TODL (Trade Only Design Library) has named Greg Farrar as its CEO. Farrar, former president of Nielsen Business Media, will work side by side with TODL founder and chairman Stacey Tiveron as she shifts her concentration to new product and market development.
Farrar says the new position is a natural evolution of his 23-year career in the business media and information industry. He previously served in senior executive management positions at Bill Communications and VNU Expositions, which under his leadership quickly became the leading tradeshow organizer in the U.S. In his most recent position as president of Nielsen Business Media, Farrar led a 760-employee, $310 million business-to-business media company comprised of 70 trade shows, magazines, and related online businesses serving 35 distinct customer markets, including the architectural and design industry.
“Greg is a highly respected leader in the business information industry with a proven track record of building high-performing organizations,” says Tiveron. “His dynamic management style and strong commitment to operational excellence is exactly what we were looking for in our search for TODL’s new CEO. His insight and expertise in transforming and growing businesses will be critical in the company’s future growth and success. We are thrilled to have Greg join the Trade Only Design Library team.”
Qualified architects and designers register to access TODL’s comprehensive online library of products and manufacturers. Designed to simplify the product research and specification process, TODL enlists manufacturers to feature their products and services in the all-inclusive database providing design industry professionals with detailed trade and specification information to make decisions quickly with fewer calls and clicks. Currently, TODL has more than 52,000 pre-qualified trade members.
Farrar’s arrival signifies another strategic move for TODL in the transformation of the design and architectural industry’s most comprehensive product research library into a fully integrated vertical market platform with the launch of its newest version, TODL 6.0, set for November 2010. Leading the industry in online product research for 13 years, the next generation of Trade Only Design Library will be richer in content, with more product data, workflow tools and more user-friendly for architects and designers to navigate through product resources and engage with manufacturers.
“I look forward to this new venture because it offers meaningful opportunities for better serving industry professionals and manufacturers in new and innovative ways via the web,” says Farrar. “The entrepreneurial, customer-focused environment; strength of the business; and growth potential of TODL attracted me to the position, and are a good fit with my approach and experience. My goals for the first few months are focused on expanding the breadth of manufacturers and products featured, attracting more qualified architects and designers as members, and initiating deeper connections between both customer sets.”
He adds: “Architects and designers spend a great deal of time researching and specifying products and web savvy professionals are increasingly turning to TODL.com for inspiration and to speed up their discovery and evaluation process. We want to leverage their need for real-time tools and continue to be the valued source for information and relationships in the design industry.”
