Component Design Northwest

Company: Component Design Northwest, Inc., Portland, Oregon
Entry Submitted By: Field & Associates, Houston, Texas
Company Description: Component Design Northwest, Inc. (CDN) celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2008 as the only company focused solely on time and temperature. A global category leader with the personal service and commitment of a family-owned business, CDN offers the broadest assortment of thermometers and timers on the market.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Overall Company of the Year - Non-Services Businesses – Up To 100 Employees

Nomination Title: CDN, The Time and Temperature Company™

1. Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated company during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):

Component Design Northwest, Inc. (CDN), which celebrates its 25th Anniversary
in 2008, is a family-owned company, run by Jan Murtagh, President, and her
daughter, Shawn DiGruccio, Vice President. CDN is proud to be the only
company focused solely on time and temperature. A global category leader with
the personal service and commitment of a family-owned business, CDN offers the
broadest assortment of thermometers and timers on the market.

CDN has been responsible for many industry firsts, including the following
innovations since July 2007.

•The first commercial digital timer line designed to help ensure that food and
drinks are served fresh.

•A new top-of-the-line timer that is the first with an 8-second visual pre-alarm
followed by a staggered audio alarm sequence and flashing visual display panel.

In the past year, CDN has also introduced the innovative Dual-Sensing Probe
Thermometer/Timer (DSP1), which measures both the temperature of the oven and
the temperature of the food being cooked.

Educating consumers about food safety is part of the company’s mission.
To celebrate its 25th Anniversary, CDN published 25 Tips for Food Safety on its
website at www.cdn-timeandtemp.com, with easy but important tips for keeping
families from becoming a statistic. The safety tips cover general cooking, cleaning
and food storage issues as well as thermometer usage, with links to a number of
helpful food safety information websites for more detailed information. An
accompanying Essentials & Extras checklist includes the thermometers everyone
should have in their kitchen such as a cooking thermometer, programmable probe
thermometer, waterproof pocket thermometer, oven thermometer and refrigerator
thermometer. The site also contains helpful features on Thermometer Technology
and How to Recalibrate Your Thermometer.

CDN products are sold in over 2,800 retail stores, including Sur La Table,
Dillard’s and Whole Foods, plus over 13,000 commercial locations including large
coffee and restaurant chains. All over the world, people rely on CDN for product
innovation, superior customer service, quality and value.

CDN continues to develop the best and most accurate timers and thermometers,
with numerous projects in the works for more new products with unique, innovative
features.

2. List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/products/kitchen-thermometers-0607
http://www.cdn-timeandtemp.com

3. Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated company (up to 100 words):

Component Design Northwest, Inc. was founded in 1984 by the late Richard
Murtagh, an engineer by profession and a cook at heart. He was intrigued by
issues of time and temperature in the kitchen, because accurate measurement is
so important in cooking. Today CDN continues as a growing family business run
by Jan Murtagh, President.

Jan Murtagh is a member of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council,
the leading advocate for, and authority on, women’s business enterprises as
suppliers and vendors to the nation’s corporations. It is also the nation’s leading
third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women.

She is also a proud member of the Housewares Export Council, an organization
dedicated to helping its membership market and sell their products internationally
by sharing information, providing networking opportunities and offering programs to
assist, support and educate.