Tom Rosenbauer is vice president of mail order for Manchester, VT-based Orvis, a cataloger/retailer of outdoor sporting goods.
Where did you grow up?
Rochester, NY.
What was your first job out of college?
Working in a tackle shop in Syracuse, NY.
How did you get into the catalog business?
At Orvis, I went from the retail store, to fishing and shooting instructor, to PR director, to catalog manager.
Who or what has had the most influence on your career?
Working as a freelance writer and all the editors I have had over the years, especially Nick Lyons.
Name one person in the catalog business you most admire, and why.?
Bert Avadon of the old Willis & Gieger catalog, because of his fascinating history and tireless energy.
Other than your current job, what would your dream job be?
To be a highly regarded novelist, who never has writer’s block, working from a cabin on a trout stream.
What is your favorite sport?
Fly-fishing.
Where is your favorite place to go fly-fishing?
Cape Cod or the Delaware River.
What is the best book you have ever read?
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would you be?
A conductor at a famous symphony orchestra.
What’s the biggest fish you ever caught?
A tarpon of about 80 lbs.
What’s the biggest fish that ever got away?
A tarpon of about 100 lbs. — about five minutes before I caught the 80-lb. one.