I’m here with a Pigalog® cover for the second post in a row because this one received some rare recognition. In fact, it’s recognition that’s about as rare as it gets for catalogs.

The cover below was named one of the 10 best catalog covers in the past 10 years! It appeared on The Big Pigalog® 2009.

Granted, this is a subjective list from one person’s perspective. But the list was in MultiChannel Merchant, the leading trade magazine for catalogs, and the judge is Glenda Sasho Jones, who’s been one of the top catalog consultants for a long time.

Just how long, you ask? Well, get this: Glenda was already a big name in cataloging in 1999, when she published her first list of the Top Ten Catalog Covers. New Pig made that list as well! This was the cover:

We’ve come a long way, piggy! Or at least, that’s what our Creative team tells me when they compare the design and layout of the two covers.

It’s satisfying and humbling to have an expert say that we’ve excelled over the years. The other two companies with covers on both of the Top Ten Covers lists are little outfits called Lands’ End and Patagonia—maybe you’ve heard of them. We’re proud to be in their company.

But what’s really nice is what Glenda Sasho Jones says about the companies whose covers she selected: “They take risks. They’re different. They’re bold and dramatic. They’re extremely relevant to their customer. And most of them generate an emotional response.”

Yes! That’s what we want. We want customers to notice and enjoy how much we care about serving them—and that starts with being noticed, period. We’re glad that we have some catalog covers that do the job!

Just about a year ago, I blogged about our winning the “Academy Award of Cataloging” in our category for the eighth time in a row.

Well, make that nine years in a row. We won again. The official name of the honor is: Gold Award, Industrial Supplies, 25th Annual Multichannel Merchant Awards. Here’s the cover of our winning catalog (which you can browse in its entirety online) :

And just for the sake of accuracy, I failed to mention last year that we had an earlier stretch of winning the award five years in a row.

Yes, we’re grateful for the recognition, but only because of what it reflects about New Pig as a whole: We reach for the highest in our work, which is helping solve leak and spill problems. This means product development, accounting, fulfillment, information technology—every area. We strive to serve our customers as well as any company on the planet. If that means having to find space for awards for catalogs that are judged to be informative, well-organized and maybe even stylish—then we’ll find the room!

P.S. If you want to see what the pig on the cover is using as a hiding place, click here.

Breaking news from the New Pig Absorbatory!

Look at (and listen to) what our intrepid product developers discovered while working on a new way to package PIG BLUE® Absorbent Mat!

This was by accident, not design. Yes, pure sow-rendipity!

That’s the Roll form. Will we coax a GRUNT from PIG BLUE® Absorbent Pads? Stay tuned!

As the Gulf spill crisis continues and response supplies are tight, I’m proud that New Pig is able to say WE HAVE OIL BOOMS. Please click here or on the image to get more info OR call us at toll-free 1-800-HOT-HOGS® (468-4647).

I was in Texas recently (see my hat?) and what did I come across but our Drain ‘N Contain® Oil Recovery Pan!

Give me a three-letter word for what it was there to catch.

The answer is NOT o-i-l. That’s a real live longhorn next to me!

On our web site now is the statement below, a brief summary of a tremendous amount of discussion, study, planning and activity both behind us and ahead of us. We’re all hopeful for success from the latest efforts to limit the damage in the Gulf region.

The oil spill in the Gulf region has potential for tragic environmental consequences. As a leader in leak and spill prevention and cleanup for over 25 years, New Pig Corporation is committed to doing everything in our power to assist in containing, controlling, and cleaning the oil-spill related problems. In addition to our Tipton, PA headquarters, New Pig Corp has a facility based in Mobile, AL, located less than four miles from the U.S. Coast Guard Unified Command Center that is coordinating spill response and recovery efforts. That means we have a team of over 65+ dedicated associates right in the heart of the recovery effort at all times.

We will continue to produce and supply a full range of absorbent booms, mats, and other products throughout this crisis. We are working hard to provide uninterrupted supply for our long-standing customers based on usual demand levels. In addition, New Pig has ramped up production of inventory of existing products to maximum levels and is developing new, targeted spill cleanup solutions that we can quickly make available in high volumes to aid in the cleanup effort.

While it may not be possible to immediately fulfill extraordinarily large product orders, we will make every effort to get the right products to the people and places that need them in the shortest possible time.

For orders, service and tech support, call 1-800-HOT-HOGS® (468-4647).

Click here to see New Pig in our local TV news, including the manufacturing of PIG® Spaghetti Booms, which are among the most effective ways to respond to oil spills on water.

The story mentions that spill response in the Gulf of Mexico could mean business for New Pig, but believe me, our first thought is how to help the people and the environment in this situation. When you see devastating photos of the fire at the drilling rig and of the oil spreading, and when you see people working so hard to contain the damage—it’s not about us, it’s about mourning the loss of human, animal and plant life, and it’s about protecting livelihoods in fishing, tourism and other industries.

I took this picture in such a way as to give away next to nothing about the state-of-the-art product development area behind world-famous PIG® Absorbents. You don’t get to see in, you only get to see out. I’ve even made the name of the facility utterly indecipherable. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-HAAAAAA.