The 2007 iQdoU? ad campaign at Times Square

QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and QVC Italy to 200 million households. The name is an initialism standing for Quality, Value, Convenience.

Corporate history[link]

QVC was founded on June 13, 1986 by Joseph Segel. One of the first brands to sign a two year deal with QVC was Sears products.^{[citation needed]} Its first live broadcast took place at 7:30 PM ET on November 24 of that year, reaching 7.6 million TV homes; the first item sold was a "Windsor Shower Companion" shower radio, presented by host John Eastman (Bob Bowersox was the first host seen on-screen).^[2] The corporation later set a new record for first full-year fiscal sales for a new public company of $112 million.^[3] Its primary competitor in the United States is the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

Initially broadcast live from 7:30 PM ET until midnight each weekday and all day Saturdays and Sundays, the channel extended its live programming to 24 hours in January 1987. QVC acquired its top competitor, the Cable Value Network (CVN), in 1989. The $380 million deal contributed to a loss of $17 million during the next fiscal quarter, and then to difficulties in the couple of years that followed.^[4]

On February 2, 1995, Comcast purchased a majority shareholding in QVC, Inc., taking control of the corporation. QVC kicked off the "Quest for America's Best: 50 in 50 Tour," a 50-week nationwide product search. QVC.com was founded in 1996.

In 1998 a class-action suit was brought against QVC. Two former hosts of QVC sued the network, claiming that they were discriminated against by the shopping channel based on their race. The lawsuit went on to state that QVC refused to allow non-white hosts any permanent daytime/primetime spots, which relegated them to the overnight hours, otherwise known as the "graveyard shift." Because of this, the non-white hosts were paid considerably less than the white hosts. ^{[5] [6]}

In July 2003, Comcast sold its majority share to Liberty Media.

In May 2009, QVC became the first multimedia retailer to offer a native high-definition service. As with HSN, the 4:3 cut for analog viewers in this 16:9 presentation is made to the extreme right of the screen rather than on both sides of the 4:3 frame, allowing the network to place their graphics fully to the left and lower portions of the screen to maximize camera presentation space.

On September 23, 2007, QVC U.S. rebranded itself, changing its logo on-air and online. The rebranding was accompanied by an advertising campaign with the tagline "iQdoU?" ("I shop QVC, do you?") that had preceded the rebrand with billboards in major U.S. cities.The iQdoU? campaign also included a "teaser" website found at iQdoU.com.^[7]

On September 30, 2010, at 11pm, QVC began broadcasting in Italy, both on satellite and digital terrestrial television.

Operations[link]

All of QVC's operations (U.S., UK, Germany, Japan and Italy) run 24 hours a day, although live programming hours vary between each region.

Headquarters[link]

QVC has its headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania by U.S. Route 202.^[8][9] The $100 million QVC Studio Park complex, located on an 80-acre (32 ha) plot of land, opened in 1997.^[10]

QVC US[link]

QVC's U.S. operations are based in the Studio Park complex, which houses its corporate headquarters, studio and broadcasting facilities. Studio Park is the former corporate offices of Commodore Business Machines. Call center facilities are located in Chesapeake, Virginia; Port St. Lucie, Florida; and San Antonio, Texas. QVC's distribution centers are situated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Suffolk, Virginia; Florence, South Carolina; and Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

QVC U.S. also operates a series of retail stores across the country, including outlet stores that are located in Bloomington, Mn.; Lancaster, Pa.; Frazer, Pennsylvania; Prices Corner, Del.; Rehoboth Beach, Del.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

QVC broadcasts live in the United States 24/7, apart from the Christmas show which is pre recorded to more than 100 million households, and ranks as the number two television network in terms of revenue (#1 in home shopping networks), with sales in 2010 giving a net revenue of $7.8 billion.

QVC UK[link]

QVC UK was launched in October 1993. QVC UK's headquarters and broadcasting facilities are located at Marco Polo House in Battersea, London but are to move to a new smaller complex in Chiswick Park in late April 2012. Call center and distribution facilities are situated in Knowsley, Merseyside. QVC UK also runs two outlet stores, one in Warrington, the other in Shrewsbury. QVC has a second channel in the UK: QVC Beauty.

QVC UK broadcasts live 17 hours a day (although the channel runs 24 hours a day), 364 days a year (off-air for one day on Christmas Day).

QVC Germany[link]

QVC Germany, incorporated in Düsseldorf, runs call centre operations from two sites in Bochum and Kassel, whilst distribution is handled from a dedicated site in Hückelhoven.

