MarketingA Case in PointDURUM INDURE TorZosustainable surfacesfour unique choicesshown inCOCOA1•503•982•7455info@<strong>to</strong>rzosur faces.com • www.<strong>to</strong>rzosur faces.comSheryl SouthwellPresident, Specialty Polymers, Inc.Creating a new sustainable product and taking it <strong>to</strong> market.In 1989, my father developed a unique process that allowedwood <strong>to</strong> be infused with an acrylic resin. The processconverted wood in<strong>to</strong> a hard, durable material. The expecteduse would be for boat decks – the infused wood did not requireyearly maintenance like teak decks needed. However in 1992,the project was put on hold, there was no money <strong>to</strong> bring it <strong>to</strong>market.In 2003, we began experimenting with the process again usingdifferent types of woods and even added dyes <strong>to</strong> the process. Thiscreated a wide variety of looks and colors. Once we fine-tunedthe infusion process, Specialty was ready <strong>to</strong> introduce the product.It was called WoodSure , and we began showing samples ofmaterial made from maple. The infusion process and dyes enhancedthe grain of the wood and resulted in a product with a big wowfac<strong>to</strong>r. As beautiful as WoodSure was, it struggled <strong>to</strong> take off.The Start of TorZoA Pressed Board Sustainable Surface MaterialWhile experimenting with WoodSure materials,we discovered that some pressed boards worked really well. Wefound that environmentally friendly materials like mediumdensity fiberboard (MDF), oriented strand board (OSB), a boardmade from recycled wheat stalks and a board from sunflowerseed shells worked very well with the acrylic infusion process.At this time we were working with another company that wasfamiliar with the environmentally friendly market. They wantedthe opportunity <strong>to</strong> market and sell the boards. After creating aseries of names, literature and marketing materials, they beganselling the materials in 2007.ORIENT ELEGANT & ECO-FRIENDLYTorZo is an elegant, durable and sustainable surfacematerial manufactured from agricultural by-productsand recycled wood. Available in four standard colors,as well as cus<strong>to</strong>m colors, TorZo products are ideallysuited for a variety of applications in both residentialand commercial markets.Through a unique acrylic infusion process, TorZo surfacesare transformed from sustainable materials <strong>to</strong> surfacesthat are elegant, hard and very durable. TorZo is also theperfect material for vertical applications like wall panelingand cabinets. Easy <strong>to</strong> cut, glue and coat, fabrication withTorZo is quick and simple.In January 2008,the partnershipfell apart and Specialtyhad <strong>to</strong> regroup. Weneeded <strong>to</strong> figure outhow <strong>to</strong> market theproduct ourselves.There had alreadybeen significantcapital investedin productionequipment, inven<strong>to</strong>ry,development and setting up asupply chain. Taking in<strong>to</strong> account thatinvestment, as well as the recession, there wasvery little money available for marketing.endless possibilitiesshown inNATURALSince the entire TorZo family of products is madefrom sustainable materials, they can contribute <strong>to</strong>LEED certification when used in green building projects.This makes TorZo the ideal product for environmentallyconscious builders and designers.How <strong>to</strong> develop a brand and product names on a shoestring?My brother Jeff and his wife were on vacation, and were tryingout various two-syllable words. One of the names they came upwith was TorZo. Research on the Internet showed that it didn’thave any meaning, and the domain name was available – TorZoSurfaces was born. The four different products were named bythrowing ideas out at one another, and then researching if thename was available <strong>to</strong> trademark.My son and his friend <strong>to</strong>ok it from there. Understanding thatthe product sells <strong>to</strong> the green market they developed a logoand color scheme that gave the product the “feel” we wanted.Next was the product literature, followed by a series of othershown inshown inONYXCOPPERTorZoSEETA PRODUCT INFORMATION: Indure is an elegant line ofsustainable surfacesenvironmentally friendly sustainable surface