Cody, WY (PRWEB)August 17, 2016 - CJ Buck, CEO and Chairman of Buck Knives, Inc., Post Falls, Idaho, was recently honored for his extraordinary service and contribution to the knife community. He was inducted at the 2016 BLADE Show into the Cutlery Hall of Fame©. Living members of the Cutlery Hall-of Fame elect the yearly inductee by a vote prior to the show.
Jointly Hall of Fame member Goldie Russell, President of A.G. Russell Knives, and Jan Billeb, Executive Director of the American Knife & Tool Institute, shared how CJ Buck's foresight and commitment in the formation and work of the American Knife & Tool Institute insured that a forum for the industry was in place to develop solutions to problems when needed.
"As an ambassador of the knife community and AKTI, CJ Buck has elevated the knife industry's image to the greater world at large and fostered partnerships with labor unions, congressional caucuses and conservation and outdoor groups," noted Jan Billeb.
CJ Buck encouraged the organization to be multi-faceted and proactive to protect our American heritage of knives in daily lives, promote growth in the industry and encourage the next generation of knife users.
"CJ's grandfather Al and father Chuck, also Hall of Fame members, would be proud of him - the man he is, heritage he successfully continues and his accomplishments to ensure that everyone in the knife community can continue doing what they love - making knives and sharing them with others," said Goldie Russell.
"The Cutlery Hall of Fame includes individuals who have had such a strong and passionate impact on the industry I love," said CJ Buck, "and the fact that those same individuals have accorded this recognition to me is almost overwhelming."
He added, "I continue to enjoy my involvement with the American Knife & Tool Institute and am so pleased with how much progress we have made by working together. From the closed and short-sighted 1958 Federal Switchblade Act to the visionary Knife Owner’s Protection Act, we have brought outdoorsmen and women together with the building trades in a frank dialogue based on logic and reason and not fear. We have partnered with legislators and law enforcement rather than just be adversarial and have brought about change in how knives are regarded. That momentum continues."
More about AKTI:
The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) is a non-profit organization (501(c)6) representing the entire knife community. Formed in true grassroots fashion by concerned industry leaders after considerable discussion with individual knifemakers, knife magazine publishers, and a broad section of the knife community, AKTI has been the reasonable and responsible voice of the knife community since 1998. AKTI’s mission is to ensure that Americans will always be able to make, buy, sell, own, carry and use knives and edged tools. To learn more, please visit http://www.akti.org and https://www.facebook.com/saveourknives.
