Happy 35, Nite Ize!

This year is a celebration year at Nite Ize. 35 years ago, our Founder + CEO Rick Case had a brilliant idea that led to the creation of Nite Ize, Inc. He was a one man show in the beginning, selling his invention to local shops, figuring out how to run his own business, and working tirelessly to make his tiny start-up succeed. If you’ve ever met Rick, you know that he gives himself fully to the success of his business, you know the sly smile he shares before he tells a story, and you know his passion and drive when a great product idea comes to him. He is part salesman, part inventor, and the heart and soul of Nite Ize.  

In the years that followed his humble beginning, he grew his company as success allowed, and never stopped inventing. By his 10-year anniversary in 1999, Nite Ize was in an official office with a warehouse and employed about 20 people. He had created a line of about 25 flashlight accessories that created innovative hands-free lighting and carrying solutions for the incredibly popular Maglite® Flashlights. When LED technology hit the consumer market, he was an early innovator, and at the same time started gaining the reputation of being an honest and respectful partner in the inventor community. The result was an incredible diversification of ideas and inventions, rapid growth, and a wild ride that’s been remarkable to experience.

Here we are 35 years later with 200 employees, over 1,000 products invented, 400+ patents issued, a global company selling in over 55 countries. Nite Ize is, by every measure, a true American success story.

We stopped last week to celebrate this success, something we sometimes have a hard time doing. There are new products to launch, trade shows to attend, and pallets to ship after all. Who has time for a party? When we presented Rick with his 35 year “tenure award”, cut into the birthday cake, and cracked a beer, it was a moment of true happiness and a celebration of everything that we’ve accomplished as a team. 

This year, to celebrate our anniversary and history of invention, we are excited to tell the stories of some of our favorite products, how we solve everyday problems and focus on inventing a better way.

Hear the story of our very first invention, the Headband, in the video below:

With all this talk of reflection and history, it’s equally important to say that we aren’t slowing down any time soon. We’ve got a great year of product introductions ahead of us, and countless inventions to come. To quote Rick, “we’re just getting warmed up”!