Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company The Cattaraugus Cutlery Company began as the New York distribution company J.B.F. Champlin and Son, founded by John Champlin and his son Tint in 1882. The Champlins expanded into knife production, and along with William R. Case and his brothers, they formed Cattaraugus Cutlery in 1886, based in Little Valley. The company hired expert cutlers from Germany, England, and other U.S. manufacturers, to produce high quality cutlery. Admiral Byrd selected Cattaraugus knives to take on his expedition to the South Pole. Over time, the Case family separated from Cattaraugus to form W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery
Stephen Messer (entrepreneur) recruited Cheryl Ho and Horace Meng to help he and his sister create LinkShare Corporation. The company initially faltered, landing only 15 clients in its first year despite the Messers' extensive efforts. By year three, though, it regained its footing and took off, with 150 businesses signing up to take advantage of this new revenue concept. Messer served as Chairman and CEO of LinkShare until its sale in 2005 to Rakuten Inc. for $425 million. In 2006, Messer exited the company, which was later renamed Rakuten LinkShare. Messer was awarded patents around the concept of affiliate marketing. The first of