Go GREEN!

You HAD to know that today's blog would be green and totally eco-friendly.

At Heritage we're committed to reducing, reusing and recycling whenever and wherever possible!

REDUCE:
Vegetable oil based inks can be made from a variety of sources including soy-bean, corn and linseed oils. By replacing mineral oil with vegetable oil, this means we can reduce or even cut out volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions. VOCs are carbon-containing gases and vapors that are released from solvents used during the printing process. The most significant environmental impact of VOCs is their formation with vehicle exhaust to form photochemical smog. However, in liquid form VOCs can effect water and soil quality. This is why we have opted to use vegetable oil based inks. Pretty cool, huh?

REUSE:
When it comes to protecting and preserving our environmental resources, perhaps no other organization is as well known and respected worldwide than FSC. Heritage is proud to be FSC certified and to support other FSC certified products and companies. Being FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified gives Heritage customers the choice to print on paper that originates in responsibly managed forests.
As a Chain of Custody certified printer, Heritage is entitled to apply the FSC's "checkmark-and-tree" trademark logo (see below) to projects printed on FSC-certified paper. Heritage is only the third printer in Oklahoma to achieve certification.

The FSC Chain of Custody certification reflects Heritage's commitment to environmentally friendly manufacturing practices and provides our customers an additional option to help reduce the environmental impact of their printed materials. Our customers can be confident that when they ask for FSC certified paper, they will receive it!

RECYCLE:
At Heritage we recycle all waste paper including office paper and all aluminum plates as well.

There are many ways your business can GO GREEN as well! Things like...

• Recycling paper, plastic, aluminum, ink cartridges.
• Reuse packing materials and cardboard boxes.
• Eliminate disposable cups, plates and utensils in the break room. Replace with permanent dishware.
• Switch to rechargeable batteries. Large office supply stores even have collection centers for recycling dead rechargeable batteries.
• Use eco-friendly cleaning products that are biodegradable and non-toxic.
• Purchase energy-efficient PCs, printers, and other equipment with the EnergyStar label.
• Donate or recycle old computers and equipment.
• Keep up with regular maintenance of all mechanical equipment.

Finally, I'll leave you with this St. Patrick's Day picture that has absolutely NOTHING to do with going green, recycling, or the environment. I found it online while googling the word "green"(lesson learned: be careful what you google!) Apparently it was taken in 1987 at the St. Patrick's day parade in New York. Wow. This picture is disturbing on SO many levels, but yet you can't stop looking at it, can you?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We love this guy…

and so will you!

Jerry Funck worked for Heritage in various roles for over 18 years. Unfortunately in 2008 he had to step down from his position with Heritage, due to his battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) disease. AS is a severe form of arthritis that causes inflammation of the joints between the spinal bones and causes joints to fuse together.


At Heritage, we consider Jerry family and knew this year, our golf tournament needed to benefit him. Proceeds will help cover his monthly medications and other medical expenses.

Jerry’s daughter Rachael Funck Chambless, grew up watching her dad work at Heritage and she knew when she grew up she wanted to work at Heritage too! (Okay maybe that’s not how the story went, but she works here now and loves it too!) Anyone who knows them only has good things to say about them. Jerry & Rachael are both sweet, kind, caring, funny, and they mean so much to us at Heritage!




Join us as Heritage presents the …

Friday, May 7th – Crimson Creek Golf Course, El Reno
Shotgun Start 11:30 AM – $50 Per Player
Cash Prizes & Cook-Out Awards Dinner Following Tournament
Mulligan’s can be purchased for $5 each, limit 4 per player.

We would love for you to join us for the day! You can play, help sponsor the event, or do BOTH!

Sponsorship Opportunities

$100 “PAR” – Hole Sponsor
Includes: Company Name & Logo Prominently Displayed on Signage at a Hole

$500 “BIRDIE” - Company Sponsor
Includes: One Foursome, Awards Dinner Cook-Out following Tournament, Player Gift Bags, Company Name & Logo Prominently Displayed on Banners, and Signage at a Hole – WOW, this is a great deal! You’ll be making a donation to a great cause, and 4 people from your office get to have a “meeting” on a golf course for the afternoon. You can’t beat that!

$1000 “EAGLE” – Tournament Sponsor
Includes: Two Foursomes, Awards Dinner Cook-Out following Tournament, Player Gift Bags, Company Name & Logo Prominently Displayed on Banners, Marketing Materials, Website, and Signage at a Hole

Deadline for sponsorship is March 31, Contact KJ at kjohnson@heritagesolutionsok.com and I’ll get you the paperwork you need.

Deadline for team registration is April 9th (or first come, first serve.) Spots are filling up fast, contact KJ to get registered.

It’s a good cause, for a good guy, gonna be good fun, and good prizes…good grief what are you waiting on? Get registered today!

We just help tell the story...

The 2010 Addy Awards Gala was this weekend at the Skirvin Hotel. The Addy's recognize the best creative efforts in the Oklahoma City metro area over the last year. It was a night filled with laughter, fun, cheers, wine, and then more laughter.



The design team at Oklahoma Christian handled the creative to promote the 2010 Addy's. The theme was "We are the Storytellers", and it was perfect! They deserve an Addy for the Addy's. Is that possible? It should be.





Curtis and his wife, Lisa, couldn't stay the entire evening because Curtis wasn't feeling well. (You KNOW Curtis isn't feeling well when he gives away drink tickets!!) Poor guy.



Bad lighting and poor camera operation caused Laurie, Eric and Julie to look angelic in this picture...

My husband (total trooper) came with me for the evening. He wore his funeral tie, I'm not gonna lie, it's his wedding tie too! He hates to dress up. If he can't wear Vans he's not happy, but he sat there and acted happy...maybe it was the Corona talking, I'm not sure.