QVC Germany broadcasts live 24 hours a day, 363.5 days a year (off-air Christmas Eve (no program after noon) and Christmas Day). QVC has two additional channels in Germany: QVC Plus and QVC Beauty.

QVC Japan[link]

QVC Japan is based in Makuhari, where its corporate headquarters and call center facility are located. Distribution facilities are located in Sakura City.

QVC Italy[link]

QVC Italy was launched in October 2010.^[11] QVC Italy's headquarters and broadcasting facilities are located at Brugherio, near Milan.

QVC Italy broadcasts live 17 hours a day (although the channel runs 24 hours a day), 364 days a year. The primary distribution platforms for QVC Italy are digital terrestrial television and satellite.

Hosts[link]

QVC's live broadcast is supported by 27 program hosts. They come from a variety of different backgrounds and work one-to four-hour shifts on-air, two to five days a week.

Embedded below is a list of QVC's current hosts in the United States, along with their signature shows:

• Jill Bauer - joined QVC in 1993
  • You're Home with Jill
  • Just Desserts with Jill
• Sandra Bennett - joined QVC in 2006
  • Whole You with Sandra
• Rachel Boesing - joined QVC in 2011
• Jayne Brown - joined QVC in 1999
  • Downtown Style with Jayne Brown
  • Fashionably Early with Jayne & Pat
  • Fashionably Early with Jayne & Pat
• Courtney Cason - joined QVC in 2010
• Jennifer Coffey - joined QVC in 2011
• Rick Domeier - joined QVC in 1994
  • techCONNECT with Rick
  • Get Fit with Rick
  • Home Projects with Rick and Dan
  • Rick & Easy Cooking
  • Rick & Easy Solutions
  • Anything Goes with Rick & Shawn
• Sharon Faetsch - joined QVC in 2003
• Jacque Gonzales - joined QVC in 2003
  • Electronics with Jacque & Friends
• Carolyn Gracie - joined QVC in 2005
  • Garden Party with Carolyn
  • Kitchen Unlimited with Carolyn
  • Sundays with Carolyn & Dan
• Nancy Hornback - joined QVC in late 2009
• Dan Hughes - joined QVC in 1989
  • Mornings Made Easy
  • The Great Outdoors with Dan
  • Sundays with Carolyn & Dan
• Albany Irvin - joined QVC in 2009
  • Electronics Made Easy with Albany
  • Bright Ideas with Albany
• Dave James - joined QVC in 2004
  • Seriously Late on QVC
• Pat James-DeMentri - joined QVC in 1989
  • Mornings Made Easy
  • Fashionably Early with Jayne & Pat
  • Fashionably Early with Jayne & Pat
• Gabrielle Kerr - joined QVC in 2007
• Shawn Killinger - joined QVC in 2007
  • "No Problem!" with Shawn
  • Shawn Says, "Accessorize!"
  • Anything Goes with Rick & Shawn
• Kerstin Lindquist - joined QVC in 2011
• Antonella Nester - joined QVC in 2004
  • Antonella's Italian Kitchen
• Jonathan Redford - joined QVC in 2009
• Lisa Robertson - joined QVC in 1995
  • Ask Lisa About Style
  • PM Style with Lisa Robertson
  • What the Tech? with Lisa
  • The Lisa Robertson Show
• Mary Beth Roe - joined QVC in 1990
  • My Time with Mary Beth
  • Handbags with Mary Beth
• Amy Stran - joined QVC in 2009
• Jane Treacy - joined QVC in 1986 as one of the original hosts
  • Shoe Shopping with Jane
  • Enjoyable Entertaining
  • Jane's Rock Stars
  • Now That's Cool! with Jane
• David Venable - joined QVC in 1993
  • Dining With David
  • In the Kitchen with David
  • In the Kitchen with David PM Edition
  • Merry Memories with David (seasonal show)
• Dan Wheeler - joined QVC in 1991
  • Home Projects with Rick and Dan
  • NFL Shop
• Leah Williams - joined QVC in 1996
  • AM Style with Leah Williams

Product representatives[link]

QVC's hosts are often supported by a product representative for certain products.

