We are in our 60th year of calendar production. Sixty years is a long time for any company to stay in business. I often wonder what are the things that go into a company that produces virtually the same product, in the same format, year after year?

First of all, we have the greatest customers in the world! There are GBC calendars in homes all across our country. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find a list of organizations that will produce their 50th anniversary calendar in 2010. There are 444 more groups that have been producing calendars for more than 50 years. Our calendars are well established in communities because people enjoy a product they can use every day that is all about their neighbors and where they live.

Secondly, the people who make up the Gordon Bernard Company are a very dedicated group. At our Christmas party this year, we had two pressmen who were honored for 50 years of service. In January, we had a retirement party for three other individuals with a combined 124 years of service. Even though they are retiring, most likely we will see them back at work when we get into the heavy production time next fall.

And lastly, our products are a good value that promote friendship and community. In recent years, we have expanded our products beyond our basic wall calendar with a tear-off pad, but calendars are still our main theme. Our Community Birthday Calendars are popular because people love to see their name in print. School Activity Calendars contain information that every family needs. We have documentation that the fire safety tips on our Fire Safety Calendars have saved lives. In all these formats, local businesses are being  promoted, rather than losing business to a fundraising project.

On behalf of all of us in the Ohio home office, thank you for the opportunity to serve your organization. If your group is not yet sponsoring a calendar, contact your area representative or the home office and we will be happy to help you get started.

Bruce Linafelter
National Sales Manager

 

New How To Videos Available

We have created a series of How-To videos covering several aspects of our ordering process. The videos can be viewed from our web site at any time and viewed as many times as needed. Below is a short description of each video followed by a link to the video. Most computers will allow you to click on the link and go directly to the video. You will need to be connected to the Internet to view the video. If the video does not start after clicking on the link, click here.

Transferring A Calendar Database From One Computer To Another
The GB EZ program stores all data entered into the program in a file named, CalendarData2000.mdb. This file contains all listings, households, salespeople, advertising, and order information. When GB EZ is installed on a computer, a blank database is installed. The Gordon Bernard Company will store the database from the previous order. This file can be emailed or sent on disk. It can also be moved from one computer to another. This short video shows how to move the CalendarData2000.mdb file from one computer to another.

Moving The Calendar Database With Vista
We are experiencing an issue with copying and pasting our CalendarData2000.mdb file into the Calendar System folder. When GB EZ is installed on a computer for the first time, a blank database is installed at the same time. In order to work with your listings from past years, the CalendarData2000.mdb backup file must be copied into the Calendar System folder, replacing the blank database that was installed when GB EZ was installed. Before Vista, this was a simple process of copying the file, navigating to the Calendar System folder, and pasting the file into the folder. Windows Vista does not function the same way. This video will help overcome some of the security built into Vista.

Adding Listings to GB EZ
A listing is a birthday, anniversary, or a community/school event that is to be printed on the date squares of the calendar. The number of characters and spaces allowed on a single line will vary depending on the characters in the listing. GB EZ does not count characters and spaces, rather it measures the amount of space used. A w takes up more space than an i. There is a Space Used box in the lower left corner of the Add Listings screen. Adding listings is what GB EZ is all about. If this is your first time using GB EZ, watching this video will speed up the process of entering listings.

Entering Two Line Listings
If you reach the maximum length allowed for a one-line listing, GB EZ will prompt you with a message. Click here to see how GB EZ determines where to break the listing and how to change the break location.

Entering February 29 Listings
Entering listings for February 29 is a slightly different process in a non-leap year. A computer will recognize and display February 29 in a leap year only so we had to devise a way to allow February 29 listings in non-leap years. Click here to see how.

Entering Recurring Events
If your service club meets every first and third Monday, there is no need to enter all 104 listings one at a time. The Recurring Event feature lets you enter the listing one time and designate how often you want the listings repeated throughout the year. This video will save you hours of entry time.

Changing Your Starting Month
Before you start updating your listings for your next calendar, it is important to change your starting month. GB EZ will move all your listings to the correct calendar date in the new year, but there are a few things to consider before you make the move. Find out all the questions you should ask yourself before changing the starting month in this video.

Conventions, Conferences, and Trade Shows
Did you know that we attend over 100 conventions, conferences, and trade shows every year? You can see which shows we will be attending by clicking here. If you are attending a convention where we will be exhibiting, stop by the booth, we may have your calendar on display. If you know of a convention or conference that has an exhibit floor that we are not attending, let us know and we will see if we can work it into our schedule.

Contacting Us

Most states have a regional sales manager who is available most anytime to assist you with questions you may have about your calendar order. All states are supported with a toll free number and an email address. Click here to obtain the number and email address for your state. If you need to contact the GBC Home Office, call 1.800.531.1484 or send emails to info@gordonbernard.com.

Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. We also have a customer service representative who will answer you calls most evenings from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Use the same toll free number listed above to reach us after regular business hours.

