BEHIND THE BRAND
Black Diamond Equipment was started after the bankruptcy of a tiny, 30-year-old company – Chouinard Equipment – in 1989. Since then, Black Diamond Equipment (BD) has grown into a global leader in the outdoor space. BD has expanded from products designed primarily for climbing and backcountry skiing, to cover categories such as apparel, footwear, lighting, trekking, backpacking, and trail running. Design & Development teams remain active users, based out of BD’s Salt Lake City, Utah office. Global fulfillment includes four distribution centers based in China, Europe, the US, and NRI in Canada.

NRI and BD began their relationship in the late 90s. At that time BD was also the North American distributor of Scarpa ski boots and footwear. NRI provided BD with a complete Canadian wholesale order fulfillment solution that included the management of consumer and wholesale returns.

CLIMBING TOGETHER
In the early 2000s, BD and Scarpa parted ways and each took a pause from NRI. BD rejoined NRI with the release of their technical apparel line in 2013. BD was looking for a partner with the ability to help save on distribution costs and one who aligned with BD’s philosophies. NRI had the capability and expertise BD was looking for.

The relationship between NRI and BD exemplifies the long-term partnering that both companies value. Even when not working together, NRI and BD kept communication constant. NRI continued to share opportunities for managing Canadian commerce and fulfillment. When BD was ready to re-enter the Canadian market with in-country fulfillment, NRI was ready. NRI’s environmental & personnel goals align closely with BD’s objectives. Black Diamond is continually working to establish a rewarding and collaborative work environment for staff, along with reducing their carbon footprint.

THE RESULT
Today NRI distributes Black Diamond apparel & footwear within the Canadian market – both assisting with cost savings by allowing BD to ship factory direct to the warehouse, as well as providing shorter lead time to their customers.

“The partnership we have with NRI is exceptional, this was put to the test this year when we did a full RFP within Canada to explore moving all our product categories to Canada for distribution. After looking at multiple contending 3rd party warehouses within Canada, we found that we are already working with our best partner, NRI.” – Bobbie Scott • Logistics Manager @ Black Diamond Equipment