A recent profile of New Pig plays up how we hit the funny bone, but it includes the important point that comedy can only take you so far in our business. Here’s one of the great quotes from Executive VP (and occasional blogger) Doug Hershey:

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we always knew we had to have high quality. If we were funny and had bad products or lousy service, it wouldn’t work.”

Right on, Hersh! A great example of our serious side is our new web page The Stories Behind the Inventions, which highlights the rigorous development behind innovations such as our non-absorbent dikes and drain covers, our lids and funnels, and our containment bags and valve wraps.

Having said that all that … also check out this website dedicated to the proposition that everything should taste like bacon!

Now’s your chance to influence the menu at a minor league baseball park.

This caught my attention only because the team is named the Iron Pigs. Fans (or even random online visitors like me) get to vote on four possible additions to the “Pig Out” food lineup:

• The “Three Little Pigs” Sandwich – Feast on this: Three different types of meat featuring four strips of mouth-watering bacon, two 1/4-inch thick slices of ham and four ounces of succulent pulled pork.  A rich barbeque sauce compliments the meat that is served on a fresh Kaiser bun.
• Diggity Dog – The hot dog has been reinvented with Black Angus beef, two slices of hot-off-the-grill bacon and melted American cheese on a hearty steak roll.  Savor the taste with ultimate array of toppings including fried onion straws and barbeque sauce.
• Double Blast Burger – Imagine the double cheese-burger flipped on its head!  Two, half-pound beef patties, two slices of American cheese, French fries and coleslaw on a fresh Kaiser bun.
• Loaded Fries – French fries crammed with cheese, pulled pork barbeque, chopped bacon, sour cream, chopped tomato and heart-pounding spicy jalapeno peppers.  Don’t forget to grab some napkins!

(Okay, I’m officially drooling. Good thing I have a stack of these on my desk.)

Voting closes Friday, February 11 at 5 p.m. So click now, people, click now! Go to the bottom of this page and look for this poll:

I went to anymarine.com and found a Marine to send care packages to, including a PIG® Hat. He wrote back to me about how the hat was a big hit. Below are some pictures of the guys in his unit with the hat. He said posting these pictures would be okay as long as we didn’t print his name and his unit.

Click on any of the pictures to make it larger.

I do try to enjoy Groundhog Day.

It’s fun. I mean, rodent celebrity? Yes!

It’s local. Groundhog Day Central in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (or Groundhog Zero, as some call it) is only about ninety minutes from New Pig headquarters.

It means good professional jobs for animals in meteorology, cosmetology, wiring, catering, security, hospitality …

And I love the movie. (“Phil?” … “Ned?” … Punch in the face!)

It’s just that I always momentarily hear the words as “Ground Hog Day.” Ground hog … like ground beef. Yikes!

What can I say? It’s been that way since I was a piglet.

Hey, how would you feel about a holiday called “Ground Human Day”?

See? Now who’s got issues?

There’s sleet in Punxsy, PA and at New Pig today. Break out the coveralls and rainsuits! At least Phil the Prognosticator isn’t likely to see his shadow and doom us to six more weeks of winter.