European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                New York times monday december 30, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 w Hen Halley s Comet vanishes next Spring to begin another 76-yeat Loo around the universe the Public demand Tor Hailey s dolls. Halley s Cornet pills and Halley s glow in the dark clothing May also vanish Many of the Comet entrepreneurs however Are vowing not to be left in the Comet s celestial Wake even before the Comet arrives they Are making plans to stay in business after it is gone. Among the variety of ventures that have Arisen to promote the reappearance of the famous Comet one company has typed a special Market that it Hopes will continue to buy from it when the Comet has disappeared. And another foresees turning its new contacts into an International marketing business marketing expert warn though that transforming such temporal ventures into permanent businesses May not be so easy. Very few of these companies will  predicts Harry Levy a specialist in future oriented Market research and the president of marketing opinion research evaluation inc. In Manhattan. It s like the pet Rock idea. They will be gone in a  Terry Vavra. A marketing professor at Pace University also expresses scepticism giving the businesses Little Chance of Success with the olympics and other events there were established promotional marketing firms whose Long term business is marketing Short term fads " by contrast he adds the Halley s entrepreneurs have capitalized on a relatively unique and bizarre event that May not indicate they have any understanding of the True wants and needs of  but even if the Odds Are against them Many of the Comet entrepreneurs Hope to prove the experts wrong. At least a dozen of the to plus companies trying to profit from the Comet s reappearance in late Winter and Early Spring have been established specifically to exploit tha cosmic phenomenon. The rest Are currently Active businesses that saw an Opportunity to augment their Normal product lines. One thing that May determine whether some of the new businesses survive is simply the Type of product they offer. The Range is wide. Halcom International of Linwood. N. A. Tor example. Is Selling commemorative medals while Comet fever products of Cotati calif., is Selling glow in the dark clothing and Halley s Comet co. Of Louisville by. Is marketing a computer graphics poster As Well As picnic baskets for Comet parties. There s also a National aeronautics and space administration astronomer who has packaged a Halley s slide show a new Jersey teacher who olfers a Halley s Comet watch plus a Catalon of 50 other items and a los Angeles librarian who is making Halley s pins. Marketing Export my that companies making products such As clothes or telescopes for which there is a Market whether c not there is a Comet May find it easier to survive than Hose making products More closely tied to the Comet itself. But the product itself is not the Only Factor influencing whether the Comet companies will outlast their merchandise. Another is How Strong a reputation they can develop  what kind of marketing networks they can establish one company that Hopes to continue to Supply marketing Halley s Comet merchandise to its existing customers is As Troline products which started 2v years ago with the Sale of 300 Halley s to shirts. Founded by Larry Lawton and Wayne Hicks two air Grattic controllers from Albuquerque. . The company quickly came up with other Halley s products five new shirt designs stickers baseball Caps pins ties and charms. They now have clients at 160 museums and planetariums across the country and Hope to make enough Money from their As Troline products to continue in the to shirt business after Halley s is Long gone. Vavra views their strategy As one that May succeed if museums and planetariums Are desperate for sources of Revenue they May have indirectly identified a Market with a real  he said of Lawson and Hicks. Museum Novelty  May have trouble Linding products with some redeeming educational value they May be seeking new Lorms of  Owen Ryan for example the founder of general Comet industries in Manhattan also Hopes the contacts his company has made pursuing the Cornet new York Tolmei drawing. Niculae Asci business will become the foundation Lor an International marketing business. We want to make sure that when the Comet leaves our reputation is  said Ryan. We Don t want to end up with cosmic egg dust on our  general coma la cantata what it Calls the Olf cml Halley s logo a circular Emblem with the Comet streaming diagonally across it to other businesses Foi use on everything from jogging shoes to cocktail mixes to Cereal boxes. The Logotype even appears on Yogurt covered Comet pills a take Oil of the Comet pills and inhalers sold by entrepreneurs when the Comet last appeared in 1910 to Ward Oft the Tail s Trail of evil Ryan who is also the president of his own advertising Agency Owen Ryan & associates said he started general Comet three years ago As a Lark " he and five partners have now invested More than $1 million in the Comet business and Hope to Gross $10 million by next Spring. It s All a bit of a  he said. I look at the logo on the Wall and i chuckle. But one thing led to another now we re operating in seven  Erma Bombeck t his is the Day when All the list makers com out of the Woodwork. The Day when columnists look either backward or Forward to list Elwir top 10 the 10 Best dressed. The 10greatest moments in sports the 10 top headlines the 10 most outrageous quotes the 10 big Gest disasters the 10 top movies the 10 Best Selling novels and the 10 Bigg so hits. The list thai has always intrigued me is the most admired one. Every year i look at it and try to figure out what our criteria Are or this Honor. I see on it a group of prominent men and women we know Only through the press. Today. I would like to Oder my nomination for All 10 places on the most admired list. My nominee is without age or any particular sex. He lives in a Hospital bed a wheelchair a rest Home at Home in a world of darkness or a prison of silence. His Job survival. His Challenge live with disease and pain. His goal every Day when god opens up a new Day for business he shows up for it. My nominee never looks Back. It s too painful he never looks Forward. It s a luxury. He lives Lor what he has this Day. This hour. This very second. My nominee exists on a diet of optimism and Hope. Occasionally he Falls Oil the emotional diet and pigs out on sell pity but returns again to do Battle. I most adn red entry makes those around him co. Able and goes out of his Way to help us Deal with items. He a jews i s to see in him that nothing is As important As today and nothing As Uncertain As tomorrow he oilers to us a legacy of courage that will  us for years to come. He shows us the Way to laugh Al the things we can do a citing about and cry at the things we can. My faceless nameless nominee will never be on the cover of time. He will never Covel a statue for excellence a prize for courage or make any of the  but my nominee will touch More lives Ellel More change stir More emotion and inspire Moie respect than any other person you will meet in your lifetime. Of Rena Bombeck is on vacation. This is a repeat of one of her favorite columns c in Loi Angeles time Syndicate