Thursday, December 2, 1999
By Janet Goetze of The Oregonian staff

WEST LINN -- When the federal government temporarily closed down in 1995, a business opportunity opened up for two hikers shut out of their winter trip to a national park.
After a couple years of research, the pair set up an Oregon-based catalog business that dedicates a percentage of sales to projects that help national parks inch out of a $7 billion to $9 billion maintenance budget shortfall.
As The Parks Co., the partners are producing the only national catalog featuring merchandise from all the country's parks. They sell art capturing the beauty of the parks, plush reproductions of animals in the parks, clothing with parks logos, miniature replicas of parks lodges and 500 other items also available through a Web site.
When he isn't hiking, Mike Baggetta, 40, of West Linn, is a graphic artist and designer. His partner, Joe Galliani, 42, of Redondo Beach, Calif., is a writer, producer and creative director. They met more than 10 years ago while working on projects for the Southern California film industry. Each has worked for

	The Parks Company WHAT:: More than 500 items that celebrate and support America's national parks WHERE: Offices and warehouse in Tigard; mail to: P.O. Box 284, Marylhurst, OR 97036 E-MAIL: service@theparkscompany.com WEB SITE: www.theparksco.com

national corporations, too.
Forced to cancel their trip to Yosemite National Park while politicians bickered over the 1996 federal budget, Baggetta and Galliani decided to look into the funding for some of their favorite recreation spots.

They were shocked to learn that trail repairs, building maintenance and sign replacement had been delayed, sometimes for decades, throughout the parks system. Estimates for catching up with the work ranged into 10 figures.
"We thought we could come up with a product to sell and give the money back to the parks," said Galliani, who created Mattel Inc.'s Street Sharks, action figures popular among boys a few years back.
"Instead of running ads, we thought we should get our product into the national parks catalog. But there wasn't one," he said. "Then the light bulb went off."
The pair researched direct mail marketing and catalogs. Galliani met with representatives of the National Park Service, the National Parks Conservation Association and the National Parks Foundation, an organization appointed by Congress to accept private contributions to help support the park system, about their idea.
Baggetta, who moved to suburban West Linn seven years ago with his family, found catalog consultants in the Portland area whom he regards as some of the best in the country.
Baggetta and Galliani learned that catalogs can be money pits, swallowing up dollars for printing and mailing before the first sale. As a result, the partners narrowly aimed their products at likely customers: They bought advertisements in "National Parks," the magazine of the National Parks and Conservation Association.
They sent catalogs to the 25,000 people who responded to the first ad in July 1997. The mailing list grew to 60,000 in 1998, and they expect to reach 140,000 by the end of 1999.
They are placing ads in more magazines read by potential buyers, such as Audubon, Sunset and art and antiques publications.

	PHOTO BY BOB ELLIS/THE OREGONIAN
	The Parks Company, a mail-order business started to aid national parks, packages vintage posters, plush animals, railroad signal signs and other merchandise at its Tigard warehouse. Co-founder Mike Baggetta (center) works with his assistants Lisa Lockwood (left) and Lisa Baggetta, his sister.

The Web site, redesigned the past two years with parks-related information as well as the products list, is bringing in about 15 percent of the company's sales, Baggetta said.

Private and public profit
A profit may be two years away for The Parks Co. Nevertheless, Baggetta said, the partners have honored their commitment to set aside 5 percent from each item sold to support restoration projects.
It took time for support groups assisting the parks to learn the partners had funds, Galliani said.Now, they have given more than $20,000 for specific projects.
For instance, the company granted $1,000 for educational exhibits in a new visitor center at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The Friends of Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon will use $1,000 to restore a section of a historic loop trail. Another $1,000 will buy plants and fencing for a habitat restoration project to be completed by schoolchildren on the Grand Canyon's south rim.
Baggetta said he and Galliani look for projects that aren't likely to get federal dollars but will be completed by "friends" groups that know their parks' immediate needs.
"We don't believe we can wipe out the neglect of decades," Baggetta said. "But if we can help spur a discussion, and if someone will take a leadership role, we hope to add the parks to the debate about what to do with the federal budget surplus."
Dedicating just 1 percent of the surplus to maintenance in coming years could restore the parks, he said. The partners have been urging elected officials to support such a proposal.
"We also hope to use our contacts to bring in some new money and new ideas for the parks," Galliani said. "And part of what we're doing is helping to bring the parks back into people's lives."

You can reach Janet Goetze at 503-294-5917 or by e-mail at janetgoetze@news.oregonian.com.