“Things have been so busy that I don’t remember if I ever thanked you for the exceptional job on producing my ER pins. Not only did I love them, but at my installation everyone who received one was as excited about them as I was. They are the hot item in the Lodge! I have already given out over half my order and the State and National Conventions are yet to come! What’s the scoop if I should need more?”
Thanks again - ER Wally
Pin Concepts invites you to visit our booth at the National Elks Convention in Anaheim, July 6-10. Come say hello, pick up your FREE pin, and sign up for a chance to win 300 lapel pins for your lodge! Tim Churchill from the Ohio Elks Association was 2007’s big winner.
We enjoyed our first ever convention in Charlotte, NC last year. We look forward to another great convention seeing new and familiar faces, and fulfilling your custom pin needs. See pictures from last years convention (link)
All orders placed at the convention will receive free shipping! Don’t forget to stop by our booth and receive your FREE pin.
See you in July!
Since 1928 the Elks National Foundation has been working on building stronger communities where Elks live. John F. Malley, then Grand-Exalted Ruler, had a vision to “unite the forces of the Order into a mighty army for the service of mankind.” Starting with a $100,000 grant, Malley established the ENF. Totaling over $17,000,000 in grants and appropriations for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the Elks National Foundation hopes to answer many dreams.
Offering a multitude of college scholarships is among one of the many ways the Elks National Foundation helps support its communities. The Most Valuable Student Scholarship Competition, Emergency Education Fund Grants, and Legacy Awards offer nearly $4,000,000 in funds for children of Elks members to begin or further their college education.
The ENF offers many building blocks for its communities. Programs such as the Elks Drug Awareness and the Elks National Hoop Shoot Free Throw programs provide a positive and strengthening opportunity for youth. Veterans Remembrance through the Elks National Veterans Service Commission and Elks Veterans Memorial Maintenance, have been awarded more than $1,000,000. The Order’s Veterans Service Program provides comfort and aid for America’s veterans. The ENF also supports many local, state, and community specific grants to better the lives of Elks who live and work there.
Over the last 80 years, the Elks National Foundation has supported the present and future Elks of America. By providing an outlet for assistance more children were able to achieve the goal of a college education. This outlet also aided in caring for our veterans and enriching the lives of many in need. This quiet gem survives from donations and gifts of its supporting members. Together they are all working towards a common goal, building a stronger community.
Over the years Pin Concepts has forged many relationships with their customers, all special in their own way. There are certain moments in time that touch Vicki and Wanell’s lives, reassuring them that what they are doing is important. One of those relationships is with the Special Olympics. Pin Concepts has worked closely with the Special Olympics, creating custom medals to make each participant important in their own personal way.
Testimonial from the Special Olympics of Idaho:
Dear Pin Concepts:
The purpose of this letter is to convey Special Olympics of Idaho’s satisfaction with the products, service and prices we have received from Pin Concepts. Over the years, I have worked with several companies that offer similar services, but none with the personal attention and quality offered by Pin Concepts. To top it off, they have the best prices I have seen.
As a non-profit organization, we are approached constantly by companies that produce medals, pins and similar products- I sometimes get several solicitations in a week. I always pay attention because we take each dollar we spend very seriously, and want to ensure we are respecting our supporters by getting the best possible value we can. Wanell at Pin Concepts was informative without being pushy, understood our needs, and made the entire process painless.
I have recommended Pin Concepts to other non-profits that we work along side. With Pin Concepts, I have discovered that some of those businesses were getting half the service, paying three times the price, and still feeling that they were getting a good deal- until they spoke with Wanell. We had artwork done, the product itself, as well as delivery, for one third what we used to pay- and the quality was at least as good, if not better.
I have no qualms about recommending to anyone in the market for a product that Pin Concepts offers. They have saved us a great deal of headaches, time and effort.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Corby Goade
Director of Sports and Training
Special Olympics of Idaho
208-323-0482
Pin Concepts has a long and rich history with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) that spans almost thirty-five years. It all started with a husband and wife named Lee & Doris Fenstermaker who had settled in Upland, CA in the mid sixties with two young sons. Lee had served in the U.S. Army, and when he left the military he started a small trophy shop.
As soon as Lee and his wife Doris joined the VFW they became very active. Doris participated in the women’s auxiliary group, and together they enjoyed their work with the VFW along with their many friends. Lee was approached many times throughout the years to help design custom lapel pins. At first, he just shrugged it aside, but there was a nagging desire to create something new and different. By the end of the 1960’s, Doris-Lee Pins and Medals was born. (Full story coming soon…)
WOW! It’s amazing what twenty years can do in the designing and manufacturing of lapel pins. On this page you will find some of our original work from over the past twenty years (All Real Cloisonné). However, our relationship with the VFW goes back much longer, try 35 years.
Early on, the only type of pin that was made was authentic Cloisonné. During the 80’s, when working with the VFW, real Cloisonné was always the same size and was never over 1″. My, how times have changed! Now, the size of the pin is climbing towards to 1 1/4″, and we have several new processes to choose from. Most of which have slowly become more cost effective than the Real Cloisonné.
Our imitation Cloisonné is one of our most popular - you can’t tell the difference! The Imitation Cloisonné or often called Epola, allows the customer to choose colors from the vast PMS color chart. Imitation Cloisonné offers a much wider range of colors than real Cloisonné pins.
