Dave Florence, the founder of list management and brokerage firm Direct Media Inc., is continuing negotiations to acquire the company from database concern Acxiom Corp., Conway, AR, after the sudden departure earlier this month of one of DMI’s top executives, according to sources close to the company. Ralph Drybrough, who was senior vice president of the business-to-business division of Direct Media, left suddenly this month. Attempts to reach him were unsuccessful, and other executives at the company declined to comment on the reasons for his departure.
Drybrough, along with fellow business-division leader Mark Joyce, had been negotiating to acquire the business division of Acxiom back from DMI separately from the consumer division, but Acxiom rejected their plan, he told DM News in November. Florence, who had been leading an effort to buy the consumer division, reportedly agreed to buy the entire company back from Acxiom. Florence said he could not discuss the matter and no further details were available.
