Black Diamond Equipment Ltd. announced several key personnel changes to strengthen their team and meet continued strategic growth objectives. In the past two years, Black Diamond has made major investments in its infrastructure, opened BD Asia in Zhuhai China, and won the prestigious REI Vendor of the Year Award. Black Diamond has hired Bill Crouse as International Sales Manager and Jonathan Thesenga as Content Manager.

“We continue to see exceptional growth overseas, as well as domestically in hardware, tents, packs and trekking poles to name a few,” comments Peter Metcalf CEO. “The success of several major initiatives in the past year has added to the dynamic atmosphere here at BD. With this momentum, we are proud to tap some strong players to bolster our team and help us achieve even more success.”

Crouse comes to BD with over 30 international expeditions under his belt including summits on Everest, Ama Dablam, Vinson Massif, Aconcagua and Denali, multiple aid routes in Yosemite and Zion and sales experience as an independent rep for Movement Skis, Hestra Gloves and The North Face. In his new role, Crouse will guide BD’s growth in Asia, Oceania, Latin America and beyond.

Jonathan Thesenga joins BD from his former position as Editor-in-Chief at Climbing Magazine. In 21 years of climbing, Jonathan has conquered big wall, boulder and trad/sport routes in every continent except Antarctica and also authored a guidebook to Smith Rock. He will be the point person for Black Diamond storytelling, leading the charge on website and catalog content development.

Additionally, the next year will see Black Diamond’s continued focus on investments related to its carabiner manufacturing. In particular, by combining the strengths of BD in SLC with BD Asia, Black Diamond carabiners will continue to exceed expectations. Nick Rueff, who has been the Process Engineer for Carabiners will be heading up this project with the goal of significantly increasing efficiency, decreasing production time, minimizing waste, maximizing strength and manufacturing the most innovative carabiner line possible.

Metcalf adds, “As carabiners increasingly become a more global commodity, Black Diamond needs to stay on the cutting edge of manufacturing. Hardware and carabiners in particular are the backbone of BD manufacturing and authenticity. We are committed to developing new standards and streamlining manufacturing systems with the end result being a more efficient process and the best performing, highest value product for the consumer.”