Mac Anderson believes there are words to live by. In fact, he has built his career around them.

Anderson, 51, who began collecting favorite quotations as a teenager, is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Successories Inc., a Lombard-based company that produces motivational posters and cards. The colorful posters feature pithy quotes paired with inspirational photos and can be found in many businesses, schools and homes across the country. The Successories product line is sold to corporations and is available to consumers through retail stores, including outlets in Lombard, Naperville and St. Charles.

As one might expect, there are dozens of quotes lining Anderson's walls and desk, along with several framed photos of his wife and son. As he speaks to a visitor, a soothing nature tape gently plays in the background, adding to the inspirational mood.

The Geneva resident sprinkles his conversations with quotes. "One of my favorite quotes is `Attitudes are contagious--is yours worth catching,' " he says. "That's critical in any business. If you have the ability, if you believe in what you are doing, it is contagious."

Successories grew out of a book of motivational quotes that Anderson compiled as part of his employee-recognition company, Celex Industries, in the late 1980s. At that time, most of Celex Industries' business was to provide employee recognition materials, which Successories still offers. The success of that small book, which sold more than a million copies, convinced Anderson that he had found a niche. Celex then became Successories.

"The premise for the posters was very simple," Anderson remembers. "If you're a company, you have to decorate your walls anyway. Why not do it in a way that would share your philosophy of life?"

When he opened the first retail store in 1991, Successories was a $4 million business with 35 employees. Today it's worth nearly $60 million and growing, with nearly 500 employees. The company has outgrown its office space. A new headquarters and manufacturing facility is being built in Aurora, and the staff will move there in July.

Anderson's success did not surprise his wife, Peggy, who always believed he was ahead of his time. "A lot of people are dreamers, but he's a doer," she says. "He believes in his dreams, and it has been exciting for me to see him put his dreams into reality."

Peggy Anderson, 48, says words have become part of their family life. "If we're watching TV, if we're in a bookstore, no matter where we are he's always looking for a quote," she says. "He's always looking for new topics. To me, that's delightful."

For many companies, the quotes hit home. Dan Matica, regional sales manager for the computer software company Informatica in Oak Brook, bought Successories posters for his office and distributed the smaller card versions to employees. "Everybody loved them. Most people took the cards back to their office, framing them or putting them on their desk," Matica says, adding that he bought another Successories poster for his home.

Ken Paeth, manager of the Naperville Successories store, says he sells motivational merchandise to a variety of consumers, from teenage athletes to executives to grandparents. According to Paeth, the 24-by-30-inch framed posters that sell for $89.95 apiece are the best-selling items. Other merchandise, from keychains to posters that provide audio "clips" at the push of a button, range in price from $2 to $120.

Anderson recently provided several of his inspirational posters to Geneva High School, from which his son Blake graduated last year. Chic Williams, dean of students at the school, said he wanted to purchase the posters and wrote to Anderson for a small discount. "He sent them back with a note that he really wanted to donate them because he's a resident of the community," explains Williams, adding that Anderson also recently volunteered to give a motivational presentation to the students. "I didn't sense at all he was doing this as anything but sincere."

Anderson says his products' success among businesses was not a surprise (he says he has sold to dozens of Fortune 500 companies), but he was taken aback by their consumer popularity: "What we did not realize is that we would become a unique source for gifts, for people who have other people they want to buy for."

Whether for families or human resource managers, the products seem to strike a chord. "I think that the right quote helps you bring your goal into focus," Anderson says. "It's like looking through the lens of a camera: If you tweak it just the right way, it all becomes quite clear. To me, a quote is much the same way. It becomes clear in your mind what your objective is. I love quotes for that reason."

Anderson has long been interested in making businesses profitable. "I've been (an entrepreneur) all my life," he says. A Tennessee native, Anderson moved to Chicago at 27 to work in sales and marketing for Orville-Kent Foods, where the owner offered him 10 percent of the business. He helped that small catering company expand from one state to 24 and from $2 million to $20 million in sales. In 1980, he sold his interest in Orville-Kent and started the McCord Travel Co., which specialized in commercial and incentive travel. Anderson sold McCord Travel to Helene Curtis in 1984, while it was making $15 million a year in sales.

It was during his time at McCord Travel that Anderson hired Michael McKee, a graphic designer. When Anderson sold the travel business to found Celex Industries, McKee came along. Now senior vice president and art director, McKee helped develop the Successories line of posters by finding the right photographs and artwork and helping Anderson find new quotes. Of Anderson, he says, "There are different kinds of leaders and managers. He's a sincere, soft-spoken guy. You believe him, and he is a natural leader."

Anderson stepped aside as president of Successories two years ago to focus on his role as chairman and CEO. Jim Belltrame, formerly with Hyatt International, was hired as president.

Anderson still puts in long hours helping develop new products and working on the company's vision of the future. His goal, he says, is to have Successories reach $100 million in sales before 2000. He is, of course, constantly looking for new quotes and images.

Anderson occasionally speaks to local business groups and companies and, in his spare time, enjoys golfing and spending time with his family. "I feel like I've been able to walk the line pretty well, that I've been a pretty good husband and father," Anderson says. "There might be some regrets along the way, but I feel very good about what I've been able to accomplish on the family side as well as the business side."