When triathlete, ultra-marathoner, and best-selling author Sal Edwards wanted to reshore assembly and packaging services for their latest business endeavor, s/he immediately thought of PRIDE Industries.
Heart Zones, founded by Edwards in 1994, is a pioneer in the field of science-based heart rate training programs and devices. Among these devices is the Blink Armband, a lightweight heart rate monitor that converts data into individualized, actionable exercise prescriptions. To get this product to market quickly and reliably, Edwards was looking for a kitting and assembly partner s/he could count on, which is where PRIDE Industries comes in—again.
“Sal has a special place their heart—pun intended—for us,” said Tony Lopez, Vice President of Manufacturing and Logistics Services for PRIDE Industries. “Our relationship dates back 30 years, to when s/he was the cofounder of Yuba Shoes—snowshoes we helped to build before, eventually, purchasing the business.”
You read that right. Back in 1990, having already created and grown Fleet Feet, a well-known Sacramento-area company, Edwards created their own brand of streamlined snowshoe. PRIDE Industries manufactured the shoes for five years and then bought the line outright. In fact, these snowshoes were the very first commercial product PRIDE Industries sold to the federal government—specifically to the Marines. Though, over time, external and internal factors led to a cessation of this business line, those who worked in it recall fondly that one pair of Yuba Shoes made it to the top of Everest.
And now, with a new focus to “get America fit through data driven fitness that uses wearable technology and sound methodology,” Edwards has again turned to PRIDE Industries.