50th Anniversary Calendar

The following groups are in their 50th year of calendar production with the Gordon Bernard Company. In some cases, the group listed below is not the group that started the calendar, but a GBC Calendar has been part of the community for 50 years nonetheless. Congratulations on your 50th issue and we look forward to serving you for many years to come!

BUHS Booster Club, Salome, AZ
Big Valley 8th Grade Class, Bieber, CA
Redwood Rockettes, Crescent City, CA
Ione Picnic Association, Ione, CA
Our Lady of Roses, Newman, CA
Bainbridge Lions Club, Bainbridge, GA
Toccoa Lions Club, Toccoa, GA
Valley Booster Club, Eden, ID
Swan Valley American Legion Auxiliary, Swan Valley, ID
Trinity Lutheran PTL, Hoffman, IL
Howe Lions Club, Howe, IN
Augusta Lions Club, Augusta, KS
Sylvia Public Library, Sylvia, KS
Kensington Lions Club, Athol, KS
Friendship Community Club, Friendship, ME
Winterport Women's Club, Winterport, ME
Stanley Beane Post #99, Bingham, ME
Town of Newburgh, Newburgh, ME
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Detroit, MI
Fertile Lions Club, Fertile, MN
North Pemiscot HS Sr. Class, Wardell, MO
Poplar Music Department, Poplar, MT
Hinsdale American Legion Auxiliary #45, Hinsdale, MT
Lucky Charms, Jordan, MT
Carter County 4-H Council, Hammond, MT
Westmoreland P.T.A., Westmoreland, NH
Argyle Central School PTSA, Argyle, NY
Churchville Lions Club, Rochester, NY
Stanford Lions Club, Stanfordville, NY
Geneva Business & Professional Women, Geneva, NY
Bloomfield Lions Club, E. Bloomfield, NY
Phelps Lions Club, Phelps, NY
Wadesboro Civitan Club, Wadesboro, NC
Stoney Creek Alpha Circle, Pikeville, NC
Green Camp Lions Club, Marion, OH
Jonathan Alder Music Boosters, Plain City, OH
Sycamore Lions Club, Sycamore, OH
Berlin Heights Kiwanis Club, Berlin Heights, OH
Canton South Band Boosters, Canton, OH
Deshler Lions Club, Deshler, OH
Parkman Boy Scouts Troop #76, West Farmington, OH
Sebring Music Boosters, Sebring, OH
Lyons Christian Church, Lyons, OH
Elkton Lions Club, Elkton, OR
Cannon's Camp Ground Ruritan Club, Chesnee, SC
Morgan H. S. Troyettes, Morgan, UT
Monticello Boy Scout Troops, Monticello, UT
Jacksonville Community Church, Whitingham, VT
Colton HS Music Dept., Colton, WA
Flemington Elementary Sch. PTO, Flemington, WV
Cokeville High School Jun Class, Cokeville, WY

Coupons

Adding coupons to your calendar is a great way to add value for your calendar customers and promote your businesses at the same time in a different way. Coupons can be added to the backside of a tear sheet calendar pad or the back cover of a pictorial calendar.

With tear sheet calendars, the potential for greater value to the customer, advertiser and sponsoring organization is huge. Everyone wins!

Let's take a 500 calendar order with six coupons on the back of each monthly sheet. This will result in 36,000 coupons placed in circulation (500 calendars X 12 monthly sheets X 6 coupons) during the course of the year. Each business will have 500 new coupons each month for a total of 6,000 coupons for the year.

To demonstrate the value of the coupons, let's estimate there is a savings of $10.00 when four of the six coupons are used. Each individual household will have 72 coupons to use throughout the year (six on the back of each monthly sheet). For the calendar customer purchasing a calendar for $7.00, the purchase price has been recouped just during the first month. And, even better, there are still 68 coupons remaining to used throughout the remainder of the year.

Now look at the business side. The local pizza company decides to put a large for medium charge offer as their coupon. If a medium pizza sells for $10.00 and throughout the course of the year 2% of the coupons are redeemed (a little lower than the national average), the business will see a return of 120 coupons (6,000 coupons X 2%). On the pizza alone, the business will realize a minimum $1,200.00 in income. Everyone knows that when you go to a pizza place, you don't order just pizza, so the business has additional revenue generated by the pop and appetizers you order to go with your pizza.

For the organization sponsoring the calendar, the coupons create another profit center. Most calendar sponsors charge at least as much for the coupons as they charge for display ads. If the display ads are selling for $100.00, six coupons will gross an additional $600.00. The production charges for coupons are the $6.25 typesetting charge per coupon and $10.00 for each month the coupons are printed. In this case, the cost to the group would be $157.50 for a net profit of $442.50.

The above scenario uses a low number of coupons. We see many groups with many more coupons on the back of the sheets. If you obtain 12 coupons, your customer recoups more, there are now 72,000 coupons in circulation, and your organization will make an additional $885.00. Everyone comes out a winner!