Up and Coming - Black Diamond - Up Grade, Salt Lake County

Black Diamond Moving UP

Black Diamond president and CEO Peter Metcalf

On December 1, 1989 the former employees of bankrupt Chouinard Equipment climbing company signed the papers, buying it's assets out of bankruptcy and in the process created the first employee-owned company in the climbing industry. Black Diamond was born.

Since then, they devoted their energy toward the goal of creating a company which fosters the enthusiasm and dreams necessary to design and manufacture the best climbing and skiing gear in the world. To facilitate that goal, they moved in 1991 from the surf of California to the mountains of Utah. The base in Salt Lake City is located within minutes of great rock climbing, ice climbing and backcountry skiing. Black Diamond is surrounded by a high-energy climbing and skiing community and a quality of life that suits their quest to climb and ski as much as possible. Although their address changed, one thing never wavered-the design philosophy that had begun years before. They used an SBA loan to acquire the bank-reposed and vacant property that became their home.

At first it was a challenge to find a home for the company, few properties were appropriate and since Black Diamond was a young company with very little financial leverage, developers were hesitant to deal with the company and the improvements it needed to make in order to establish a base of operations.

Eventually Black Diamond president and CEO Peter Metcalf found the perfect building, which had been repossessed and was owned by Zions Bank. Black Diamond applied for an SBA loan to purchase the building, the loan was approved and Black Diamond had a new home. The nineties were a decade of change and Black Diamond's designs continued to evolve in response to the changing needs of climbers and skiers. Products were developed, which range from lightweight lightware to variations on the carabiner, to tents and packs, to skis and ice climbing gear. After considerable testing and extensive research, they also unveiled the AvaLung II, a harness (and essential tool for backcountry safety) that allows the user to breathe when buried in snow.

In the early mid-90's in response to rapid growth, Black Diamond approached the SBA yet again to help with a loan for expansion.

Since the move in 1991, Black Diamond has developed into a family of sorts. They climb and work together, they meet in the parking lot for dawn patrol ski tours and in keeping with the family tradition, all of the gear is made in Salt Lake City.

(Reprinted with permission from the 2005 SBA Small Business Guide.)