P D R November 2011 59

Kathy Ireland, who built her

name as a successful model and ac-
tress, masterfully channeled her fame
into the creation a global corporate
powerhousea design and marketing
firm known as kathy ireland World-
wide

, (kiWW

).
Over the better part of two decades,
the marketing aura of the Kathy Ireland
name has turned this company into the
worlds largest licensing firm that is as-
sociated with one specific individual.
The endeavors of kiWW span such con-
sumer products as fashion, fine jewelry,
handbags, skin care products, furniture,
flooring, area rugs, lighting, bedding,
window coverings, fabrics, decorative
accessories, cabinetry, books, exercise
videos and so much more. All totaled,
its a dizzying array of products that
encompass more than 45,000 SKUs
sold in 50-plus countries.
A recent addition to the kiWW
universe is a unique line of stains and
sealers offered in colors that fit the
unique application and performance
properties to set them apart from other
products in the marketplace.
One of the beautiful things about
this product line is that it will cover
all the bases for the dealers who carry
the line, said Ned Matteson, CEO of
GG Innovative Products, Inc. The
stains in our line are not acrylic, so
they wont flake off or delaminate over
a short period of time, and the sealers
are some of the best products available
on the market. I would put our sealers
up against any other sealer available
in todays market. These products are
formulated to last for many years. They
are low in VOC, low in odor, but exceed
the performance characteristics of oil
and solvent-based products as well as
providing the rich luster that usually is
absent in water-based products.
Several of the products come in con-
centrate form. Thats another great
benefit for the retail store, since it en-
sures that shipping costs are low and the
I N d u s t r y p r o f I l e
KATHY RELANDS SENSE OF FASHON AND DESGN ENHANCES A NEW PRODUCT LNE
FOR NTEROR AND EXTEROR SURFACES
THE MarkETing aura
of
kathy Ireland
Kathy Ireland sense of fashion and
design. The product line, specifically
formulated to bring beautification
to a variety of interior and exterior
surfaces, is known as kathy ireland
Design Surfaces

by GG Innovative
Products Inc.
GG Innovative Products, based in
Bend, Ore., manufactures long-lasting
products that are offered at sensible
prices and backed by unparalleled cus-
tomer service and training. The prod-
ucts in the kathy ireland Design Sur-
faces

lineup have been meticulously

tested over time to ensure that they have
60 November 2011 P D R
product will not take up a lot of space
on the shelf, Matteson explained.
Each product has distinct character-
istics for beautifying wood or concrete
surfaces, as described below:
kathy ireland Wood Stain

The wood stain is a low-VOC, no-

odor product that, while not oil-based,
provides the same rich results that can
be achieved through oil-based stains
with none of the application drawbacks.
This long-lasting wood stain, which
comes in a concentrate form, is easy
to apply, penetrates well and can be
used inside and outside on a variety
of surfaces such as hardwood, decks,
fences and more.
Not an acrylic stain or tinted sealer,
this is a true stain that penetrates well
and has the highest level of UV resis-
tance available, achieving the highest
rating (8) on the light-fastness scale of
1-8. We have surfaces where the color
is still holding strong after 10 years, re-
ported Matteson, adding that the product
comes in a selection of 16 great colors.
Unlike most hardwood stains, which
require the contractor to get down on
his knees to apply the product with a
rag and then again to remove excess
residue, application of kathy ireland
Wood Stain

is easily achieved from

a standing position with a micro-fiber
applicator.
It is also extremely easy to apply
to decks and fences with a pump-up
sprayer with the right size tip to help
with control, Matteson added.
kathy ireland Wood Sealer

The water-based wood sealer has the

durability of a solvent-based product
while maintaining a very low VOC
content. Rated for commercial use, the
product has amazing resistance to chem-
icals and is excellent for both indoor and
outdoor use. It can be re-coated easily,
and the cost per square foot is excellent.
A unique feature of the product is its
versatility. It is completely unaffected
by UV rays, making it an excellent
choice for both indoor and outdoor use
on such surfaces as hardwood, decks,
fences and more. This is a nice feature
for distributors because they dont have
to stock multiple products, Matteson
said. This product works in almost
every scenario.
Like the wood stain, the kathy ireland
Wood Sealer

is easy to apply and

comes in a concentrate form.
kathy ireland Concrete Stain

This unique penetrating product is

not an acrylic stain, so it will be a very
long-term solution for such surfaces as
driveways, patios, garages and counter-
tops. Testing confirms that the product
can last more than 10 years.
Available in a range of 16 colors,
kathy ireland Concrete Stain

has a
light-fastness rating of 8, on the scale
of 1-8, and is extremely easy to apply.
It can be mixed in acetone and water,
making the product versatile and easy
to work with on a variety of applica-
tions, whether they are horizontal or
vertical surfaces.
Also packaged in concentrate form,
kathy ireland Concrete Stain

soaks
into the pores of the concrete like an
acid stain but it does not require special
hazardous clean-up. Acid stain jobs
often times take three days to complete,
whereas this stain can be sealed within
10 to 60 minutes, Matteson explained.
The job can be completed in less than
a day.
kathy ireland Concrete Sealer

