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!

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.

Below is a transcript of a voice mail from Jeff, a driver who called me after coming to our warehouse. I called him back and told him how glad I was to hear what he said and got permission to share his words. I couldn’t be more proud that he had such a great experience. Thank you to all the Piggers who make this happen day after day after day!

I’m a driver and I just loaded over at the Pig plant. I just wanted to let you know, I’ve been driving a truck for 20 years, and that was one of the most organized group of people in your shipping department.

From the time I pulled up to the dock to the time I shut my doors was maybe 15 minutes. From a truck driver’s point of view that’s very, very important.

I just wanted to commend your shipping crew there. It says a lot for the whole company, in my opinion. I just wanted to let you know they did a great job.

It is easy for people to complain when people do bad, but those guys and ladies did a super job. I had no clue I would be loaded that quick.

And I just wanted to tell you I appreciate it, and I appreciate their effort. It looks like the whole place is run that way.

Thank you. Have a nice day.

This morning, there was a nice company-wide email from New Pigger Justin Stroup (pictured below) thanking the volunteers that he had gathered to come out on Saturday morning and help clean up New Pig’s adopted section of nearby Route 220.

Specifically, besides Justin, his wife & daughters and yours truly, there were Bob Lamborn & his daughter, Lynette Whetstine, Charlie Gibbons and Roger Podelco.

We filled roughly 45 garbage bags and collected several tires, signs, and other larger scraps. The road has never looked better.

It really is a “crazy ’bout clean” thing to volunteer to do, the camaraderie is great, and it’s an overall fun little work-out.

The next trash pick-up will be in the spring, probably April or early May. If you’re swinging by One Pork Avenue and coming from the direction of Bellwood, notice the new Adopt-A-Highway signs along the road that say NEW PIG CORPORATION!

P.S. Here are some New Pig products that come in handy for highway litter control:

Traffic Vest

Canvas Single Palm Work Gloves

Seamless String Knit Gloves

TheWiseMarketer.com recently noted the following (NOTE: The site requires registration):

(emphasis added below)

Through studies across 36 countries, researchers have validated warmth and competence as being universal dimensions of human social perception, and found that warmth includes traits such as friendliness, helpfulness, sincerity, trustworthiness and honesty, while competence is reflected by traits such as intelligence, skill, creativity, efficiency and effectiveness…

But some highly successful brands such as Zappos and USAA instinctively employ warmth and competence principles in building legendary brand loyalty, Malone reported: “Despite this, the ‘warmth and competence’ model – and its business potential – have remained largely unknown outside of the field of social psychology. But brands now have the opportunity to consciously apply this model to build more durable and lasting customer relationships.”

ConGRUNTulations to Zappos and USAA for being recognized for those qualities. I hope and believe that New Pig is seen that way as well!

P.S. I know you’re just as curious as I was what comes up first when you search the word “WARM” at newpig.com. Here you go.

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).