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The Christ-Centered Seal of Approval |
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Table of Contents
Introduction Brands: Why Certify? Shopping Guide Shoppers: Why Choose OVerus? Business Facts Biographies History USPTO Certification Previous Publications Requirements News Images |
MEDIA KIT, version 8.2, 11/9/2009 Contact: Keith Miklas, 732-233-4559, kmiklas@OVerus.org NOTE: Click any image for high resolution version. Introduction Imagine that you are shopping for printer paper. The two cheapest brands both cost $3.99 for a ream of 500 sheets. Most would just grab one and move on, but not so fast! There is more here than meets the eye. The first brand donates to an abortion clinic, and the second to a food bank. This fact is not indicated on the package, but might influence your purchase decision. 
The OVerus emblem makes it easy for good stewards to choose brands that respect their beliefs, and be consistent with their faith. They can just "L@@K for the Logo." OVerus brings the voice of Jesus to the shelves. The OVerus market potential is massive. There are about 173 Million Christians in the United States. Imagine if they all started choosing OVerus brands? Brands: Why Certify? Why would a brand be interested in OVerus certification? The following table is taken from the March, 2009 American Religious Identification Survey [ARIS] report. The column on the right contains data from 2008; in particular, note the Total Christians row: 
Reprinted with Permission1
Simply put, 173,402,000 people can't be ignored.
More data and details about how we reach these people can be found at the following page: http://www.OVerus.org/why_certify.php 1. Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, American Religious Identification Survey [ARIS 2008] Summary Report, Trinity College, Hartford, CT (March 2009). Pg. 3. Accessed 11/5/2009 from http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf. Shopping Guide What brands are currently certified? See our Shopping Guide at the link below: http://www.OVerus.org/shopping_guide.php Shoppers: Why Choose OVerus? Why should a shopper choose OVerus brands? See the following page: http://www.overus.org/why_choose_OVerus.php Business Facts The OVerus Organization, headquartered in Neptune, N.J., U.S.A., is responsible for administration of the OVerus emblem and certification of brands. Many people have asked about the meaning of the word "OVerus." The term has a threefold origin. First, it stems from the Latin "verus," meaning "proper, true or acceptable." Prefixing with the "O" roughly translates to a "longing for truth." Second, it a new English word, like Xerox® or Kodak®. In contrast to a Jesus fish or other Christian symbol in the public domain, it makes a strong legal trademark. Usage of the OVerus emblem is carefully controlled and legally enforced. This enables The OVerus Organization to maintain a high standard for certification. That being said, we at OVerus like to think that God watches "OVer-us."
Biographies Keith Miklas Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer 
Click for High Res A native of Buffalo, New York, Keith Miklas was born on August 12th, 1971. In 1985 he moved to Aberdeen, New Jersey, and graduated from Matawan Regional High School with honors in 1989, earning a Garden State Scholarship. In 1993 he graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor's of Arts, dual major, in both Mathematics and Computer Science. In 1996 he graduated from George Washington University with a Master's of Science in Information Systems Technology. He is also a certified public school teacher in both Computer Science Technology and Mathematics. Before founding The OVerus Organization, Mr. Miklas worked in Information Technology for nine years at organizations including AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and The U.S. Army. He has also taught both Mathematics and Computer Science in since 1999. Keith now resides in Ocean Township, New Jersey. He has never been married, and studies ballroom dancing in his leisure time. History In May of 2001, Keith Miklas was chatting with a friend involved in the pro-life movement. This person opened his eyes to two surprising facts. First, at the time, about forty million abortions had been performed since Roe vs. Wade, and second, thousands of household-name brands contribute billions of dollars to abortion every year. Mr. Miklas then realized that the Christian community was indirectly paying for abortion through the brands that they bought, and found this to be unacceptable. A way to distinguish the brands that respect Christian values was needed, and the OVerus concept was born. Miklas then invested about five years of part-time work into OVerus. He developed the business model, designed the logo, built the web sites, performed market tests, and perfected the idea. In 2006 he begain full time work on the project. In 2009, OVerus became the first officially registered Christ-centered trademark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark office, USPTO ser. no. 77483625. Since then, brands across North America have applied for and been awarded certification. USPTO Certification On February 24th, 2009, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded OVerus the first Christ-centered trademark in history, serial number 77483625. You can see the details at the following link, which includes instructions about how to access OVerus trademark information from the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) at the USPTO: http://www.OVerus.org/USPTO.php Previous Publications Miklas, K. (2009). OVerus~Supports Rachel's Vineyard. Vine and Branches; The Monthly e-Newsletter of Rachel's Vineyard Ministries. Nov 2009. http://www.OVerus.org/media_kit/Vine_and_Branches_Nov_2009.pdf Miklas, K. Interview with Teresa Tomeo. Catholic Connection. Ave Maria Radio. Ann Arbor, MI. 2009, May 26. Ertelt, S. (2009). New Pro-Life, Christian Brand Offers Companies Method of Displaying Values. LifeNews.com. from: http://www.lifenews.com/nat4937.html Ertelt, S. (2009). New Pro-Life, Christian Brand Offers Companies Method of Displaying Values. LifeNews, 3/24/2009, #4572. Pg. 5. http://www.OVerus.org/media_kit/LifeNews_4572.pdf Holloway, L. (2009). A Christian seal of approval. Entrepreneur, March, 2009. http://www.OVerus.org/media_kit/entrepreneur.pdf OVerus ~ The Christian Business Emblem. (2008). Loving Life, Fall, 2008. from http://www.OVerus.org/media_kit/loving_life.pdf Requirements What does a brand have to do to get certified? Requirements for OVerus certification can be found at the following link: http://www.OVerus.org/requirements.php News The official source for news regarding both OVerus and the OVerus Organization can be found at the following link: http://www.OVerus.org/news.php Images Click any image for high resolution version.
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OVerus
U.S. Population
