Alcas Corporation

Alcas Corporation is the parent company of Cutco, KA-BAR, and Vector Marketing.

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.

Controversies of sales arm

• Vector Marketing, Alcas' sales arm has been the subject of varied controversy. Vector Marketing's employment tactics have been targeted for criticism, specifically for deceptive recruitment practices. Vector was sued by the Arizona Attorney General in 1990, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in 1999, and was ordered by the state of Wisconsin not to deceive recruits in 1994. Each time their legal trouble revolved around allegedly fraudulent recruiting tactics, and each time Vector settled and promised not to mislead their recruits anymore.

• In the early 2000s, Vector made what they called "transparency" changes to become more upfront about what they offered representatives. Vector asserts that many of the people who were in upper-level positions with Vector 10 to 15 years ago when most of the criticism occurred no longer work with the company. Groups of former Cutco employees or contractors argue that these changes have not altered Cutco's business practices.

External links

• http://www.alcas.com/
• Company history

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