About 20 years ago, contractor Tom Mulligan of Goshen, N.Y., received an unusual birthday gift from his wife -- wooden business cards in 25 different species. He's been buying them ever since. "People are surprised," he says. "And they remember you, because they remember the cards."
Wood ... or paper? Wood business cards stand out. Most popular among the 25 species produced by Lenderink Technologies are hard maple and aromatic cedar.
Manufacturer Lenderink Technologies of Belmont, Mich., (
www.lenderink.com) uses its proprietary slicing or rotary machinery to shave veneer 1/200-inch thick then cut it into one- and two-ply cards. They sell the cards blank, laminated, or printed in a variety of ways, including foil stamped. Lenderink sells about $1 million in business cards annually. Most popular are eastern red cedar, because of its pungent odor, and hard maple. The company recently developed a process so the cards can be folded or creased without snapping in half. Another specialty: wooden holiday cards.
