BARTLETT , TN, January 12, 2000 – American Paper Optics, Inc. announces the recent purchase of fellow 3D eyeglasses manufacturer, DayShades USA. The Denver-based manufacturer known for its signature Tropical Palm Tree Sunglasses, has produced and distributed more than 70 million paper eyeglasses and sunglasses worldwide. Craig Jones, former owner of DayShades, currently heads the western sales division for American Paper Optics from his office in Denver. With more than 12 years of 3D eyeglasses sales and production experience, Jones plans to further extend the sales reach and product mix of American Paper Optics by bringing with him six patented paper eyeglasses designs.
Acquired in November 1999, DayShades USA was purchased by John Jerit, founder and owner of American Paper Optics. In the same month, Jerit was named one of Entrepreneur’s up-and-coming young millionaires. The small business magazine ranked Jerit among the nation’s rising entrepreneurial stars with sales exceeding five million dollars in 1998.
Since 1990, the 3D aficionado has transformed a “silly” paper novelty business into a 3D-eyeglass empire with the worldwide distribution of 500 million 3D glasses for promotions involving movies, television, web sites, theme park attractions, laser light shows, and fireworks displays.
Jerit’s 3D “vision” has changed the way millions of people view the world–one pair of 3D glasses at a time. Since 1990, American Paper Optics has become the world’s leading supplier of paper 3D glasses. Jerit, named “Small Business Executive of the Year” in 1998 by the Memphis Business Journal, expects to sell over 60 million paper 3D glasses this year.
American Paper Optics received national notoriety in 1991 as the manufacturer of 11 million 3D glasses for the Nightmare on Elm Street sequel, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. Jerit soon followed up by producing eight million glasses for a television promotion of Fox’s Married with Children and Revenge of the Nerds IV.
In 1995, Jerit introduced a retail phenomenon into the mainstream marketplace with Holiday Specs, 3D Christmas Glasses. These special paper eyeglasses allow the wearer to see holiday messages surrounding bright points of light. The line has sold over three million pairs to a variety of retail stores ranging from gift and greeting card shops to floral and seasonal specialty stores.
In the summer of 1997, Jerit and American Paper Optics provided 20 million 3D glasses for Televisa, a major network television station, for a month-long 3D broadcast in Mexico City. In 1998, Jerit met the challenge of producing more than 21 million 3D glasses for the international distribution of August issue of National Geographic magazine which featured Mars Pathfinder and Titanic 3D images. In October 1999, Jerit overcame a seemingly impossible deadline by delivering more than five million 3D viewers in less than three weeks for the BirthdayExpress.com special 3D advertisement in nationally distributed magazines.
For more information about John Jerit and American Paper Optics, please contact:
Jason Lewin – Marketing Director
American Paper Optics, LLC
2995 Appling Road, Suite 106
Bartlett, TN 38133
Phone: 1-800-767-8427
Fax: 901-381-1517
email: Jason@3dglassesonline.com
