A couple weeks ago, we enjoyed an afternoon visit to Port Washington from Mike Allen, the great grandson of Allen Edmonds’ founder, Elbert Allen, and therefore also the grandson and son of Bert and Boyd, the next two generations of family leadership. After Mike toured our manufacturing facility with Jim Kass, our Head of Operations, we all enjoyed a great conversation about the intertwined history of his family and the company. Mike brought in a couple photos from back in the late 1950s -- including the Christmas Card (pictured below) of Boyd, Mrs. Allen and the kids with their AE shoes kicked up on the fireplace wall for all to see. Absolutely priceless.

On his tour, I think Mike was pleasantly surprised at how little the manufacturing process has changed. Yes, we’re more efficient based on our volumes and some workflow engineering, but we still manufacture all of our shoes by hand in the same 212 steps that have been the basis for handcrafting Allen Edmonds shoes since the beginning in 1922. (For more information on how we make our shoes, take a look at our newly designed website, http://www.allenedmonds.com/ and click on the “Craftsmanship” tab). And now we employ over 750 people in our company, most of whom work in Port Washington, just 8 miles from the town of Belgium where Elbert Allen first stated.

Building on the Allen Family legacy, I am pleased to announce the Third Annual Allen Edmonds “Rediscover America” Customer Appreciation Event (aka our Big Fall Sale), which runs September 26th through Columbus Day, October 11th. In addition to saying thank you to those whose loyalty has carried us since 1922, we’re celebrating all American manufacturing and workers, and the quality, craftsmanship, style and service that “Made in USA” has always meant to AE customers at home and abroad. During the sale, our products will be offered at least at 14.92% off (Columbus, you know) in all of our own retail stores, on our website, and through 400 participating Allen Edmonds dealers nationwide. A select list of 12 of our most popular styles of shoes and some accessories will be offered at much bigger savings, too.

Ok, enough plugging and bold font… At the end of our time with Mike, I mentioned that since January 2010 we’ve added over 120 jobs right here at our manufacturing facility in Port Washington. Mike said his great grandfather would be proud. His smile spoke volumes about the Allen family and our work. It makes me especially proud of all of my colleagues, whose dedication and commitment to great American ideals are leading this great company to new heights today.

As always, thank you for your support of Allen Edmonds, and of American manufacturing. It’s because of you that we have been able to continue to create jobs right here, about a snowball’s throw from where Elbert Allen first started in 1922.

Best Wishes,

Paul D. Grangaard

President & CEO

Allen Edmonds Shoe Corporation

My parents grew up through the Great Depression and learned a lot of hard lessons about the value of a steady job. Both of my grandfathers worked for country banks that were wiped out in the banking crisis, and so were their personal finances. My mother’s keepsake silver dollar, minted in her birth year of 1922, was finally needed in 1934 to buy bread for the family, bringing real life experience to the phrase “down to our last dollar.” My dad worked his way through college in North Dakota in the late 1930s, moved to Minneapolis after graduation without a dime in his pocket and, except for his service in WWII, worked for the same company for his entire career.

During the prosperity of the late 1990s, many Americans adopted a “free agent” attitude about their jobs. It was a heady time when “business casual” evolved to where guys dressed literally in running shoes for a quick escape out of the office. In venture capital hotspots, there was constant hopping from one start-up to another, and it seemed those opportunities would never dry up.

Fast forward to 2011 and a stubbornly persistent unemployment rate over 9%. Men’s attire has become more serious and that includes the shoes that they wear both to work and on weekends. This trend has been good for business growth at Allen Edmonds. For me and our leadership team here, the most gratifying part of that growth is the expanded employment that we’ve been able to offer to our community.

We’ve added over 120 new hires in Port Washington, WI since 2010. Many of them had been laid off from other jobs several months or even a couple years before joining us. It’s great to talk to them, see how much they value their jobs and hear about their plans for their families that now are realistic again. And, man, do they take their work seriously, which shows up in the quality of our shoes and our customer service. Nobody’s perfect, but the effort they expend to get as close as possible to perfection is truly inspirational.

On this Labor Day 2011, here’s a special toast to U.S. employees, to U.S. employers, to U.S. jobs, and to never taking any of them for granted.

Best Wishes,

Paul D. Grangaard

President & CEO
Allen Edmonds Shoe Corporation