Below is a list of some of QVC's product representatives:

• Dennis Basso - Dennis Basso Boutique
• Paula Deen - food and kitchen products
• Oscar Dovale - electronics
• Melissa Epps - toys
• Susan Graver - Susan Graver Style & Jewelry
• Lori Greiner - Clever and Unique Creations
• Sharon Hanby-Robie - home decor
• Leslie Hermanson - Mr. Christmas
• Nancy Hicks - Effortless Style by citiknits
• Christine Kane - HP
• Peyton Kelley - jewelry
• Marie Louise Kier - kitchen products
• Steven Klaszky - Dell
• Meredith Laurence - The Blue Jean Chef, Technique
• Dara Lynn - philosophy
• Bob Mackie - Bob Mackie Wearable Art
• Tara McConnell - Temp-tations ovenware
• MarkCharles Misilli - kitchen products
• Isaac Mizrahi - ISAACMIZRAHILIVE!
• Robert Lee Morris - RLM by Robert Lee Morris
• Michael O'Connor - Diamond Jewelry by Affinity
• Valerie Parr Hill - Heartfelt Home and Home Fragrances
• Chris Pryme - Lock & Lock
• Rachael Ray - Rachael Ray cookware
• Chris Rider - Dell
• Joan Rivers - Joan Rivers Classics Collection
• Dr. James Rouse - Nature's Code vitamins
• Laurie Shore - Mrs. Prindable's foods
• Angel Smedley - Quacker Factory
• Craig Smith - electronics
• Eric Theiss - kitchen gadgets
• Bob Warden - Cook's Essentials

References[link]

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/app.html/params.file.%7Ccp%7Cmainhqpress,html/left.html.file.%7Cnav%7Cnavhqabout,html

http://www.multichannel.com/article/263755-QVC_HD_Now_100_High_Def.php

External links[link]

	Philadelphia portal
	Pennsylvania portal
	Companies portal
	Television portal

• QVC US
• QVC Germany
• QVC Japan
• QVC UK
• QVC Studio Tours Page US
• QVC Italy

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2010)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2010)

Lisa Robertson (born on July 22, 1961 in Toronto) is a Canadian poet who is best known for a collection a poem entitled The Weather, which was inspired by the shipping forecasts announced on BBC radio. She currently lives in France.

Life[link]

In 1979, she moved to British Columbia, where she remained for twenty-three years. During her time there, she was a member of The Kootenay School of Writing, which is a non-profit society that offers an alternative to the mainstream pedagogy of most Canadian universities.

She has been integrally involved in Vancouver's art scene and is an honorary board member of Artspeak Gallery. She has written on and reviewed exhibitions and pieces by Kelly Wood, Robert Garcet, Liz Magor, Allyson Clay, Kathy Slade, and Hadley+Maxwell, among others. She has also written on architecture and sites in British Columbia. Robertson contributed the "Beneath the Pavilions" column to Mix from 1997-1999.

She co-edited the poetry journal Raddle Moon with Susan Clark in Vancouver, and has worked as an arts journalist, a book seller, a copy editor, an astrologer, a guest lecturer, and an essayist. She has written on the work of Robin Blaser, Denise Riley, Dionne Brand, Peter Culley, Ted Berrigan, John Clare, Lorine Niedecker, Pauline Reage, Michele Bernstein and Albertine Sarrazin.

In 2006, she was a judge of the Griffin Poetry Prize and Holloway poet-in-residence at UC Berkeley. From 2007- 2010 she taught at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. In Fall 2010 she was writer-in-residence at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.

Work[link]

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (January 2008)

Her work is a deep questioning of language, history and gender.

She intentionally alters her writing style for each book-length work, although tends to not to stray too far from the form of the sentence and the issue of civic referentiality. Robertson refers to pronouns and self-referentiality as masques or puppets.

Many poets and writers have influenced Robertson. She has mentioned Gertrude Stein, Djuna Barnes, Mina Loy, the French feminists, Marguerite Duras, Nicole Brossard, Erin Mouré, Gail Scott, Lyn Hejinian, Susan Howe, bpNichol, Steve McCaffery, and Charles Bernstein.

The Weather[link]

One of her best known works, The Weather was written following her six-month Judith E Wilson visiting fellowship at the University of Cambridge. Variously described by others as a collection of poems inspired by BBC shipping forecasts, Wordsworths's The Prelude based upon a poetics derived from British meteorology and its importance in contemporary culture and history, Robertson herself suggests "the weather" can refer to culture-specific customs, the problematic concepts of the universal, sincerity, friendship, the constitution of the English subject, and the historical merging of Romantic conceptions of identity and language.

