Dog Blog: Why Russwood will always work with children and animals

August 19th, 2008

When at the RIAS (Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland) Annual Convention this year we put our brand new (and not cheap!) exhibition stand on display, hoping that it would attract attention for the eye-catching photos of cladding projects, and the beautiful oak floors. While the actual timber samples and flooring boards got a very positive reaction, the Russwood pictures that got the most interest were of a baby and two Labradors.

Sam was our baby model, ably photographed by Ewen Weatherspoon. Sam bore the whole affair with patience and good humour, and was happy to be paid in wooden building blocks (if only the Russwood workforce were so easily pleased!)

The two pooches, Scarlett and Sable, belong to our Flooring Manager, Glen Tonkin, and were more than happy to act as models for the company; only mild bribery was required in the form of biscuits. They took a little more persuading for the Christmas card shots where they pose in a Santa hat and reindeer antlers, but there was no need to call the SSPCA.

While not everyone is a dog lover, or mad about babies, many of our customers are, and that is often the reason behind their choice of flooring. Carpet can be unforgiving of spills and “accidents”, but wooden flooring only ever requires a quick wipe, and perhaps a mop.

Our oak and engineered floors certainly look stunning, but for many people this is a secondary benefit, coming behind being easy to clean and maintain.

Sam is now a big brother, to Joe, and long-serving office Munsterlander Otto has never featured in Russwood publicity, so a new flooring photo shoot may be required soon. Watch this space…

Health & Safety - Is it sensible to allow geeks in a sawmill, or timber-merchants near a website?

July 8th, 2008

The side-effects of growing as rapidly as Russwood has of late have been interesting to say the least. The workforce is outgrowing the office, the timber is outgrowing (as it were) the sheds, and since winning Small Business of the Year in the Highlands and Islands we are having to work hard to contain our egos!

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