We have also perfected the Stamped soft enamel w/epoxy, which has become a favorite of the VFW. Be sure to check out our website and get familiar with the many processes that we now offer. Take a look at our unique 3D work, which is a special process Pin Concepts is very proud of. We have strived to be the leader in new and different types of pins, and can even combine two different pin process in order to create the most optimal pin for your organization.
Fire crews quickly extinguished the blaze at the Elk’s Lodge temporary building.
The temporary Elk’s Lodge building in Mountain Home, sitting adjacent to the site of the main lodge destroyed by fire in September, was heavily damaged Wednesday morning by its own fire.
Fire crews were called out just after 11 a.m. and arrived to find smoke billowing from the building, a converted double-wide trailer.
A preliminary report at the scene indicated the fire began due to an electrical problem in the building’s heater.
Lodge Exalted Ruler Lynn Fincher and fellow Elk member Bill Thurber were attempting to use the building’s heater when they noticed it was smoking. They turned it off, then tried again a few minutes later. That was when the fire broke out, they said.
According to Assistant Fire Chief Bud Corbus, the building sustained heavy smoke damage and as a preliminary guesstimate, Corbus said that approximately $15,000 to $20,000 in damage was done to the building.
“I guess we’re out of business again,” Thurber said.
The temporary building had been erected to provide basic services for lodge members and administrative support. The main building has been torn down and will be rebuilt. Construction is expected to be completed by late spring or early summer.
Pitch-In and Help the Elks Recover from Their 2nd Fire!
Pin Concepts has donated 500 pins to the Mountain Home Lodge to help with the cost of rebuilding. The pins will have a picture of the Lodge prior to the fire, the Lodge number, the year of the fire, and the logo “WeWill Be Back!”.
Lynn Fincher, Exalted Ruler, will offer the special pins available for sale. You may also order them from the Mountain Home Lodge Secretary, Jim McClure. Jim can be reached at (208) 587-9926.
Let’s all pitch in and help out… buy a pin or order a bunch for your Lodge!
Source: Mountain Home News
The latest update from Tim Churchill, the Pin Concepts Prize Winner from the 07 Convention in Charlotte:
“I was thrilled when I was notified at Grand Lodge in Charlotte that my Lodge had won 300 free pins from Pin Concepts. Working with Vicki and Wanell was easy, as they both went out of their way to see that we had the exact pin we wanted. And what a pin it is!
The design people were patient, caring, and very competent. When I received the pins in the mail, they exceeded my expectations. They are absolutely beautiful, and they have been a real hit in our Lodge. We plan on using them as registration badges for an upcoming District Meeting, and they will be seen by even more Elks.
I could not be happier with our association with Pin Concepts. In fact, we are nearly ready to reorder, and there is no way we would go anywhere else. Thanks, Vicki, Wanell, and Pin Concepts.”
Tim M. Churchill
Exalted Ruler, Swanton (OH) Lodge #2462
Past State President, Ohio Elks Association
Local Elks members and the community suffered a huge loss when a late night fire destroyed the Elks Lodge facility in Mountain Home, but plans are already underway to rebuild the community venue as quickly as possible.
Based on a preliminary investigation, Fire Chief Phil Gridley determined the fire was caused by a burning plastic trash receptacle that had caught on fire and caused two circuit breakers to malfunction.
More than 50 per cent of the building was charred, according to Gridley, and it is likely the entire building will need to be rebuilt, with a damage estimate of $700,000 to $800,000.
Local Elks Exalted Ruler Lynn Fincher commented that the facility had been booked solid with events through the end of the year. “We are going to do what we can to help people who had events scheduled to find another place,” Fincher said.
The Elkette’s Annual Christmas Bazaar, billed as the largest in Mountain Home, will be held November 17, at the Legion Hall.
The Elks Lodge started in Mountain Home in March of 1963 and occupied a building downtown until June 1977, when they moved into their current facility at 325 South 3rd West.
The Elks meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday each month, and until further notice, meetings will be held at the Best Western hotel meeting room. For more information, contact Lynn Fincher at 587-4129.
ATTENTION ELKS MEMBERS!
Pin Concepts is donating 500 pins to the Mountain Home Lodge to help with the cost of rebuilding. The pins will have a picture of the Lodge prior to the fire, the Lodge number, the year of the fire, and the logo “WeWill Be Back!”.
At Winter Convention, Lynn Fincher, Exalted Ruler, will offer pins available for sale. You may also order them from the Mountain Home Lodge Secretary, Jim McClure. Jim can be reached at (208) 587-9926.
Let’s all pitch in and help out… buy a pin or order a bunch for your Lodge!
Photographs and information were provided by Coleen Swenson and Karen Martin of the Mountain Home News.
November 1st-3rd Idaho Elks Mid-Winter Convention
National Elks Association dignitaries from 21 lodges were in attendance along with over 200 other Elks for the Mid-Winter Convention held in Kellogg, Idaho. Friday night featured a “Back to the 50’s” theme, and was a smash hit!
Here’s a few pictures from the convention:
Visit Our Special American Legion Area
Contact Us! 1.800.394.9878
Attention Elks, VFW and American Legion Members!
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