In preparation for its completion, she researched pastoral poetry, meteorological prose, and Anglo-centric subjectivity, guided by authors like Wordsworth, Reverend Blomefield, Luke Howard, Thomas Forster, Aikin, Aratus, John Constable, and William Cobbett.

Selected bibliography[link]

• The Apothecary (Vancouver, BC: Tsunami, 1991; reissued 2001)
• The Barscheit Horse with Catriona Strang and Christine Stewart (Hamilton, Ontario: Berkeley Horse, 1993)
• XEclogue II-V (Vancouver: Sprang Texts, 1993)
• XEclogue (Vancouver, BC: Tsunami Editions 1993, reissued by New Star Books, 1999)
• The Glove: An Essay on Interpretation (Vancouver: UBC Fine Arts Gallery, 1993)
• The Badge (Hamilton, Ontario: The Berkeley Horse/Mindware, 1994)
• Earth Monies (Mission, BC: DARD, 1995)
• The Descent (Buffalo, NY: Meow, 1996)
• Debbie: An Epic (Vancouver, BC: New Star, 1997; UK: Reality Street, 1997)
• Soft Architecture: A Manifesto (Vancouver: Artspeak Gallery, 1999)
• The Weather (Vancouver, BC: New Star, 2001; UK: Reality Street, 2001)
• A Hotel (Vancouver: Vancouver Film School, 2003)
• Occasional Work and Seven Walks from the Office for Soft Architecture (Astoria, OR: Clear Cut Press, 2003)
• Face/ (New York: A Rest Press, 2003)
• Rousseau’s Boat (Vancouver, BC: Nomados, 2004)
• First Spontaneous Horizontal Restaurant. Belladonna 75. (Brooklyn: Belladonna Books, 2005)
• The Men: A Lyric Book (Toronto: BookThug, 2006)
• Lisa Robertson's Magenta Soul Whip (Coach House Press, 2009)
• R's Boat (University of California Press, 2010)

Selected Essays[link]

• "Coasting" with Jeff Derksen, Nancy Shaw, and Catriona Strang. Telling it Slant: Avant Garde Poetics of the 1990s. Ed. Mark Wallace. (Tuscaloosa: Alabama UP, 2002)
• "The Weather: A Report on Sincerity," from DC Poetry Anthology 2001.^[1]
• "How Pastoral: A Manifesto." A Poetics of Criticism. Ed. Juliana Spahr. (Buffalo: Leave Books, 1994)
• "My Eighteeneth Century." Assembling Alternatives. Ed. Romana Huk. (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP, 2003)
• "On Palinode." Chicago Review 51:4/52:1 (2006)

Selected Interviews and Conversations[link]

• "Correspondence" with Steve McCaffery. Philly Talks #17. (Philadelphia: Kelly Writers House, 2000)
• "Lifted" with Kai Fierle-Hedrick. Chicago Review 51:4/52:1 (2006)

References[link]

Notes[link]

1. ^ "Robertson, Lisa". Dcpoetry.com. http://www.dcpoetry.com/?module=keywords&keyword=Robertson,%20Lisa. Retrieved 2011-07-02. 

External links[link]

• Lisa Robertson's piece titled "The Venus Problem"
• Chicago Review special issue (51:4/52:1) on Lisa Robertson (poems, essays, interview)
• Dispatches from the PoetryFoundation.org Journal
• Readings from The Office For Soft Architecture
• Test Reading: from The Men
• Lisa Robertson reads at a Toronto Value Village
• "Mostly Experimental: Recent Writings By and About Contemporary Women Poets & Writers" review of American Women Poets in the 21st Century: Where Lyric Meets Language, ed. Claudia Rankine and Juliana Spahr.
• Steve Evans reviews Rousseau’s Boat This piece, titled "Solitary and Free", appeared in "Jacket Magazine", #27 (April 2005)
• "Wooden Houses" poem by Robertson in "Jacket Magazine", #27 (APR 2005)
• Review @ Village Voice: 09/29/06 Alan Gilbert discusses The Men
• Joshua Corey discusses The Men extended piece from the popular weblog Cahiers de Corey
• Conversation review of 'The Men' by Melissa Flores-Bórquez and Edmund Hardy at poetry mag "Intercapillary Space"

See also[link]

Poetry portal

• Canadian poetry

Mike Rowe
Born	(1962-03-18) March 18, 1962 (age 50) Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Residence	San Francisco, California
Occupation	Television host Narrator, actor, voice over actor, opera singer, activist
Website
http://www.mikeroweWORKS.com

Michael Gregory "Mike" Rowe ( /ˈroʊ/; born March 18, 1962)^[1] is an American media personality best known as the host of the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs. He can also be heard as narrator on a variety of series and has appeared in recurring commercials for Ford Motor Company.

