P. Graham Dunn

Best of Wayne County

2008-05-17T15:10:00.002-04:00

P. Graham Dunn was happy to contribute to the Best of Wayne County campaign by engraving all the plaques for the winners. In the photo below, Christmas Run Park in Wooster was chosen as the best place to spend the day with your family.

Daily Record

2008-05-01T09:44:00.003-04:00

P. Graham Dunn was featured in the Wednesday, April 30 edition of the Daily Record in Wayne County, OH. Celebrating the Grand Opening of the Dalton factory and store, the insert has a number of stories about the past and future of P. Graham Dunn. Click on the images below to see more detail.

Building Dedication

2008-04-23T15:53:00.003-04:00

If you didn't get a chance to stop by for our building dedication, Peter Heath of Amish Country TV was there to capture the excitement. Just click the video below.

Kidron Elementary 3rd Grade Tour

2008-04-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

Karen Geiser, 3rd grade teacher at Kidron Elementary brought her students over for a tour of P. Graham Dunn. The class is part of the Junior Achievement program in which the students lead by Glenda Ervin-Lehman of Lehman's Hardware dream up a fictitious business and learn about all the details that go into it. Each year P. Graham Dunn contributes by engraving a custom magnet based on the design the kids made, and provide a tour of a working business. We’re already looking forward to next year when Kidron and Dalton city schools merge and the class gets bigger! It’s always a fun tour.

Save the Date!

2008-04-15T14:53:00.004-04:00

It's time to formally roll out the red carpet in Dalton, OH. We will be celebrating the Grand Opening of our new store and manufacturing facility.

Save the Dates
May 1 - 10, 2008
Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm
Sat 9am to 7pm

Featuring:
Lot's of giveaways, including gift cards, door prizes, and plaques.
On each Saturday:
Enjoy a BBQ Chicken Dinner to support local nonprofits.
Lerch’s Donuts will make their famous hot fresh donuts.
Auntie Anne’s Pretzels will serve fresh pretzels and sandwiches.

For more information feel free to contact us at 866-922-0306.

In Walnut Creek, we will be celebrating our first anniversary. Stop by Walnut Creek to shop the tent and a large selection of factory seconds. In addition there will be food and beverages served.

Wholesale Lot

2008-04-10T10:43:00.000-04:00

For a limited time P. Graham Dunn has inventory available on a selection of stone jewelery. There are 8 matching necklace and bracelet sets. All pieces are sold by the case pack and transactions are cash and carry only (terms do not apply). If you are interested and would like more information on price and availability contact Jerry Horst at 800-828-5260 x2011.

Virginia Mennonite Missions

2008-04-08T13:31:00.001-04:00

With Galen's blessings, I have attached a photo and copy of an email that was sent to Doris Risser, Marketing Associate at P. Graham Dunn. ~Joe Knutson

Doris,

Attached you will find a photo of George Broughton, Pastor of Temple Hall Mennonite Church in Jamaica. We presented the wooden placques with the Lord's Prayer to each of the 12 congregations on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary meeting of their Conference. Thanks for helping us to arrange these gifts. The churches were thrilled to get them. At the Sunday afternoon session with about 650 in attendance, the church members applauded as each of their pastors were called front to receive these gifts. The following Sunday we were at Temple Hall church when Pastor Broughton presented this to all the members of his church and said that it will be hung at a very noticable place in their church.

Thanks again,
Galen Lehman
Caribbean Regional Director
Virginia Mennonite Missions

Store Vignettes

2008-03-28T16:57:00.003-04:00

During the Dealer Conference this past week I received a number of requests to post photos of the vignettes we have on display around the store. The photos are shown in the slideshow below, which may be clicked on for more detail.

Auction at our old facility

2008-03-28T15:25:00.000-04:00

We had a fun and successful auction at the old facility on Zuercher Road. As you can see from the pictures, the parking lots were full. I stopped by to see for myself how the auction was doing and found it a little sad to see our place get emptied out. We called the farm home for many years and while we are very excited about our new facility and the future of P. Graham Dunn, I know a part of me will miss the view of Sonnenberg Valley and the Jersey cows from our store windows.

