I found a definition of blog that said that blogs frequently function as personal online diaries. I am hoping that this blog will function as a Case Company diary of sorts, in which people can post their Case-related reflections. I believe that some of our associates who work here in Bradford and at our sales office in Knoxville will be posting soon. I look forward to many of our loyal Case enthusiasts doing so as well.

Let me kick things off by saying that 2007 has been an unbelievable year at Case. We are experiencing unprecedented demand for our products and have had a difficult task increasing our output quickly enough to meet that demand. Most of you know that the essence of our product is in the hand work that is done in finishing our knives. That is a skill that takes time to develop in new associates. In addition, already skilled associates must spend a substantial amount of their time mentoring new associates and ensuring the quality of their work. We have hired many new associates this year but we think we have turned the corner in our current training effort and hope to be able to produce a few more knives every day.

On to some news from outside these walls.  It was interesting to see that the essence of the agreement that GM reached with its union revolved around job security. The owners and managers at Case think that is a critical issue as well. We value our skilled artisans and don’t believe that Case knives can be made anywhere but here in Bradford, PA., USA. All of us here are committed to continuing that tradition.

On a personal note, I mourn the recent loss of my father in law. He was a simple, working man with a ready smile and a kind word for everyone he met. He was almost 90 yet hundreds of people filed by the casket to pay their final respects to this seemingly ordinary man. Our family will miss him.

I’m looking forward to a busy time here at Case as we head toward the holiday season...and to your comments here.

Thanks,
Tom