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Pam Del Duca President and ceo The Delstar Group Scottsdale, Arizona
Annual sales: $10 million Annual profits: Not available Type of business: Specialty gift shops Number of stores: 16 Area of operation: Arizona
Pam Del Duca's success offers proof that business concerns and social commitment are not mutually exclusive. Del Duca, who left a teaching career to launch a chain of resort and airport specialty shops, has formed a business partnership With three nonprofit organizations that gives others the opportunity--and the knowledge--to succeed.
"I wanted to make a difference. And as an entrepreneur, the most logical place to make a difference is through your business," says Pam Del Duca, president and ceo, The Delstar Group. Based in Scottsdale, Ariz., the company operates 16 specialty shops in airports and resorts in Arizona.
Del Duca was earning $600 a month teaching physical education when she decided to enter the retail business. What she lacked in training she made up for in ambition and determination.
"I always wanted to open my own store," says Del Duca. "Even as a small child, I was always studying shops and storing away bits of information. After teaching for several years, which I enjoyed very much, I decided to take the plunge."
In 1972, with money saved from a part-time waitressing job, Del Duca opened a small shop, By George!, on Scottsdale's exclusive Fifth Avenue. Bright and colorful, the store was filled With contemporary lifestyles merchandise.
"People said...