The Presidents' Forum
March 10, 2005

Peter Metcalf
President & CEO
Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.

Speaker Biography:
Peter Metcalf is the CEO/President of Black Diamond Equipment, a company he co-founded in 1989 in Ventura, CA. and moved to Utah in 1991. Black Diamond today employs approximately 265 people both here and in Europe through its wholly owned subsidiary, Black Diamond AG. With a 75,000 square foot facility & HQ it owns on 3900 S and 2180 East, a 50,000 square foot leased distribution center on the west side of town and European headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, BD today is recognized as the global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of innovative equipment for climbers, mountaineers, peak baggers, and backcountry skiers. BD continues to receive an array of awards from retailers, the trade, and the community for it’s innovative products & manufacturing; service; and championing of social, environmental and regulatory issues of great importance to it’s customers. BD has annual sales of approximately $50million/year and is employee owned.

Since his founding of Black Diamond, Peter has been named Small Business Person of the Year from Utah; Alumni of the Year fm the Claremont Graduate School; Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2002, Utah) ; has been a keynote speaker at INC Magazines annual CEO conference, the Outdoor Industry’s annual workshop, and Redlands University Business School. In addition he has authored articles for Inc Magazine and been featured in an array of local and national business, trade and environmental press.

Peter and Black Diamond were instrumental in leading the Outdoor Industry to challenge the Governor Leavitt and Secretary Norton in their back room deal that took away protection for millions of acres of Wilderness Quality lands. The reframing of the debate along economic lines vs philosophical ideals is establishing a new lexicon across the country by which these issues can be debated and negotiated.

Prior to BD’s founding, Peter worked in Marketing/Sales management at the Patagonia/Lost Arrow Corporation and prior to that he was a Colorado Outward Bound Instructor, an oil-field roughneck, and a climbing guide/climbing bum (with hard technical first ascents to his credit from around the world. His exploratory first ascents of many routes in Alaska, including Mt Fairweather (at 17 his 4 man team of HS students was and remains the youngest group to do a major first ascent in Alaska), Mt, McKinley, Mt. Foraker and in 1980 the epic first alpine style ascent of the South Face of Mt Hunter on which the book “Breaking Point” was written have earned him a place in climbing history as one of the pioneer alpinists of Alaska in the 1970’s and early 80’s.

Peter attended Colby College, received a BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Certificate in Management (50% of an MBA program) fm the Drucker Center at Claremont Graduate School. He lives in Park City with his wife and 3 children. When not working Peter enjoys climbing, mountaineering, skiing, trail running and mountain biking and trying to make a difference.

Right Click Here, Select "Save Target As" to download the Podcast

The download and use of these audio recordings is made available to the public at no charge. The materials may be copied and shared in their current form, but they may not be edited or altered in any way. Full ownership and all copyrights to the recordings and materials remains with The Entrepreneurship Institute.