Get the most out of your Inc. online experience by registering and joining the Inc. community today. Get access to all Inc.com content and priority invites to free Inc. networking events in your area.

Login using:


Or login directly through Inc.com

All the President's Mail

Peter Valcarce is a direct marketer with a mission: to get Republicans elected.

By Mike Hofman |  @mikehofman   | 
 

Dossier

WHO: Peter Valcarce, 39

WHAT: President of Arena Communications, a $3.9-million direct-marketing company based in Salt Lake City. Valcarce owns 60% of Arena; partner James Ohman owns the rest.

WHY: To help Republicans get elected.

ROOTS: Son of orchard owners in Utah.

FIRST VOTE: Pulling the lever for Ronald Reagan in 1980 while an 18-year-old freshman at Brigham Young University.

FIRST POLITICAL JOB: Working in the Utah office of Senator Orrin Hatch.

WHY DEMOCRATS ARE BAD FOR THE ECONOMY: When Democrats took control of the Senate in 1987, Hatch lost his post as Labor Committee Chairman -- so Valcarce lost his job.

STUMPED: Worked on Salt Lake City's first Olympics bid. Managed a losing congressional campaign in Utah.

HOUSE OF UNREPRESENTATIVES: Valcarce launched Arena in 1996. Clinton's easy victory that year meant that few Republican challengers won House seats. But four of Arena's first five clients were elected. The fifth -- Jane Swift, of Massachusetts -- lost her House bid but went on to become the youngest governor in the United States.

MOST CONSERVATIVE CLIENT: Utah representative Christopher Cannon, one of the 13 House managers during Clinton's impeachment.

FAVORITE CLIENT: New Mexico representative Heather Wilson. "You can see her becoming a fast-rising star in the party."

RANKING CLIENT: George W. Bush

WHERE VALCARCE WAS DURING THE FLORIDA RECOUNT: Tahiti, on a cruise booked before the chads hit the fan. "I felt a little out of it because the ship only received a one-page summary of the news each day," he says.

A JANUARY SURPRISE: At a fete Valcarce threw for his clients at a D.C. restaurant during inaugural festivities, an uninvited guest caused a stir: Monica Lewinsky. "She looks just like she does on TV," Valcarce says.

Incubator

High Concept
Doctor, Doctor. Give Me the News
Any Place, Any Times
Grind to a Halt
The Fine Print

Dossier
All the President's Mail

Search
InfoPosse

Main Street
God is in the Detailing

Markets
The Surprise Economy

Seen
Consecrated Commerce

60-Second Business Plan
Veggie-Burger Kings

Business for Sale
Want a Novel Idea?

Please e-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.

Read more:

  • Hot or Not? What the Web Thinks About Your Brand
  • Super Bowl XLVI: 3 Winning Ads
  • 5 Ways to Look More Professional

    • Mike Hofman

    Mike Hofman was previously editor of Inc.com and a deputy editor at Inc. magazine, which he joined in 1996. The site was nominated for a National Magazine Award for Digital Media in 2010, and was named the best business website by Folio Magazine. In 2006, Hofman was part of a team of writers nominated for a Webby Award for best business blog. He lives in New York City.


    Sign-up for our Sales and Marketing Newsletter