Matteson described kathy ireland

Concrete Sealer

as one of the best

sealers on the market. Thanks to its
high coverage rate, it is a very sensible
choice, as well as one of the most du-
rable sealers available. Available in a
matte or gloss finish, the product is
water-based and touts an extremely
low-VOC content.
You cant achieve this level of du-
rability with most sealers on the market
without steering toward hard-to-apply
coatings like epoxies or polyspartics,
Matteson explained. This product is
much easier to apply than those coat-
ings and yields incredible durability
while achieving incredible chemical
resistance.
End users will love how easy the
product is to re-coat, and the product
is very cost-effective with an end-user
cost of less than 15 cents per square
foot per coat.
The product also is extremely ver-
satile for a number of uses, including
serving as an anti-graffiti coating after
full cure is reached. It is completely
Specifcally formulated for the remodeling industry, kathy ireland Super Surface

is a
cementitious overlay product that can be applied over existing surfaces such as tile, vinyl,
laminate countertops, plywood and OSB.
kathy ireland Wood Stain

is a low-VOC, no-
odor stain that provides the same rich results
that can be achieved through oil-based stains
with none of the application drawbacks.
P D R November 2011 61
unaffected by UV rays, making it an ex-
cellent choice for outdoor applications.
It is rated for fork-lift traffic and
parking garages, but it also works great
for driveways, patios, garages, coun-
tertops and more, Matteson reported.
kathy ireland Super Surface

Specifically formulated for the re-

modeling industry, kathy ireland Su-
per Surface

is a cementitious overlay
product that can be applied over exist-
ing surfaces such as tile, vinyl, laminate
countertops, plywood and OSB. It re-
sults in a textured cementitious surface
that is stained and sealed with the kathy
ireland products.
The use of the finish wax as the
final step creates a beautiful luster,
Matteson said. The whole system
yields a product that is beautiful, du-
rable and extremely cost-effective.The
product, including stain, sealer and
finish wax, is less than $1 per square
foot to the end user.The other enor-
mous cost savings is that the installer
does not have to rip out and replace
the existing surface.
kathy ireland Finish Wax

The finish wax is an excellent prod-

uct to use for interior concrete or wood,
yielding a beautiful lustrous gloss fin-
ish. In addition to the aesthetic beauty,
it also increases slip resistance. The
product is incredibly easy to apply and
The kathy ireland Concrete Stain and Concrete Sealer is a long-term solution
for such surfaces as driveways, patios, garages and countertops.
The use of
kathy ireland
Wood Stain

and Wood
Sealer

is
ideal for
decks, fences,
hardwood and
more.
kathy ireland Concrete Stain

is available in a range
of 16 colors.
can rejuvenate the look of the floor with
a very quick and simple application,
Matteson said.
Training & Support
Training for the kathy ireland Design
Surfaces

product line is easily acces-

sible online in the form of monthly we-
binars that are designed to help retailers,
contractors and end users learn how to
use the products. The webinar format
allows for an interactive experience, per-
mitting participants to type questions
during the training session.Additional
training is available via instructional
videos that are available on the website
and can be accessed at any time.
We also are available by phone dur-
ing business hours to help in any way we
can, Matteson said. In addition, we
have people on staff who work full-time
at reaching out to prospective contrac-
tors and end users to help direct them
on how to use products and where the
products can be purchased. Our customer
service is excellent and we encourage our
dealers to let our technical team answer
any difficult questions that might arise.
To help retailers promote the new
kathy ireland line, the company has de-
veloped attractive brochures to show the
beauty of the finishes. We also have a
nicely diversified approach to advertis-
ing that incorporates magazine adver-
tising, social media such as Facebook,
and we sponsor YouTube videos to try
to educate as many potential custom-
ers as possible, as well as various other
advertising medias, Matteson said.
In addition, the tie-in to Kathy Ire-
land provides those who sell the line
with added marketing clout. She has
a very powerful marketing team, said
Matteson. Her website receives numer-
ous hits per day. Being associated with
the Kathy Ireland name will attract a
lot of interest to our line. n
For more information about kathy
ireland Design Surfaces

by GG Inno-
vative Products Inc., visit the website at
www.kathyirelanddesignsurfaces.com,
phone (800) 910-3120 or email info@
kathyirelanddesignsurfaces.com.