Early life[link]

Rowe was born in Baltimore, Maryland to parents John and Peggy Rowe. Rowe has said in commercials for Dirty Jobs that the show is a tribute to his father and grandfather. Rowe became an Eagle Scout on January 2, 1979 in Troop 16 in Baltimore.^[2] During his service project for Eagle Scout at the Maryland School for the Blind, he read aloud to students, and he cites this as one of the reasons he became interested in narrating and writing.^[2][3] On being an Eagle Scout he said "The Eagle Award is not really meant for people who need to be dragged across the finish line. It's meant for a select few... ."'^[2]

Rowe attended Kenwood Presbyterian Church in Baltimore when he was younger; his parents still regularly attend. Rowe attended Overlea High School, where he excelled in both theater and singing under the tutelage of choir director Freddie King, whom Rowe credits for first interesting him in performing.^[4] An early stutterer, Rowe was able to overcome the handicap while in school.^[5] After graduation from high school, he attended Essex Community College,^[4] and briefly sang with the Chorus of the Chesapeake, which at the time was directed by King. He later graduated from Towson University^[6] with a degree in Communication Studies.^[7]

Rowe sang professionally with the Baltimore Opera.^[8][9] He says about this job:

I joined the opera to get my union card and meet girls. I was a saloon singer, so I went down to the Baltimore Opera and learned an aria and auditioned. I figured I'd do one show and quit. But the girls were everywhere and the truth is, the music was really decent.^[10]

Television career[link]

As host[link]

In the early 1990s Rowe was an on-air host for the shop-at-home TV channel QVC. When interviewed, Rowe relates how he got the job at QVC:

I was in the opera at the time. I walked across the street with a buddy of mine (during a performance) - we're dressed as Vikings and we have a drink. The TV is turned to QVC. ... My buddy bets me $100 I can't get a call back. So ... I crashed the audition and got a job on the spot. I basically turned the whole thing into my own stupid David Letterman show - I made fun of the callers and made fun of the products.^[10]

Rowe claims that QVC fired him three times.^[10] When told in a 2008 episode of Dirty Jobs that the gourds he was working on would be sold via QVC, he stated he was familiar with the corporation and proceeded to ad-lib a sales pitch for them.^[11]

Rowe has hosted Your New Home for WJZ in Baltimore, Worst Case Scenarios for TBS, On-Air TV for American Airlines, The Most for The History Channel, No Relation for FX,^[12] New York Expeditions for PBS, Channel 999 instructional guide for the now defunct PrimeStar satellite television service, and the CD-ROM music trivia game Radio Active (as "Bobby Arpeggio") for now-defunct Sanctuary Woods.

From 2001 to 2005 Rowe hosted Evening Magazine on KPIX-TV in San Francisco. During this time, he appeared in a news segment called "Somebody's Gotta Do It", profiling a number of unpleasant professions; this concept later grew into Dirty Jobs. Rowe's first work with Discovery included a trip to the Valley of the Golden Mummies to host Egypt Week Live!, where he explored ancient tombs live on air with Dr. Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist.

As narrator[link]

In addition to hosting programs, Rowe has an extensive background as a narrator. His work with Discovery Channel includes narrating American Chopper, American Hot Rod, Deadliest Catch, Wild Pacific, and Ghost Lab, as well as other Discovery specials and series such as How the Universe Works, and Syfy's Ghost Hunters. Rowe has hosted the Discovery Channel's annual "Shark Week" in 2006 and 2008, along with hosting the special You Spoof Discovery, an amateur parody video special which poked fun at some of the popular series on the Discovery Channel's lineup.^[13]

On Dirty Jobs, Rowe frequently mocks his seeming omnipresence on Discovery Channel; when a segment on firefighting and salvage was unable to be completed in a single day, he assured his firefighter host that he would "send over the MythBusters ... maybe the American Chopper boys ... [to finish the job]".

Mike Rowe poses for a photo during filming at Skulls Unlimited International.

