U.S. Senator Ron Wyden held a town-hall style meeting with employees and toured the facilities of Benchmade Knife Co. He later met with Benchmade President Les de Asis and other executives from AKTI member companies in Oregon.

Thanks to an earlier presentation by AKTI, U.S. legislators intervened with the Customs Service to call off a sweeping product seizure that had lasted some 16 days and threatened the future of Columbia River Knife and Tool Company in Wilsonville, Oregon.