I'd like to ask you to take a moment to consider the part we all play in our economy. Our jobs and the future of the standard of living we've all come to enjoy depends on the participation of each and every one of us. For all those who've lost their jobs or homes we need to be truly concerned and help whenever we can as these circumstances are eroding our national well being. Fortunately, most people are still employed and all of us must remember that the economy still requires the participation of each and everyone of us or it comes to a grinding halt with disastrous economic events and even failure which spills over to our own backyards.

At Kriss Industries we are doing everything we can within our power to continue participating and keep a flow of money to the office supply, component suppliers, the shipping companies and most importantly - real people. My personal retirement account, just like many others, was wiped out by the Wall Street greed and it makes me, indeed, angry. It took just a "few" people to damage the lives of many and it's going to take "many" people to upright and set us straight again. So, it wouldn't be correct for us to ignore the fundamental rules of economics and curtail our personal spending to the point of limiting a recovery and making things even worse. I'd like to have my savings back, right now, but realize that if I worry less about short term interests and spend on something I need or want then it may help keep you employed and subsequently you'll be able to spend with me or someone else. It requires some critical thinking to keep a perspective on the long term outlook. However, my impact on this process, being a small company, is directly dependent on people as yourself purchasing our products. Each of your dollars spent here most definitely has a multiplier effect because it gets spent in our domestic economy.

My personal life long principles have always been to be open and honest with anyone and everyone, so here goes. Our company is not a large public company but rather a privately owned company. The drop in consumer spending has effected just about every business as well as ours. Often when people read and hear about turbulence in the economy, even though they're still employed, they try to postpone their purchases until next year or the next season. Many small businesses are failing today and won't be here to offer products or services in the future when you finally decide to purchase something. This is especially troublesome when the products or services of small companies, like the local shoe repair or machine shop, may never again come from within our borders or employ people from our own towns. Many companies and the jobs they've created just won't come back. We've witnessed this first hand with closing of the local small injection mold company that made our little plastic boxes. This puts us under strain to find a replacement in our town and could have a major impact on the production of our products.

I like what we do and providing high quality products made here at home is what I do. After running this business almost twenty five years my wish is to provide locally made goods and services this year, next year and those that follow.

We all need to work together if we hope to gain back some of the health and viability that was once a symbol of our nation. A society is a living organism and we're all the building blocks that form the place in which we live. If we don't pay attention one day the middle class will awake to discover they're the poor class. Without the participation of each and every person supporting American companies today this could easily happen or maybe I might say it is happening. We need to head this off people! The Chinese people don't buy American products because they believe it's a matter of national pride along with a patriotic duty to support their own economy and protect their new found wealth. As a nation this is admirable. Why can't we do the same? Don't count of trade or duties. I always ask myself "Is this purchase supporting an American job?".

Admittedly, I'm sometimes a little cynical that we'll correct our listing ship as so many people keep buying the low priced goods just to save a buck. It's extremely painful to witness the "consumer" oversight and neglect for our American workers and the small businesses where they're employed. Unfortunately, If and when these myopic consumers lose their own jobs they'll be screaming the loudest.

For me personally, I'm dedicated to buying only "Made in USA" and am careful to make sure that a company and it's packaging aren't concealing a product trail that leads back to someplace in Southeast Asia. In our industry I know who's bringing in the off shore product and you'd be surprised if not amazed. Not everyone is going to be honest and tell you the truth, even when asked, especially when "it's just the sale that counts". Ask me about our products and you'll get the truth, "Made right here in Tucson". I hope this is important to you.

Sincerely,

George Kriss
President