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Another name player in the ski industry has put down roots in Utah.
Ortovox USA Inc., a subsidiary of a German company that primarily makes transceivers and avalanche gear, has opened its Western sales and distribution center in West Valley City. While it will employ at most a half dozen employees at 2698 S. Redwood Road, the firm's presence fits nicely into state economic-development plans to make Utah a bastion of the winter-sports industry.
"Ortovox is, worldwide, probably the No. 1 transceiver provider in terms of sales and distribution. It's one of the most innovative companies," said Riley Cutler, longtime owner of the Wasatch Touring retail store in Salt Lake City and now director of the "outdoor industry cluster" in the Governor's Office of Economic Development.
"It's a great fit for Utah because we have so many backcountry skiers, and it's a growth market, with the snowmobile industry," he added. "Utah is where they test a lot of this stuff. For us, this is another step building upon itself in making Utah the outdoor-industry capital."
Based in Munich, Ortovox GmbH opened a North American operation in Hopkinton, N.H., 14 years ago. Headquarters will remain in New England, said Ortovox USA CEO Marcus Peterson. But sales volume has reached a point in which "the time was right to move certain operations out West, closer to where the bulk of our products are being sold and used.
"Utah seems to be a hotbed for the outdoor
Ortovox hired Dale Bard, 55, to set up the Utah operation. A 30-year veteran in the outdoor industry who started as a company-sponsored rock climber, he has worked with Petzl and Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., as well as Black Diamond's predecessor, Chouinard Equipment Ltd. and Patagonia, the clothing and gear company.
Ortovox hired him last year following conversations at the Outdoor Retailer trade show.
"They asked me where was the best place to have [the distribution center]," Bard said, "and I said 'Salt Lake is the up-and-coming outdoor hub of the U.S.,' which I really believe. It's a really user-friendly shipping hub, and lots of outdoor companies -- Amer, Black Diamond, Petzl, Rossignol, backcountry.com, the list is really huge -- are here."
The center opened Wednesday. Bard has organized the front office and spent this week setting up pallet racks in the warehouse. He has hired his main sales representatives to cover Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico and hopes to have reps in place by September to cover nine other regions nationally.
"I'm trying to make Ortovox a 12-month company, not just an eight-monther," Bard said, referring to efforts to promote its backpack brands and Merino wool liners as necessities for cycling, adventure racing, mountain biking and hiking.
Online retailer backcountry.com, which has a warehouse in West Valley City, is one of Ortovox's bigger clients.
"It's a brand that's been with us for a long time, a good partner," said Aaron Provine, backcountry.com's ski buyer. "The nice thing about them moving here is that we'll be able to replenish stocks, jump on trends and get orders out quickly."
The company's avalanche transceivers are among the biggest sellers in the business. Others are made by Mammut, out of Switzerland, and Pieps, which is distributed by Salt Lake City-based Liberty Mountain.
