LinkUp program boosts sales and product awareness

2005 Archived News

Increased sales as well as heightened customer and product awareness are results cited in recent surveys of businesses participating in the LinkUp program.

LinkUp, sponsored by the King County Solid Waste Division, uses a team of specialists to provide customized technical and marketing expertise, at no cost, to manufacturers that use recycled materials in their products or that process recyclable materials. The program was launched in April 2000 to expand new markets for recycled materials.

Currently, 18 businesses in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties participate in the program. These businesses process recyclable materials or manufacture a wide range of innovative products using those materials. Examples of these products include blasting abrasives made from recycled glass, pothole cold-patch made from recycled asphalt, furniture made from salvaged hardwoods, and countertops made from a composite of recycled paper and cement.

In the past year, according to survey results, LinkUp partners used more than 630,000 tons of recycled materials. About two-thirds of this material originated in King County.

Nearly three out of four businesses said that the technical assistance they received from the Linkup team exceeded their expectations. A similar percentage reported that the marketing support they received helped them increase sales 'significantly' or 'moderately.' Nearly all (91 percent) reported that their participation in LinkUp added credibility to their supplier and retailer relationships, and many indicated that this increased credibility brought them new customers.

Here are some additional results they reported:

• Schuyler Rubber, Woodinville, Wash. The number of scrap tires used by this manufacturer to produce rubber bucket scraper blades, boat bumpers and other products increased by 20 percent over the past year. Schuyler landed several large contracts, which helped the company realize a $250,000 increase in sales. This increase was attributed in large part to services provided by the LinkUp team, which included editorial and design support for a product ad and assistance with product testing.
• Urban Hardwoods, Seattle, Wash. Urban Hardwoods creates high-end flooring and fine furniture from reclaimed wood. In the past year, this business recycled 149 tons of wood, or about 150 trees, most of them felled in King County because of disease and construction. The LinkUp team introduced this company to potential suppliers or customers – from the City of Seattle arborist to landscapers and construction companies. LinkUp also designed this company's logo and created marketing materials.
• Forest Concepts, Federal Way, Wash. LinkUp helped this business, a manufacturer of products made in part from urban wood waste, better understand the Puget Sound market and availability of recycled materials. In the past two years, Forest Concept's use of recycled materials increased by about 30 percent. The business attributed 10 to 20 percent of that increase to assistance from the LinkUp team.
• Big Shrimpy, Seattle, Wash. This small business, which recycles surplus fleece scraps into pet beds, reported that they nearly doubled the amount of recycled material used in the past year. LinkUp assistance, which took the form of marketing support and media outreach, contributed about 20 percent to that increase.

LinkUp provides a variety of technical and marketing services to businesses, depending on their needs. In the past, this support has included:

• Identifying suppliers of recycled materials to ensure an adequate feedstock.
• Researching public and private organizations that might provide financial incentives to LinkUp partners.
• Facilitating product testing to determine material strength, compression/deflection and other properties.
• Writing and designing product hang-tags, direct-mail postcards and brochures.
• Developing product logos to introduce new recycled-material products to the market.
• Facilitating contacts with potential customers in government agencies within King County and other municipalities.
• Assisting manufacturers with business planning efforts.

Survey results were gathered in October 2004 through written surveys and follow-up telephone interviews.

Businesses interested in learning more about the LinkUp program should contact Kris Beatty, LinkUp program manager at (206) 296-3740 or visit the program's Web site at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/linkup/.