8th Annual Dealer Conference

2008-03-11T16:53:00.000-04:00

P. Graham Dunn is playing host to its 8th annual Dealer Conference on March 25 and 26, 2008. The event attracts dealers from across the country to the P. Graham Dunn campus to see first hand the community that shapes our company. The conference this year features Joseph Stowell as our featured speaker. He will be speaking at a community concert on Tuesday March 25th at 7pm at Central Christian School in Kidron Ohio. The concert is free and open to the public and also features music from the Central Christian School Varsity Singers, the Holmes County Bluegrass Band, the Sommer Sisters String Quartet, and prelude music by Tim Yoder. Arrive early as seating will be limited. Doors open at 6pm. An additional opportunity for the public to see Joseph Stowell will be at our building dedication on Wed March 26 at 9:30am at 630 Henry St in Dalton Ohio.

As our guests, Dealers are welcome to take part in seminars hosted by Kirk Blank the COO of Munce Group, Tom Probst the President of Integriteam, Jon Snell the Director of Sales and Marketing at P. Graham Dunn, Joseph Stowell former President of the Moody Bible Institute, and by Mike Miller who will provide training on gravograph lasers. Lunch is catered both days of the event culminating in a banquet on Wednesday evening. P. Graham Dunn's new product introduction for spring will be on display as will the entire production facility be available for guided tours. There will be discounts available at the Dealer Conference unavailable at any other trade show. Three orders will be randomly selected to be credited up to $1500 each. Additionally, Amish Tours will be provided by LaVonne at Amish Culture Tours. Stay for an extra day and take advantage of an auction to clear out our previous showroom and factory. Come rub shoulders and share stories with other retailers, and leave with the knowledge and inspiration to achieve your goals for 2008.

Should you have any questions or would like to register to attend, please contact us at 800-828-5260.

Moving Auction

2008-03-11T16:03:00.008-04:00

P. Graham Dunn has moved into its new home on Route 30 in Dalton. Subsequently we left behind a lot. We started from scratch with our new store leaving behind much of our inventory, furniture, and fixtures. The factory has cleared out a great deal of inventory, some equipment, and even a large truck. The auction is open to the public and will run all day. The photos below is a small sample of the items that will be auctioned.

P. Graham Dunn Auction

March 28, 2008

All Day

1417 Zuercher Road

Dalton, OH 44618

866-922-0306

Open for Business

2008-02-27T15:54:00.001-05:00

The new P. Graham Dunn store is open for business on Route 30 in Dalton, Ohio. See our new 18,000 sq ft store which over looks a 100,000 sq ft factory. Watch CNC routers carve inspirational plaques, laser machines engrave detailed gifts, and see first hand the manufacturing process from start to finish. Personalized gifts, custom framing, and free tours are available. Call us at 866-922-0306 with any questions.

NE Ohio Sportsman Show at P. Graham Dunn

2008-02-27T13:59:00.002-05:00

The weekend of January 25/26, 2008 was a date that may be remembered as the beginning of the future for the town of Dalton, Ohio. The Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show was held in the new P. Graham Dunn manufacturing facility. There were over 150 booths on the north side of the shop floor demonstrating all sorts of hunting, fishing and outdoor apparel items. Large taxidermy displays and hunting lodges from Maine into Canada were represented. On the south side was a large food court with seating for 1000+ patrons and a stage for the Saturday night Larry Gatlin concert. There were nine buses shuttling patrons from parking locations in Dalton, Kidron and Highway 30. The parking lot on site held approximately 2500 vehicles and there were upwards of 15,000+ attendees for the two days.

Over-looking all this was the new P. Graham Dunn Gallery ready for its first day of business. It was beautifully decorated, all stocked and ready to go. However, that did not happen overnight. There were many months of planning every detail, then weeks of implementing those plans. All of the fixtures you will see were manufactured at our plant on Zuercher road, taken to the new building and assembled and finished on site. The decorating and stocking was planned and coordinated by Emily Fielitz. Emily put in many long days and hours right up until midnight the 24th making sure everything was in place. Many many others also worked hard getting the showroom ready for the crowds that did arrive on Friday morning.

The whole event was enthusiastically praised by all, the show sponsors, the vendors, and the happy outdoors enthusiast that attended the show. A large number of the attendees came upstairs to see what was this building all about and were very pleased. They enjoyed getting items personalized while the waited, knives were the big item of the day. A lot of favorable comments about the beauty of the products, the fixtures, and the overall facility. Most had no idea what was going on inside of the huge red roof building they have been seeing under construction for the last 8 months. Many commented they had to come back with their spouses, families and friends to share what they had discovered.

