Financial History Issue 115 (Fall 2015) | Page 38

Deluxe Corporation Deluxe Corporation Early Deluxe check catalog. The Crash of 1929 ushered in the Great Depression, which hurt Deluxe along with most other businesses. Deluxe was a private company, so its stock price was not affected by the crash. However, as the 1930s progressed, “Deluxe’s vulnerability was directly linked to its bank customers, who were embroiled in the worst banking crisis in the nation’s history.” Sales declined in 1932–33. As the company struggled, Hotchkiss solicited his employees’ advice, which was highly unusual in corporate America at the time