Thanks to all of you for making our 2011 another great year. Even though business was a little slow, we continued to be a strong factor in this Industry.

As most readers know we are having an increase on Band Uniform buttons as of February 1st in the amount of 10%. New price lists reflecting these increases will be available to you upon request or as a handout when I call on you in the near future to discuss and plan for this years requirements.

Not all products we supply will increase as we do inventory some items in large quantities so we can hold your costs down for an entire season. With buttons last year, C&C at our request helped our customers retain planned profit margins by holding their increase until the beginning of this season. You don't see many suppliers do this, but at Heartland Trim we work with our customers and long time friends as well as our factories, creating that special bond and opportunity. We believe your success is our success!

Nothing new on the horizon this season that we have seen or been made aware of, but as designs and samples move forward I'm sure new products or styles will rise to the top. When they do, we will try and keep you informed of them. Remember to have your designers get in touch with us if they are looking for something special. If we don't have it, we usually can find it or develop it.

One final note, Gold and Gilt finishes were strong last year. If any of you see this trend for 2012 please let us know as soon as possible becuase normally Silver and Nickel finishes dominate.

Best wishes to all of you and continue to watch for are upcoming reports on Band Uniform Style trends.

Bob & Nancy Howard