Joseph Segel

Joseph Segel (born 1931) is an American entrepreneur. He is the founder of over 20 American companies, most notably QVC, an American television network, and the Franklin Mint, a producer of mail-order collectibles. He has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Electronic Retailing Association and an honorary doctorate from Drexel University.

He was awarded the Philip H. Ward, Jr. Medal from The Franklin Institute in 1977. In 2005, the Harvard Business School published their selection of The Greatest Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century. Then, in 2007, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania published their selection of The Most Influential Wharton Alumni and Faculty in the Wharton School's 125-year history. Segel is one of only 10 people who is on both of these lists.

Early life

At the age of 13, he started a successful printing business. At 16, he entered the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 1951 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. As a graduate student, he taught introductory marketing classes while running the "Advertising Specialty Institute", his first significant business. A first in the industry, it published a centralized directory of promotional materials and their suppliers, the Advertising Specialty Register.