When Mike Dorsey decided he wanted to start a company that designed and sold colorful home furnishings he needed a name.
As Mike tells the story, 'I was sitting at my desk at home and said to my life-partner John, 'I need a name that conveys color so people know what we are all about.' John said use ROYGBIV. I had no idea what that meant. He went on to tell me it stood for the colors of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, and he couldn't believe I wasn't taught that in grade school. Well either I have a horrible memory, which I do, or I was out sick that day. The name was perfect and it gave me the focus to create this company.'
Today, Roy G. Biv offers people a way to bring color into their homes with a stylish twist on some very traditional furniture—Adirondack chairs, directors chairs and garden benches just to name a few of the company's offerings.
'I just want to add color to people's lives,' said openly gay business owner Dorsey, 40. 'Our homes are an expression of who we are. Using color is a great way to show how vibrant our lives really are and helps us express our personalities.'
Dorsey also understands how the rainbow flag and its colors have become symbols of pride for the lesbian and gay community and as a gay man wanted to do his bit to promote the community with style.
Roy G. Biv has developed its own proprietary color palette which brings the seven colors of the rainbow to life.
'We use red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet as our seven base colors,' said Dorsey. 'Our brand and tag line is 'for a colorful life.' We're always looking out for and developing new home furnishings that live up to our brand.'
See www.roygbivhome.com . Roy G. Biv's full product line is listed on the site. It includes:
— Adirondack chairs that fold-up for easy storage.
— Matching footrests for the Adirondack chairs are also part of Roy G. Biv's line of colorful outdoor furnishings.
— Small colorful Adirondack tables are a complement to the chairs and footrests.
— Rustic Garden Benches in any of the seven colors set off an explosion of color when surrounded by summer flowers or fall foliage.
— Director's Chairs are available in three heights—dining, counter and bar.
— Hammocks made of tough, color-fast sunlight resistant olefin rope are a great way to lounge around in color during the spring, summer and fall months. Highly resistant to mold and mildew, these hammocks can be left outdoors in every kind of weather.
Roy G. Biv's line of colorful home furnishings has been featured at Gay and Lesbian Pride Celebrations in Washington, D.C., Rehoboth Beach, Boston, Northampton, and Albany. Dorsey has also donated Adirondack Chairs for auction to various lesbian and gay and AIDS organizations such as the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force and the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York. He donated a complete set of Adirondack Chairs to the Capital District Lesbian and Gay Community Council which runs the local community center in his hometown of Albany, NY.
'I started Roy G. Biv to expand on my years of working on the wholesale side of home improvement,' explained Dorsey, whose family owned and operated the Albany-based Dorsey Millworks for 40 years. 'But, I also wanted to be able to give something back to the lesbian and gay community with Roy G. Biv. That's why we started our innovative Affinity Marketing program for not-for-profit agencies.'
With Roy G. Biv's program, not-for-profits can raise money with very little cost to the agency. The not-for-profit promotes Roy G. Biv's products and affinity program through their own marketing materials. The agency is listed as one of Roy G. Biv's charitable partners on the company's Web site. When people check out at the Web site, they must choose a charity that will receive 10% of that online order.
'The more an agency promotes our program, the more likely their supporters are to purchase and designate it as a Roy G. Biv beneficiary,' explained Dorsey. 'It's a win/win for everyone. Our customers add color to their lives and the agency adds a little green to its fundraising goal.'
