Surely you have already seen the memorial stone and oak tree in the patch of lawn between the canteen and the forge, but do you know what it’s all about?
It all started with an Englishman who wanted to try his luck in America. In 1969 Derrick A. C. Tuck and his wife Sheila immigrated to the United States to take over the sales department of an English hand tool company. In 1973 the two founded their own company, Anglo American Enterprises (AAE), which would henceforth represent multiple high-quality European hand tool companies in the USA.
The first interaction between Derrick Tuck and KNIPEX came about at the Cologne International Hardware Show. Afterward, cooperation between AAE and KNIPEX became more intensive and increasingly profitable and Anglo American ultimately developed into the sole importer for KNIPEX in the States.
All that knew him still remember his exemplary diligence, his outstanding sales abilities, and his charismatic, congenial personality. One of his trademarks: the continuous consumption of large amounts of coffee, preferably with only a minute to spare before his flight gate closed for departure. His legendary product demonstrations were always executed with acrobatic commitment and never failed to excite his audience —for example, he would stand on the demonstration bar for the “Alligator” while on top of a table, emphasizing the gripping power of the pliers. Aided by his power of persuasion, Derrick succeeded in making the “Alligator” a top product in the US, laying the foundation for our market position in the USA today.
Even during his personal travels, he convinced all sorts of hand tool users that he encountered KNIPEX’s superior quality. On cruises, his favorite spot was the machine room, an ideal place to demonstrate the quality of KNIPEX tools. Derrick was a familiar face at the Cologne International Hardware Show for decades and utilized his one-of-a-kind demonstration methods to successfully promote a variety of other products. We learned a lot from Derrick and still use many of his ideas today. To this day, many of our most important business relationships in the US are a result of his hard work.
A close friend of the Putsch family, Derrick Tuck passed away in 2003 at the age of 66 as a result of lung cancer.
Today, his wife Sheila and son Stephen continue to run Anglo American Enterprises. Since the founding of our American subsidiary KNIPEX Tools LP, Anglo American has functioned as our logistics provider in the US, warehousing and shipping our pliers.
Ralf Putsch and Stephen Tuck placed the memorial stone and planted the oak tree in appreciation and memory of Derrick Tuck. Both were donated by the Tuck family. They commemorate an exceptional person to whom KNIPEX owes a significant debt of gratitude.