners in developing a more interactive relationship with current and prospective customers. "Some of our clients really know what they want, others don't have a clue." Founded in 1985, the company employs seven full-time staff members and several part-timers, with sales this year of more than $1 million.
Age: 47
Family: Wife, Sally, who works at AT&T; daughters Anne, 11, and Nichol, 6.
Residence: Morris Township.
Raised: Newburgh, NY
Education: Bachelor's degree in English from Boston College, master's degree in communications from Syracuse University, and a master's degree in business administration from Rutgers University.
Newspaper days: Began at a New York State weekly, then to the Middletown Times Herald Record, finally to The Record in Hackensack.
First weekly paycheck: $100.
New media pioneer: In the early '80s, media giant CBS sensed big opportunity in the evolving Internet, and began looking for people with experience in more than one medium. Muscarella, who had run a cable TV show at Newhouse, proved an ideal candidate. "I wasn't afraid of computers. They liked that." He later helped engineer the venture among CBS, IBM and Sears that produced the Prodigy service.
The Internet's early days: "There was a lot of smart thinking going on in the '80s, and a lot of lessons have been ignored." His new book resurrects some of those lessons.
Book launch: "Net Success," which Muscarella co-edited, pools the wisdom of 24 of the Internet's pioneering leaders. Now in its third printing, the book guides traditional companies toward a better understanding of the Internet's promise and pitfalls. "People have trouble separating the roles the Internet can play for them. There's no one formula."
On the editing process: The biggest challenge was dealing with writers' varying timetables. "I often thought it would be easier to write it ourselves."
From reporter to consultant: "Asking the right questions, getting it straight, communicating it clearly and helping people clarify their thinking -- these are all reporting skills that are invaluable in a consulting business.
Clients: Bell Atlantic, Citibank, Dow Jones Markets, First USA, TimeWarner.
Getting results: In its Web site's first year, one client, New York City Ballet, reported $1 million in online ticket sales -- most to new customers -- and related commerce. Another, the NYC Opera, has had sales of $350,000 since its Web site launch in August. "They were shocked -- delightedly shocked -- but shocked."
Most admires: Steve Case of AOL, who wrote the foreword to his book: "He was able to build the company from nothing, and was flexible enough to turn on a dime when he had to."
Car: 1999 Saab 95.
Hi-tech: "I'm really not an early-adopter type of person. I'm more of a trailer."
Church: Vestry of St. Peter's, Morristown.
Favorite restaurant: The Trap Rock in Berkeley Heights. "Their menu is very eclectic and very seasonal."
Pet peeve: "TV and radio commercials that make the Internet seem as easy as falling off a log: it may be for consumers, but it isn't for businesses. I've become the bearer of bad news many times."
Note to e-commerce initiatives: "Be skeptical of easy solutions."
DOSSIER was written by Douglass Crouse. He can be reached at (973) 428-6652.
