b'C E L E B R A T I N G 7 0 Y E A R STatsuya Suto (continued) In 1926, an almost penniless 26-year-old Max Stern decided to leave his native Germany for the promise of America. Germany was suffering from the ravages of the First World War. The allure of Americas stability, freedom and economic opportunity beckoned. A childhood friend of Sterns, a local pet dealer, had borrowed a modest sum and could only pay back the loan with 5,000 singing canaries. Stern accepted the canaries and decided to sell them in New York City.Stern negotiated free passage to America on the Hamburg American Steamship Line and arrived in New York not knowing a word of English. But he did sell the singingcanaries to the John Wannamaker Department Store at Astor Place in Manhattan and soon thereafter established his business nearby at 36 Cooper Square.Stern went back to his native Germany again and again, returning to America each time with more singing canaries that he now sold to a growing customer base including R.H. Macy, Sears Roebuck, F.W. Woolworth, W. T. Grant, S.S. Kresge and others. By 1932, Stern was the largest livestock importer in America and decided to expand into packaged bird foods. The Hartz Mountain line of pet products was born. The Hartz Mountain Corporationthe longtime leader in pet care productswas acquired bySumitomo Corporation of Americas together with our parent company Sumitomo Corporation in 2004. Today, as Hartz approaches its 100th anniversary, we take pride in its many products, specifically the Hartz flea & tick collar, which is still the number one selling flea & tick collar for both cats and dogs to this day.with manufacturers in Thailand and China is what has allowed us to continue to grow with increased demand. Our Pleasant Plain Ohio plant has adapted to enable changing product assortment and has completely removed certain manufacturing processes to make room for new ones. A good example of that is our plants recent expansion to liquid manufacturing which allows us to make our own shampoos and sprays for grooming and Flea & Tick, while we have decided to exit manufacturing of aquatic and small animal products which were less profitable and in lower consumer demand. We now are working on plans to expand our in house production of our Hartz Home Protec-tion dog pads, which are the #1 brand in the US and are in much need as most other dog pads are made in China and have experienced supply chain disruption. Our very fast growing line of Delectables wet cat treats come from Thailand where we have a very experienced manufacturer partner with whom we share long term forecasts and innovation plans, so that we are able to jointly plan future demand. We have had the need to expand capacity there several times over the years, especially as we continue to expand distribution, most notably to meet demand in the fast growing eCommerce channel where we supply the top e-tailers, Amazon.com and Chewy.com.What is the legacy of Hartz and how does it connect to Sumitomos values and mission?No matter how Hartz has evolved over the many years we have been operating, one thing remains most stead-fastwe are a company consisting of passionate pet owners. Our pets come in to work with us in our Secaucus, NJ headquarters so I see them every day as daily reminders of who we are serving they are the first to see and try all our new products! We believe that pets enrich our individual lives and our communities. Our products enable more pet ownership by making caring for them both easier and economical. Our products have always beenconveniently accessible to all at a great value. We have developed innovative products that have helped care for millions of pets over the years. In addition, we have long contributed to helping to support shelters with the products they desperately need for the comfort and health of pets under their care until they can find these animals their forever homes. 20 visions Fall 2022'