engraved wood

With the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games fast approaching so are the deadlines for our corporate gift orders for Olympic sponsors and partners. The Richmond Olympic Oval was a logical client for us and our work at Tradeworks Custom Products, the downtown eastside Vancouver social enterprise that uses pine beetle salvaged wood to create sustainable corporate gift and promotional items for our clients. The best gifts are those that tell stories and with the Richmond Oval using pine beetle wood on their extensive wooden roof it was a perfect fit. Besides the gift tags you see pictured to the left we also had blanket boxes made from denim pine/blue pine and engraved with their logo as corporate gifts for digniaties coming to Vancouver for the Games.

Top 3 reasons how sustainable gifts add value to companies

1) Walk the talk - gain legitimacy by integrating your values into your story and communications. If you're a green business and giving out low quality products made in a far off land what does it say about your business and how you value your relationships?

2) Be memorable - it's all in the story. If your building's made from Pine Beetle wood then your gifts should be too!

3) Engage and empower your employees. Working with social enterprises to source products and services for your business can add value on the HR side as well. We're always happy to set up tours for our clients so they can meet the people working hard to improve their lives.

A month back I had an amazing experience. As Alex and I were delivering gifts into the new Woodward's building we met an amazing woman named Annie. As we rode the elevator together with a dolly full of gifts ready for the new homeowners, Annie asked us if the wooden boxes the gifts were packaged in were from Tradeworks. We confirmed and Annie went on to tell us that she had participated in training programs at Tradeworks and that it had helped her get her where she is today, gainfully employed working construction on one of Vancouver's highest profile developments.

The gifts were a selection of green cleaning products and sustainable lifestyle items destined for the suites of new homeowners, with each gift packaged in a an engraved pine beetle wooden caddy made by Tradeworks Custom Products. As I've been writing about for the last year, Tradeworks is a social enterprise that trains and employs women in carpentry living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Besides gaining tradeskills and work experience the program builds participants confidence and self esteem while preparing the women for careers in the trades.

Walking the talk

Woodward's is a landmark development in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, creating space for not only the privilaged but also providing a range of social housing, for families, single people and also the physically challenged. W2, the community media arts center, will also find home in the Woodward's block. We always thought it was great that Westbank, the developers of the project, wanted to include the wooden boxes from Tradeworks in the welcome gift program for Woodwards but to see that creating employment opportunities for DTES residents is not only a commitment but also a reality was something that really hit home for me. Business is a powerful tool that can improve the world. Gifts can be a lot more than just cool stuff and it feels real good to know the work we're doing is helping to make things better.

We’ve heard nothing but rave reviews from all our clients who give out our chocolate truffles. High quality hand made artisan organic chocolate truffles, fresh and made to order in Vancouver, BC. Joanne and Carlos are quite the working couple with Joanne’s masterful skills in the chocolate shop and Carlos’ friendly nature as the face on their deliveries to the city. Cocoawest has a really nice chocolate café and Bed & Breakfast on Bowen Island where they live and make their amazing products. Really popular this season were handmade wooden boxes, made from Mountain Pine Beetle and filled with Cocoawest truffles.