Outdoor Retailer - December 2020 - 23

IDEAS

THOUGHT LEADER

Guiding Light
Rick Case founded a company whose mission
is to solve problems through innovation, so it's
not surprising that, for Nite Ize, the pandemic
created opportunities to be able to make a
difference and help. by Bevin Wallace
Name: Rick Case
Title: CEO and Founder
Company: Nite Ize
Founded: 1989
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Downlow: When he came up with the idea for the Nite Ize Headband Mini

Carlo Nasisse

Flashlight Holder as a college student at the University of Colorado,
Rick Case created a business based on using innovation to solve problems-starting with how to hold a flashlight when you don't have a free
hand during predawn backcountry ski and fishing trips. In the 30 years
that followed, Case's company grew to employ over 250 people and
make over 500 products, including double-sided carabiners, waterproof device protectors, and over 40 different lights and illuminated devices-from micro lanterns and headlamps to illuminated beer koozies
and light-up frisbees. When Covid-19 hit, Case realized the pandemic
created new and challenging problems the innovation-focused company had opportunities to solve. " There were a couple of products in our
line that we pivoted and had them used in a different way, to essentially
create a solution that we had never thought it would be used for, " Case
says. For example, Nite Ize had a product called the Gear Tie, which users on social media were retrofitting into PPE face masks to improve fit
and comfort. " And we saw that and we thought, 'Wow, that's a nice solution,' " Case says. After looking for a channel to donate the company's
Gear Ties and Better Band extruded stretch material, Case connected
with Dana Gleason of Mystery Ranch, who had begun making PPE.
" And, essentially before I knew it, I had donated all of the Better Bands
and a Gear Ties I had at the facility to Mystery Ranch. So Mystery Ranch
had started in the community locally, donating fabric and materials to
having sort of volunteer sewing. And then as the surge came on, Dana
decided to design his own mask. Which has turned into an interesting
opportunity to help make a difference, " says Case.
And after donating 50-some thousand components of Gear Ties
and Better Bands, Dana said, " Well, what would you think about actually making those for this purpose? " And I'm always up to make more
things. So we decided to design a custom Gear Tie that would have the
right gauge diameter and the length optimized for that application. And

we were able to crank up the extrusion lines in the factory and keep some
people working, and make some more product.
Masks are turning into a piece of essential gear that we're going to
have in our life going forward. And I think people will judge that gear
by its performance and the brands that are associated with it and the
people who are making them.
There's never an end to product development in the pursuit of making people's lives easier and more fun, of adding utility to lots of items
and really providing those solutions.
I've always been excited about new things, and that always keeps me
going.
At Nite Ize, we've been fortunate enough to continue to have a lot
of ideas, and we launch products every six months. So the roadmap
of Nite Ize products is super exciting, and that certainly fuels me, along
with all the amazing people that we have that make it all work.
We're all survivors, and I consider this to be a good 'Boulder problem.' In my days of spending lots of time looking at challenging things
we need to tackle, I'm confident we'll come through this and we'll all be
creative and we'll find solutions to continue on with our lives.
I remain super positive about what will ultimately happen. I know
it's not going to be easy, but I believe in our resourcefulness and innovation to help us see it through. So I'm looking forward to moving through
this phase, and getting on with it. O.R.

December 2020 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 23

https://www.niteize.com/

Outdoor Retailer - December 2020

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