Since the company originated in 1990, American Paper Optics, Inc., (APO) has become the world's largest manufacturer of paper 3D eyewear. During this time, owner and 3D aficionado John Jerit, transformed a "silly" paper novelty business into a 3D-eyeglass empire with products distributed worldwide. Named "Small Business Executive of the Year" in 1998 by the Memphis Business Journal, John attributes aggressive marketing and diversification to the company's successful production of more than 500 million 3D glasses. In November 1999, Entrepreneur Magazine selected John as one of the nation's outstanding small businessmen for his masterful marketing of 3D glasses for movies, television, web sites, theme park attractions, laser light shows, and fireworks displays.

In 1991, American Paper Optics received national notoriety as the manufacturer of 11 million 3D glasses for the Nightmare on Elm Street sequel, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. In 1994, American Paper Optics soon followed up by producing a multi-million piece 3D glasses order for a television promotion of Fox's Married with Children and Revenge of the Nerds IV. In the summer of 1997, APO produced 20 million 3D glasses for Televisa, a major network television station, for a month-long 3D broadcast in Mexico City. In 1998, APO met the challenge of producing more than 21 million 3D viewers in less than three months for the international distribution of the August issue of National Geographic magazine.

Innovation and impossible deadlines are our specialty, as more than seven million safe, solar eclipse-viewing glasses were manufactured and distributed to 20 European countries for the last eclipse of the millennium. In October 1999, over five million 3D viewers were delivered in less than three weeks for BirthdayExpress.com's special 3D ad in nationally distributed magazines.

Using our exclusive HoloSpexTM lenses, APO introduced a retail phenomenon into the mainstream marketplace with Holiday Specs and Happy Eyes 3D glasses. Over three million glasses in this highly successful line have sold in a variety of retail stores ranging from gift and greeting card shops to floral and seasonal specialty stores. Our latest innovation, True-Vue 3D, a patented paper stereo viewer, is destined to be a huge promotional success as the best 3D technology in the industry.

Increasing our presence in the west, APO acquired DayShades USA, a long-time Denver-based competitor. With this acquisition, APO added several patented DayShades designs including the highly successful Tropical Palm Tree paper sunglasses.

Our 13,000 square feet manufacturing facility, the only one of its kind in the world, is solely dedicated to the state-of-the-art production of 3D paper eyeglasses. APO continues to diversify and "see" into the new millennium by striving to reach an ever-expanding world marketplace with our custom manufacturing capabilities, in-house graphic arts department, 3D conversion specialists, and retail divisions. We look forward to serving our markets and changing the world, one pair of 3D glasses at a time, well into the 21st century.