John Schmid performing at the NE Ohio Sportsman Show.

~Harry Wilkins

Canaan in the Desert

2008-02-16T10:15:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago an enthusiastic customer by the name of Pete Allenbach stopped into our Dalton, OH gallery and shared with me a story about how P. Graham Dunn has had an influence on him and his family. He told of when a friend brought him to our store for the first time, and he had been awed by our inspirational products. He was so impressed that he purchased a plaque that he sent to his sister Georjean who lives in Phoenix, AZ.

He wanted to share this with me because his sister is a member of the Evangelical Protestant Sisterhood of Mary. The “Our Daily Bread” plaque that he sent as a gift to the convent has become a favorite decoration in their dining room. I have recently corresponded with Sister Georjean and she has shared more with me about their convent’s history:

“We are Evangelical Protestant Sisterhood, founded in Germany in 1947, just after WWII by Basilea Schlink. Our motherhouse is in Darmstadt Germany, and we are the only branch in America. We have branches in Israel, Japan, Korea, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay England and Australia.... [Our local branch] Canaan in the Desert, here in Phoenix was started in 1967. I have been here since 1984.”

Their ministry hosts a visitor center, and distributes literature and DVD messages; their goal is to “encourage reconciliation, repentance and first love for the Lord Jesus.” They also do a lot of work with military and prison chaplains. Visit their website for more information: www.canaaninthedesert.org

One picture is of their facility in Phoenix; the other features members of the order in front of the P. Graham Dunn plaque in their dining room (Sister Georjean, with her mother in front of her, Sister Pinea and Sister Romelle).

Amanda Wolfe – Assistant Manager, P. Graham Dunn in Dalton.

Peter’s Better Half

2008-01-17T15:51:00.000-05:00

LeAnna, Peter’s better half, leads a demanding, and yet fulfilling life. For a number of years LeAnna kept the books at the company. She did it on a simple hand-written ledger system that she kept in a small room just off of the kitchen. She no longer works directly in the business but she fills a number of important roles in the company.

First and foremost, each morning she and Peter talk over the details of their family, church, community, and business before Peter leaves for work. She is blessed with an inordinate amount of common sense, something all of her family benefits from. A couple of times a week she babysits for the grandchildren. She also loves her flower gardens.

For the past ten years LeAnna has been involved with Bible Study Fellowship, an international non-denominational group that meets weekly for Bible studies. It is a highly structured study. LeAnna is a discussion leader and between lesson presentations, phone calls, and travel, this takes fifteen hours of time each week.

If has been difficult for LeAnna to “let go” of the business, and over the past year or two she has become increasingly involved in the retail store here at the factory. The retail employees refer to her as the midnight decorator. She likes to come in after everyone has gone home for the day and “fluff things up”. One of her pride and joys this summer was developing an interesting mix of vegetation growing just outside the door of our Gallery. She chose to grow a climbing bean plant which shortly covered the eight foot cross. Beside that she placed an old wheel barrow which was soon completely camouflaged with a vine. On the other side of the door she grew ornamental sweet potatotes along with other types of flowering plants.

And we're off!

2008-01-07T15:05:00.000-05:00

We've hammered in the first nail and are now hanging product in the new store on route 30 in Dalton, OH. With 18,000 sq ft of space to fill and about 2 1/2 weeks to do it, we have our hands full. When all is said and done, we'll have 3 laser machines set up, countless fixtures in bold new colors, and a central view of the entire production process from start to finish. Should you find yourself in the area the last week of January on, we invite you to stop by and take a look.

The "Coolest" Parade in Ohio

2008-01-04T10:17:00.001-05:00

P. Graham Dunn took part in the Dalton Holiday Festival on December 1. The highlight of the event is the "coolest" parade in Ohio, which in my opinion was more like the coldest parade in Ohio! We had a lot of fun piling into our custom built parade float - sporting a red roof matching our new building on rt 30. Much to the chagrin of dentists in the area, we handed out little pocket crosses made of wood, rather than the standard handfuls of candy. Peter lead the way, pulling our float with a Ventrac Tractor down historic Lincoln Way in downtown Dalton. It's heartwarming to see communities come together like this.

