Woodn’t You Hire Him?

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.