materials from TorZo.Manufactured in the Pacific Northwest, Indure represents thecommitment by TorZo <strong>to</strong> provide the building industry with stylish,durable and sustainable surface materials.SUSTAINABLE: Made from 65-percent composite wood fibermaterial, Indure is an excellent fit for any green building project.Since Indure is 100-percent urea formaldehyde free and containssuch a high amount of recycled material, when used in a green buildingproject it can contribute <strong>to</strong> the project’s LEED certification.DURABLE: At the heart of the Indure line of surfaces is an acrylic resin.This resin not only gives Indure an elegant, concrete-like beauty, but it alsogives it a hardness coefficient twice that of most hardwoods. Since Indureis incredibly hard, it is the ideal material for high wear applicationssuch as table<strong>to</strong>ps, counter<strong>to</strong>ps, vanities and furniture.DISTINCT ST YLING: Indure has a stylish, sleek contemporarylook that makes it an excellent choice for many commercial and residentialenvironments. Indure comes in four elegant colors: onyx, cocoa, copperand natural.DESIGN FLEXIBILIT Y: Indure’s style, ease of fabrication,durability and elegant colors make it the perfect sustainable surfacematerial for both horizontal and vertical projects.AVAILABLE IN:OnyxNaturalCocoaCopperINDURE IDEAL FOR:FurnitureVanitiesTable<strong>to</strong>psCounter<strong>to</strong>psFlooringKEY FEATURES:DurableEasy <strong>to</strong> fabricateHigher stainresistance thanconcretePage 18<strong>SEDCOR</strong> Enterprise Magazine
materials. Every time we thought we weredone, we found we needed something else– business cards, sample boxes, labels, anddistribu<strong>to</strong>r training materials. Since TorZois promoted as a green product, we felt thatit was important <strong>to</strong> print all literature andmaterials on recycled paper. Despite the extracost involved, we feel this shows TorZo iscommitted <strong>to</strong> the environment.Once the logo, and trade names were set,we began promoting TorZo as a sustainablesurface material perfect for both horizontaland vertical applications. As orders werereceived, Dan Sullenger, Oregon Bathand Kitchen has provided us with excellentfabrication skills. Dan has been instrumentalin taking the slabs we sell, and fabricating,coating and installing the TorZo products. Afew of our local installations include 77 tablesat the Portland International Airport forLaurelwood Restaurants, 270 workstationsfor Boora Architects, in Portland and 40tables for New Season’s S<strong>to</strong>res around thePortland area.Specialty Polymers also announced that RooProducts Inc’s newest product, EcoClear,was named one of the best new <strong>to</strong>p 10environmentally friendly products for 2009by Natural Homes Magazine.EcoClear is an all-purpose, environmentallyfriendly adhesive which contains noformaldehyde and has no Volatile OrganicCompound (VOC) emissions, part ofthe new RooGlue Green line from RooProducts. It is the ideal glue for a wide rangeof applications and can be used for buildingand construction projects, crafts and homerepairs. It is also perfect for difficult <strong>to</strong> bondsubstrates such as metal, plastic, glass orceramics.Roo Products, Inc., a privately held companywith headquarters in Woodburn, Ore.,and sells water-based adhesives underthe RooGlue label. Long known for itsRooClear® melamine adhesive, the RooGlueline has expanded <strong>to</strong> include adhesives <strong>to</strong>meet almost any need.Call 503-981-7523 or visit www.roogreen.com and www.<strong>to</strong>rzosurfaces.com.We Believe it’s All AboutIndustrial, Clerical, Executive, MedicalTemp, Temp <strong>to</strong> Permanent and Direct HireT H E M A RY L H U R S T M B ATailored <strong>to</strong> the unique needs of working adultsConvenient ProgramsFlexible Schedulingpeople • integrity • serviceAbsolutely Committed.503-485-21751555 Hawthorne Avenue NESalem, OR 97301www.personnelsource.comRelevant CurriculumYear-Round AdmissionsFor details about future information sessions, contact an advisor atmba@marylhurst.edu or 503.675.3960.M A R Y L H U R S T U N I V E R S I T YAcademic excellence since 1893. www.marylhurst.edu/mbaMBSedDue4.7Sussap503www.sedcor.comPage 19
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