My favorite quote of the evening was "The Addy Awards is 2 hours worth of awards stretched out over 4 hours!" So, so true.

We'd like to congratulate all our customers who won!

Heritage printed projects for...

3 Bronze Winners

9 Silver Winners

and...

9 Gold ADDY Award Winners!

We were so excited!! Congratulations to all our customers that took home awards...Oklahoma Christian, Third Degree Advertising, Chickasaw Nation, S Design, Ackerman McQueen, Ghost, Visual Image, & Studio fj!! Thank you for letting us HELP TELL YOUR STORY!

Not to TOOT our own horn

I lied. There is a little tootin' going on...

Heritage was recognized as a Top 400 Printer in the December 2009 edition of Printing Impressions magazine. This is pretty much like getting on FORTUNE Magazines 100 Best Companies to work for list. Pretty much.


All kidding aside, this is a great honor! The Printing Impressions 400, provides the industry’s most comprehensive ranking of leading printing companies in the United States and Canada. Heritage has moved up 19 spots from our previous ranking in 2008. There are close to 40,000 printers in the US & Canada, and we're in the top 400...we think that's pretty cool.

We're so excited to be ranked in the Top 400 that we're giving away $400!!!! I'm totally kidding, we're not giving away $400...I just wanted to see if you were still reading.

We do want to say THANK YOU to our customers! You help make that Top 400 happen. We know you have choices, thank you for picking us!

D Day

Remember way back in January when we rolled out our new website?? I'm sure you have it marked on your calendar. If you don't remember (shame on you) we rolled out our new website and had a link to a survey. The surveys were filled out and one lucky winner will receive round trip airfare for two! Well today is D day. DRAWING DAY

The winner is......

drum roll please.........



Brad Redwine from Express Employment Professionals! Yeah for Brad.

When I emailed Brad to tell him he won, I also asked his permission to use his name on our blog. He said I could use his name and he said he loves to promote AIGA when he can! Sooo.......

Brad also sits on the board of AIGA Oklahoma, which is a professional organization for design. You can check out all the cool things AIGA has going on by clicking right here!

(What a good board member! Thinking of AIGA during his moment to shine.)

Well Brad, we appreciate you taking the time to fill out our survey....AND we appreciate the other 122 of you that filled it out too! I wish I had that many plane tickets to give away...really I do.

Harry.

Since it’s almost Valentine’s Day I thought I would introduce to you Harry “The Heritage Heart.” He’s really quite adorable. (Sorry this picture is a little blurry, he would NOT sit still.)


It’s wonderful working at a company that specializes in promotional products….you can get whatever you want! Harry’s a Heritage promo piece for Valentine’s and Healthy Heart Month! (But don’t tell him that, he thinks he’s getting an office.)

When I told him he was going to be featured on the blog he smiled. (Sometimes his smile seems fake, but I hoped this time it was genuine.)

I asked him what he loved about Heritage….

He loves excel. (He's kind of a dorky heart.)

He loves the promotional products sample room. (Especially Betty & Lucy.)

He loves doughnuts.

He loves the Heidelberg.
He loves naps.
He loves the vending machine.
He loves to read.
He loves recycling.

He loves pretty much everything! Well almost everything. He doesn’t love the fact that his back has become a billboard for Heritage. “We LOVE when you call US! ~Heritage 800.654.1713.” He said, “I’m not just another squishy toy, I have feelings too. I don’t wanna parade around with a sign on my back.”

Gimme a break Harry! You should count your blessings. “We LOVE when you call US” is a much better slogan than the one that didn’t make the cut…"For a good time call Heritage.” SEE, told you.


Happy Valentine’s. XOXO


Oh………only a few days left to take our website survey to win round trip airfare for two. You can find the survey by clicking on the link in the upper right corner of the blog! Deadline is February 17th!

Not too Proud to Wear a Silly Hat with Candles on It

I should clarify that statement. We’re not too proud to wear a silly hat with candles on it IF there’s a chance we can win money! (I’ll explain later.)

Each quarter we have employee meetings where departments gather in groups and we cover company info. When I say we cover “company info” we cover everything, which, as an employee, I think is great. It gives us a realistic look at where the company stands on revenue, expenses, manufacturing, sales, and overall growth.

Some companies may not feel comfortable sharing detailed info like that with their employees on a quarterly basis but our fearless leader, head honcho, big man on campus, Papa Smurf, king of the jungle, boss man Dave DeLana has been doing it since 1984. He says, “We’re all in this together! Our employees need to know what equipment we’re buying and they need to understand long-term investments that we make as a company. The meeting brings up great discussion questions and gives employees a better understanding of why we do what we do!”

After each group meets to discuss the company financials we ALL gather together and have a little informal meeting and that’s where the silly hats come in.

We do several things in this meeting. We meet new staff, we recognize employee anniversaries, we usually make fun of someone for something, we laugh, and then we drag out all the birthday folks from that quarter and have them put on their silly birthday hat. All the names are then dropped into a hat and there’s a draw-down.

As names are drawn out of the hat participants are eliminated, all names are drawn until there is one LUCKY birthday participant left! That person win’s an envelope of cash!!!! (I still haven’t heard how much moo-lah is actually in the envelope, but I’ll let you know when I win the next time around. Grin.)

After we’ve humiliated ourselves by wearing silly birthday hats, they feed us!

It’s like feeding angry bears at the Zoo. Small children and the elderly are warned to stay back as the stampede tramples through. The managers are kind enough to put on their hairnets and serve us lunch, which I think is super cool!

Time out, I’m not sure I’ve actually seen them wearing hairnets…and they’re making us wear those silly birthday hats! That is totally unfair…but I guess they do give cash away, and they feed us a good FREE lunch, so I’ll let it slide.