Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1515234
Dexter-Russell 49 PRODUCTS, PRICING AND PEOPLE To remain competitive, companies need to follow – or better yet, lead – trends in the industry. Neal understood this and focused his attention on continually updating product lines and pricing by routinely reviewing competitors' catalogs for comparison. is constant monitoring enabled him to identify areas in which Russell-Harrington could improve a product line or alter its prices; his systematic price increases helped to boost revenues. Always searching for ways to move the company forward and with a keen eye for detail, Neal redesigned the Russell logo that was stamped on its products. He flipped the arrow, which had been pointing down to point upward, an indication that the company was always looking to the future. In addition to updating the company logo, Neal introduced a new product line that reflected his background as a Marine. Each model's style number represented the date of a successful military operation from World War II. Additionally, he borrowed and modified an industrial spreader that Hyde manufactured, envisioning the tool as a sandwich spreader. Neal also expanded the Sani-Safe line, which is NSF certified for use in the food industry, and no longer used a wooden handle. Additionally, Neal embraced a strong sense of pride in the company that extended to its founding fathers. Grateful for the business that Henry Harrington had launched in 1818, Neal believed the founder's legacy should be publicly recognized. Together with William Pioppi, Russell-Harrington vice-president at the time, he searched for Harrington's resting place. When he found a cracked, plain, somewhat indistinguishable marker in Oak Ridge Cemetery, he was disappointed, and determined to honor Harrington's memory and accomplishments. Neal and Pioppi flew to a quarry in Vermont where they selected a prime piece of granite. Frank Young, an advertising specialist and artistic expert at Russell-Harrington, designed an illustration of a hand holding a lily, and Neal, a published poet, wrote the words carved onto the back of the monument to honor Henry and his wife, Mariah. e original stones were removed from the cemetery and mounted inside one of the Russell- Harrington factory buildings.