Cutco
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (February 2012) |
| File:Cutco logo.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Kitchen accessories |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Headquarters | Olean, New York, U.S. |
Key people | Jim Stitt Sr., Erick Laine, John Whelpley, Jim Stitt Jr., Bruce Goodman, Al DiLeonardo |
| Products | Cutlery |
| Revenue | $200,000,000 |
Number of employees | 700 |
| Website | www.cutco.com |
Cutco Corporation, formerly Alcas Corporation, is the parent company of CUTCO Cutlery Corp., multi-level marketing company Vector Marketing, KA-BAR Knives Inc. and Schilling Forge. Its primary brand is also the name Cutco.
The company was founded in 1949 by Alcoa and Case Cutlery (hence "Al-cas") to manufacture knives. The management purchased the company from Alcoa in 1982, and the company acquired Vector Marketing Corporation in 1985.[1]
In early 2009 Alcas changed its name to Cutco, the name of the primary product.
Products
Cutco is a brand of cutlery and kitchen accessories directly marketed to customers through in-home demonstrations by independent sales representatives who are mostly college students.[2][3] More than 100 kitchen cutlery products are sold under the Cutco name, as well as a variety of kitchen utensils, cookware, sporting and outdoors knives, and cutlery.
Although the products are not typically purchased in retail stores, Cutco has opened three of its own retail stores: Indianapolis, Indiana; Okemos, Michigan; and Erie, Pennsylvania.[4] All of the knives are produced in Olean, New York, United States, although a few products (such as the garden tools, the ice cream scoop, can opener, and garlic press) are made in China.[5]
Vector Marketing
See Vector Marketing.
Vector Marketing is the domestic sales arm of Cutco Corporation. Vector recruited 122777 new representatives in 2011, mostly college and university students due to the part-time, entry-level nature of the position. Representatives typically derive sales from word-of-mouth and one-to-one demonstrations.
Cutco Foundation
Cutco established the Cutco Foundation in 1996 to contribute to communities in which Cutco has a substantial presence. The Foundation has donated to Pi Sigma Epsilon's annual Pro-Am Sell-A-Thon, an annual sales competition for college students.[6] Cutco is particularly active near its home base of New York, and the Foundation has contributed to St. Bonaventure University, Southern Tier Catholic Schools, Friends of Good Music, Jamestown Community College, Comstock Hospice Care Network, Alfred University, Olean General Hospital and the Allegheny River Valley Trail.[7]
References
- ^ Cutco Company History
- ^ Chu, Kathy. "College students learn from job of hard knocks: Door-to-door sales draw thousands every summer" (Document).
{{cite document}}: Cite document requires|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|accessdate=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|url=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|work=ignored (help) - ^ Davis, Jana. "What is 'Work For Students' anyway?".
- ^ Schouten, Cory (2011-03-28). "Roundup: Cutco, Marshalls, Performance Bicycle, Sensu". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- ^ Made in America, Cutco.com
- ^ "Events & Programs". Pi Sigma Epsilon. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ^ "Cutco Foundation". Retrieved 21 June 2011.