The
following letter was written several years ago and presented
to Harold Hitt, President, by his father at an awards banquet.
We felt it was worth sharing and believe it will provide you
with some insight into how Hitt Marking Devices began.
In keeping
with the all American dream, for sometime our son Harold,
together with his wife Heidi, had been looking for a business
they could establish where they would "be their own boss."
In 1987 they came to my wife Dottie and me, with a proposal.
It wasnt a proposal to borrow money from us to start
their dream business. What Harold proposed was a true partnership
where he and Heidi would match our investment and we would
start a Rubber Stamp Business." He suggested that this
business be started in my garage using some old outdated equipment
donated to the cause by Heidis mother, who owns and
operates a rubber stamp business in Hemet, CA.
The plan
was that Dottie would make the stamps. Harold and Heidi would
function primarily in sales. We agreed to the plan and the
family business, "HITT MARKING DEVICES, INC."
was begun. The company grew quickly and it wasnt long
before Harold, Heidi and Ken had to quit their jobs, and come
into the business full time to assist Dottie in manufacturing
and sales. Harold and Ken made sales calls and deliveries
in the morning, then rushed back to help Heidi and Dottie
manufacture, invoice and ship out the daily orders. Also as
a result of the companys rapid growth, it wasnt
long before they were bumping into each other in our garage.
Harold began looking for a more suitable location, in the
Orange County area. In addition to the fact they needed more
space, Harold confessed to being embarrassed to tell his customers
that he was operating out of "a garage."
We truly
stepped out on faith, but hedged that faith at Harolds
direction, by moving into the same general area where several
large national and international corporations had established
their home offices. New product lines were added such as,
specialty inks, stone stamp pads, fingerprint pads, engraving,
plaques & awards, stencils, labels, electric time recorders,
electric branding machines, etc. It truly became a marking
device business, instead of merely a rubber stamp business.
We were
recently awarded HEAVY WEIGHT SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR
by Marking Industry Magazine. Harold has made it clear that
he isnt going to be satisfied with being just another
marking device company. He wants to be the best and the biggest.
He is committed to offering the best in service, together
with a quality product which is competitively priced. We are
not the biggest yet but we are the best, thanks mostly to
Harold and the dream that he held onto and sacrificed to achieve.
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From top left;
Ken Hitt, wife Sue and
at bottom left their daughter Lisa.
Top right company co-founders Harold Hitt, wife Heidi
and their daughters Brittany and Brooke
Don and Dorothy Hitt
Co-Founders (Retired)
Also,
thanks to Harolds philosophy of providing both quality
and good service, and the efforts of our youngest son Ken,
our company, Hitt Marking Devices was awarded Nordstrom Department
stores "SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR" award.
Since Nordstrom is considered to be a leader in both quality
and service, this was no small accomplishment. We are grateful
to Ken for making it happen. Ken, who entered the business
in late 1988, has become an invaluable member of Hitt Marking
Devices family team, as demonstrated by this award.
One of
Harolds stated goals from the very beginning has been
to provide a source of income for his dad and moms retirement.
That goal has now been achieved much earlier than we ever
dreamed it could.
This award
given this 14th day of December, 1993, by his proud parents,
Don and Dottie Hitt. |