Why P. Graham Dunn Is Called P. Graham Dunn

2007-12-18T12:02:00.001-05:00

In 1944, Mr. and Mrs. Graham Hutchinson, originally from Australia, were led to join the China Inland Mission. During these years of service, the Japanese army invaded China, leading to Japan occupying most of eastern and central China. Because of the unrest, the mission board ordered the evacuation of all its missionaries in the affected areas. Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Dunn were serving in the southwestern part of China along with the Hutchinsons. It was agreed that the safest and quickest evacuation route was a bumpy flight in a DC-3 over the “hump” of the Himalayas into India.

The Graham Hutchinsons were scheduled to fly out on the same plane as the Dunns. However, the plane ran out of seating before everyone was loaded. Although the childless Hutchinsons were already on board they noticed that Mrs. Dunn was obviously pregnant, and voluntarily chose to give up their seats for Peter’s mother and father. Peter’s parents landed safely in India but were devastated to learn that on the following flight on which the Graham Hutchinsons were flying, the plane crashed into the Himalayas, and everyone on board was instantly killed.

In her prayer time Mother felt led to name her first son after Mr. Graham Hutchinson in recognition of his ultimate sacrifice. Peter’s older sister, Rosemary, was born in India shortly after their arrival. Peter was born less than two years later in the city of Loshan in the province of Sechwan after his parents had safely returned to China to resume their work with the China Inland Mission. He was named Peter Graham after Mr. Graham Hutchinson. In 1983 when their son Thomas was born, Peter and LeAnna chose to name him Thomas Graham Dunn. Their business is named P. Graham Dunn – in honor of the sacrifice of Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson.

Busy

2007-11-30T13:02:00.000-05:00

We have been very busy here at the P. Graham Dunn store in Dalton, OH. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we opened the doors to the new building that has been taking shape on Rt 30. While we're running a warehouse sale, we're also getting our plans lined up to move in fully by late January. If you are in the area, you can get a sneak peak at our new store and take advantage of a large selection of overstocked merchandise and factory seconds.

Meanwhile at the store on the family farm, we are keeping our lasers humming. Our store provides a number of personalizable gifts that we can engrave with our laser machines. One of our laser specialists, Andrea Geiser, has been giving me a hard time because she has been running these machines without pause since Oct 1! In the last week we have engraved a college logo on 190 leather bound bibles, added a company logo to 90 customer supplied rock maple lazy susans, redesigned some of our Christmas ornaments for a Hungarian Shop, and have personalized countless other items. Never a dull moment! :)

Volleyball Tournament

2007-11-30T12:02:00.000-05:00

Our new building has gotten a little early use last weekend.
It was occupied by over 200 local Amish youth for a volleyball tournament.
They set up 11 nets for 22 teams to play for the evening, with the games followed by 50 large pizzas!

Cupolas are set!

2007-11-29T09:33:00.001-05:00

After several hours assembling and setting up the crane, the cupolas were brought outside and set upright.The crane is setting the base for the center cupola, it will sit about 10' higher than the other two.

More photos can be found here

New store gets Dunn just in time

2007-11-23T12:52:00.000-05:00

DALTON: P. Graham Dunn — a Wayne County manufacturer whose religious-themed gifts, art and home decor is sold by 4,000 dealers around the world — opened its long-awaited outlet store in Dalton on Wednesday.

Sort of.

After a whirlwind of last-minute construction activity and some final inspections, the sawdust was swept from a couple of rooms at the new 120,000-square foot monolith off U.S. Route 30 to allow for a month-long ''warehouse sale'' to take advantage of the holiday shopping season.

Please visit http://www.ohio.com/business/11732126.html to read the rest of this article that was published in the Beacon Journal.

Cupolas Delivered

2007-11-09T08:56:00.000-05:00

The three cupolas were delivered from the heart of Texas on Friday. The center cupola will be mounted onto a platform that will elevate it about the other two. They will be internally lit through the four sided glass panes - and will be externally lit as well to pick up the beautiful red roof. They will be going up later this week.

PGD Construction

2007-11-08T07:59:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick shot of the building exterior.
The top soil has been final graded and seeded; curbing and asphalt are done.
Look for the cupolas to go up in the next few days!

Early PGD product

2007-11-05T12:30:00.000-05:00

Here’s an article that appeared on our local newspaper last week. We always enjoy these kinds of stories.

The hand carved “Love Makes a House a Home” is circa 1978, and was hand carved by either Robert Shetler or Peter Dunn.