Portland, OR Entrepreneur Wins $10,000 Prize for John Morrell & Co. 'Pimp My Grill' Contest Entry

CINCINNATI, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The holiday giving season began a little early for Kevin Chiasson this year. He found out this week that he was the national winner of John Morrell's Pimp My Grill contest. As the winner, Kevin has received a prize of $10,000 from John Morrell & Co....maybe to buy himself a new grill! Chiasson enlisted the help of a few friends and submitted "Pimp My Grill 2007," a funny take on reality makeover shows documenting the transformation of a tired, old grill into a pimped-out party piece. The video can be viewed at www.biggerthanthebun.com/winner . (TV: Please note that a hi-res version of the video is also available on the site, but be aware it is a very large file).

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071220/CLTH062 )

Oddly enough, Kevin didn't enter the contest because of the prize money. "It was almost like a homework assignment," said Chiasson. "I'm very interested in art and video production and I wanted more experience making and producing a video. Winning was the last thing I expected." Chiasson buys his John Morrell products at his local Winco grocery store in Tigard, where he will be presented with the check on December 19th.

"We chose Kevin's entry because it was creative, funny and meshed most closely to the intent of the contest, which asked participants to show us old grills and how they could be 'pimped out,'" said Mark Dietz, vice president marketing, John Morrell & Co.

John Morrell created the Pimp My Grill contest in the summer of 2007, to help create buzz around the product introduction of its Bigger than the Bun smoked sausages, a grill-centric product launched in spring of 2007. John Morrell's "Bigger than the Bun" smoked sausages are available in several varieties, including: Smoked Sausage, Smoked Sausage with real Wisconsin Cheese, Beef Smoked Sausage, Smoked Bratwurst and Hot Smoked Sausage. The sausages, which come five to a package, are high quality and comparable to higher priced links; they are made without poultry fillers and with no MSG or trans fat. Additionally, the sausages are naturally smoked, never frozen and use hand-blended proprietary spices for a consistent taste. "Bigger than the Bun" links are formulated for use on the grill or for quick and convenient microwave meal solutions.

Since 1827, John Morrell has provided consumers with high quality meats that satisfy both the nutritional and taste preferences of our customers. The company uses only the highest quality and freshest ingredients in its products, and maintains complete control over its entire production process, including its own supply sources. John Morrell offers over 3,000 quality products, including fresh pork, bacon, boneless and bone-in hams, sausage specialties, hot dogs, lunch meats and cooked beef items.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071220/CLTH062
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN6
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com John Morrell & Co.

CONTACT: Jennifer Doerger, APR, for John Morrell & Co., +1-513-333-4100

Web site: http://www.biggerthanthebun.com/winner/