MASTERS
OF THE
GAME

Above, A.B. Data staff
check one of hundreds
of computer printouts.
Below, the backbone of
the company, massive
computer files.
At right, art work used
for an appeal by Yad
Vashem.

►

took clients from the firm
and launched his own com-
pany, Heartland Marketing.
The case was settled out of
court. Neither party will
discuss the outcome.
or now, Mr. Arbit, Mr.
Benjamin and Mr.
Pruitt want to put a lid
on growth to concentrate on
management.
They call their staff
creative and somewhat in-
tellectual and describe most
I as idea people. Until now,
new ideas kept them afloat.
"We work in a cult of per-
sonality," Mr. Arbit says.
"Now we need to make it a
cult of organization to grow
into middle management.
"We have a big mass out
there," Mr. Arbit says. "It is
time to shape it, internalize
it. Any organization that
grows so fast will face these
problems.
"We just need honing," he
says. "You can't have 500

F

people without a structure.
We know how to do the data
base. We just tried things
and they worked. What we
have done is what people to-
day call research and devel-
opment."
For Mr. Arbit and Mr. Ben-
jamin, A.B. Data is a place
they say they can be en-
trepreneurs and express
their Jewish values. They
concentrate their tzedakah
work in Milwaukee, where
they are active within the
Jewish federation.
Members of the national
UJA Young Leadership
Cabinet, each has earned the
Young Leader of the Year
Award.
According to their cor-
porate mission statement:
"Our corporate culture is
given further meaning by
our deep sense of social
responsibility. Our contribu-
tion to improving the quality
of Jewish life is rooted in a

belief that no one way is the
right way, that each organ-
ization, communal force and
religious community for
whom we work has a signifi-
cant contribution to make to
Jewish culture."
For the non-profit clients,
they try "not to gauge any-
one," Mr. Benjamin says.
"And professionally, we go
out of our way for them. We
give them 150 percent of the
job and try to keep prices
down."
Neither partner would
discuss A.B. Data fees. They
only say they could charge
more.
"We give them the least
we can charge them while
still making a profit," Mr.
Benjamin says. "We believe
in all of the organizations
and can't give to all of them.
But we give them a service
they can't duplicate."
Those who know Mr. Arbit
and Mr. Benjamin say they

are zealots for Israel.
Milwaukee Federation Pres-
ident Todd Lappin describes
a solicitation session with
them for the annual
Milwaukee Federation UJA
appeal as "gut wrenching
and soul searching."
"They don't just do what is
right," Mr. Lappin says.
"They stretch themselves
each time."
Adds Federation Exec-
utive Director Rick Meyer,
"They are hard driving and
they speak their minds.
They are so intense that
people can be put off.
"But they always are
thinking of the perspective
of the Jewish community,"
Mr. Meyer says. "They ap-
pear to be young en-
trepreneurs on the edge from
time to time because they
always have new ideas and
you never know how
grounded they are.
"Federations have not

been successful at getting to
the little donor," Mr. Meyer
says. "And they have. They
are a not-so-hidden resource
for the Jewish community."
Hanging on the wall next
to Jerry Benjamin's clut-
tered desk is a pipe in a
framed letter box.
The pipe belonged to An-
war Sadat, the Egyptian
president assassinated in
1981. Mr. Benjamin had
asked Mr. Sadat's assistant
for a pipe to auction for
charity.
But when it hadn't arrived
as scheduled, Mr. Benjamin
made a frantic phone call.
The press assistant sent an-
other pipe which came
before the auction. And days
later, a second pipe found its
way to his office.
"I used to smoke it," Mr.
Benjamin says. "But my
wife took it from me and
framed it with the letter. It
was a great pipe."

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 55