Rowe was originally tapped to be the on-screen host of the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, a show about crab fishing in the Bering Sea, and shot footage aboard several crab boats in addition to narrating the series. When Dirty Jobs was picked up by Discovery, he was told to choose which show he wanted to appear in on-screen. Rowe claims he was told by Discovery that the shows would air back-to-back on the same night: "We can't have you telling us stories about six dead fishermen on camera and making a fart joke with your arm in a cow's ass".^[14] Rowe chose to host Dirty Jobs and narrate Deadliest Catch; the footage of him on the boats was not used in the series, although he did appear in a season finale of Deadliest Catch, interviewing the boat captains. Rowe hosted a related show about life on the Bering Sea, a 2007 miniseries, After the Catch.

Other narration work by Rowe includes Mystery Diagnosis, Drydock: A Cruise Ship Reborn, Southern Steel, Powertool Drag Racing, Scavengers Rock (Animal Planet), and the opening of Ghost Hunters, a Syfy series from the producers of American Chopper. Additionally, Rowe has done voiceover work for the reality television show The Ultimate Fighter and the NASCAR pre-race show for The 2009 Chase on ESPN.^[15]

On December 21, 2009, Rowe became the announcer on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer.^[16]

Additional appearances[link]

On October 7, 2007 Rowe appeared on Fox's American Dad! as the voice of a meter maid.^[17]

Rowe appeared on an episode of Sesame Street (Season 39) in a segment called "Dirtiest Jobs With Mike Rowe", which aired on October 13, 2008. Rowe visits Sesame Street to find the dirtiest job, which happens to belong to Oscar. Rowe must do all the things Oscar does. His tasks include finding and counting stinky cheese, sorting trash, and giving his pet pig, Spot, a mud bath. To Oscar's chagrin, Rowe does not want to stop, as he is having too much fun.^[18]

Mike Rowe spoke to over 70,000 scouts, leaders, and visitors at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree in Fort AP Hill, Virginia. Rowe, an Eagle Scout, spoke to the crowd about the importance of being physically and mentally clean, but emphasized the need for all scouts to get dirty.^[19]

In 2012, Rowe appeared in an episode of the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing playing the role of Jim Baxter, the brother of Tim Allen's character.

As pitchman[link]

In 1998, Rowe was the television spokesperson for Epic Pharmacy, a Baltimore-area association of independent pharmacies.

Beginning in March 2007, he was featured in several Ford Motor Company F-Series truck commercials, presented in a style similar to Dirty Jobs, including one for Ford Sync.^[20][21] In the summer of 2009, he appeared in advertisements for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles that used the tagline: "Why Ford. Why Now."^[22]

In 2008, Rowe partnered with W. W. Grainger, a Chicago-based Fortune 500 industrial supply company.

In 2010, Rowe appeared in internet spots for Motorola iDEN combined radios/mobile phones, explaining that the phones were used "by real people, for real work" as they were used for Dirty Jobs-type applications.

In 2010, Rowe partnered with Lee Premium Select Jeans and appeared in television spots wearing jeans that "make my butt look good".

On July 26, 2010, Rowe became the spokesperson for Caterpillar. Rowe will work with dealers and customers "to get a real world perspective on their jobs".^[23] These interactions will be featured at Cat dealers as well as on the Caterpillar website and mikeroweWORKS website.

In 2011, Rowe appeared with his parents in television spots for Viva paper towels.^[24]

Trade activism[link]

On Labor Day 2008, Rowe launched a website, MikeRoweWorks.com, which is focused on the decline in the blue collar trades and the crumbling state of the infrastructure. A trade resource center has been launched and provides information, resources, and forums for people interested in learning about, or pursuing a career in, the trades,^[2] as well as a new blog aggregator for the trades and construction industry called the "Trades Hub", which launched in April 2011.

On September 19, 2010, Mike Rowe and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers started a grassroots campaign called “I Make America”. The campaign aims to create jobs in the manufacturing sector by encouraging infrastructure investment and export agreements. The group argues that this will improve the economy and global competitiveness of the United States.^[25]

Mike Rowe has contributed video content to The Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute's trade-worker recruiting campaign GoBuildAlabama.com, culminating in an Iron Bowl-themed commercial broadcast on local CBS affiliates during Thanksgiving weekend 2010.^[26]

In May 2011, Rowe testified on the issue before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.^[27][28]

Personal life[link]

Rowe currently resides in San Francisco, California.^[29]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mike Rowe

• Mike Rowe's official website
• Mike Rowe at the Internet Movie Database
• Mike Rowe #4 on Maxim.com's 2007 list of Top Dudeliest Dudes
• Mike Rowe presenting at the 2008 EG conference
• Discovery, Realization and Lamb Castration at The Entertainment Gathering, December 2008