LARGO, FL (December 12, 2013) — A local jewelry maker is taking recycling to a new level by using an unexpected medium for her jewelry — old skateboards. For most, skateboarding and jewelry aren’t an instinctive match, but with creative and innovative leadership, Buffalo-based jewelry business, Trebird, is pairing them beautifully.

Katie McGinnis — artist, jeweler, skater girl and environmentalist — started Trebird with the idea of transforming skateboard scraps into one-of-a-kind colorful earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

With dreams of expanding the business, Trebird entered the Dough to Grow online contest, and with a little help from loyal customers and online friends, Trebird won the dough to keep growing. By leveraging the power of social media to get votes, McGinnis beat out hundreds of other businesses throughout North America to win the “dough” to help the company grow.

Valpak, a leader in print and digital coupons, named Trebird a winner in its Dough to Grow contest. The company will receive a $1,500 prize to be used to help the business grow. The online contest for small businesses employed the power of social media and customer loyalty in search of North America’s favorite small businesses.

Expressing her excitement about winning the award, McGinnis also shares her gratitude, acknowledging how much this prize will help her business grow.

“I was always experimenting making jewelry with different mediums, but I was never completely satisfied, until one day my boyfriend came home from the skate park with a broken skateboard and said, ‘why don’t you make jewelry out of this?’ I realized what a great idea that was,” she said.

Similar to the sport of skateboarding, Trebird's style is about individuality. Since each skateboard has a different story, each piece has unique characteristics. McGinnis explains her uniquely fashionable way of recycling and jewelry-making:

“My friends and fellow skateboarders will often give me their broken skateboards or boards they can’t use anymore. From there it is woodworking — I’ll create some designs and then use my tools (like a hole saw, sander, etc.) to cut out the shapes and holes I need to make the jewelry.”

The prize money comes at an opportune time for Trebird. As her unique product line catches on with customers, orders are picking up for McGinnis. Even when you use recycled skateboard wood, making jewelry is not cheap. “I’m going to be able to use the prize money for all of my supplies,” explains McGinnis. “Supplies can be expensive, so this is the perfect opportunity to get ahead on my orders.”

Valpak launched the Dough to Grow Award because it is keenly aware of the obstacles small business owners must overcome to grow their business. Valpak franchises in more than 170 cities in 45 states and four Canadian provinces partner with tens of thousands of businesses to help them reach new customers and increase the bottom line through print and digital direct marketing products.

“The Dough to Grow contest truly demonstrates how small businesses can harness the power of social media. Trebird’s story is a great example of how a savvy small business can turn online success and customer loyalty into real profit,” said Michael Vivio, president of Cox Target Media, provider of Valpak.

About Valpak®
Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America, is owned and operated by Cox Target Media. With nearly 170 franchises across the United States and Canada, the signature Blue Envelope® delivers coupons and savings to nearly 40 million households each month. Annually, Valpak will distribute some 20 billion offers inserted in more than 500 million envelopes. Valpak also offers digital solutions online through https://www.valpak.com and http://www.valpak.ca, sites offering free coupons, e-commerce and coupon codes. Additionally, the Valpak coupon mobile coupon app for smartphone platforms delivers easy to find savings for consumers. For more information about advertising with Valpak, please contact 1-800-676-6878.

About Cox Media GroupCox
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America’s leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company’s operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 57 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

Contact

Marsha Strickhouser
Valpak
8605 Largo Lakes Drive
Largo, FL 33773
(727) 399-3175
marsha_strickhouser@valpak.com

Elisabeth Holby
919 Marketing
(919) 459-8167
eholby@919marketing.com