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A couple of months ago, you may have seen the MobilitySite.com posting by gasusan2005 titled “OtterBox Launches Stylish Protective Case for New BlackBerry Pearl Smartphones.”  I had heard of OtterBox and their products before seeing that posting, but until then I did not realize that their offices in Fort Collins, Colorado were only a few short miles away from my home.  At the time, I was brand new to MobilitySite.com and looking for article ideas so I asked myself, “Why not visit their office and write about the Company?”  I recently made that visit and here is my report.

After making initial contact with Kristin Golliher, the Public Relations Executive at Otter Products, LLC to let her know who I was and what I had planned, she invited me to meet with her and CEO Curt Richardson at the Otter Products corporate headquarters in Fort Collins, Colorado.  I accepted, but not knowing what to expect, I searched and found the following online video about the Company and it’s employees partially labeled “…Here at OtterBox, we’re not like most people.”

OtterBox Headquarters, Fort Collins, CO

When I arrived at the office a couple of weeks later (somewhat apprehensive after having seen the above video), Kristin greeted me and quickly put me at ease.  She gave me some general background on the Company and answered a few specific questions that I had e-mailed her in advance.    When Curt arrived, he invited us to join him in his office.  While I tried to concentrate on getting some answers to several more specific questions I could not help but be distracted but his office surroundings.  I was immediately impressed with the extensive variety of products manufactured by the Company that were present on the table, the wall displays and elsewhere in Curt’s office–more about those products later.

OtterBox is a manufacturer and seller of high-quality, yet reasonably priced, protective cases for a wide spectrum of technology devices.  While the first “OtterBox” was manufactured in 1996, the Company began operation in 1981 as a custom injection molding shop.  The Company now has over 40 employees in three locations in Colorado and one in China.   In their own words, “OtterBox is the world leader in water-proof protection. You’ll see why our slogan is ‘Never Out of Its Element.’” 

As the otter in both the Company logo and name suggest, the focus of the Company has historically been on providing water-proof containers.  Many of those original water-proof OtterBox models are still made and sold today.  For a period of time, there was even a line for camera protection.  Today, Otter Products make cases in five categories: Armor, Defender, PDA, laptop (including Tablet PCs) and the original OtterBox.

As the popularity of PDAs rose several years ago, rugged OtterBox cases for handheld devices were designed and manufactured by the Company.  Thereafter, the Company expanded into making cases for laptops and Tablet PCs.  Last year, Jack Cook took an extensive look at the OtterBox 7000 series laptop case in a MobilitySite.com review titled “OtterBox Laptop Case – Absolute Protection” that can be found here.  I too was given one of the laptop cases to evaluate and concur with Jack’s assessment: “…without the slightest hesitation I give it my recommendation.  If you are looking for a case that will provide the best protection for your laptop then this is one to consider.”

Recently the Company’s primary focus has shifted from protective cases for transporting devices to cases that allow for interactive use while simultaneously providing protection.  The two product lines that will likely continue to be the growth foundation for the near future are the the “Armor Series” line and the “Defender Series ” line.  I was especially impressed with the samples I saw and held of the Defender line.  I’ve used simple silicone slip-over cases for many of my personal phones and PDAs and at first thought that the Defender products were simply more of the same.  They are not!  The Defender products take use with protection to a new level.  When I tried one that was designed for a Blackberry, the Blackberry keyboard actually felt better through the custom designed and manufactured skin that it did in naked form–a trick difficult to achieve!

With great pride both Curt and Kristin reported that currently the OtterBox iPhone case is one of the Company’s hottest sellers.  In December, Kevin Song posted a MobilitySite.com “OtterBox iPhone Case Review” that can be found here.  The iPhone case is another of the Company’s Defender series.  Otter Products cannot offer cases for every device.  But If you have a device for which the Company does make a Defender case, I recommend that you look into getting one.  Keep an eye open for a new product in the Defender series for certain UMPCs that I was told is “coming soon.”

Finally, one other very interesting use of technology and the Internet that is used by Otter Products to promote their business is Planet OtterBox.  Last June, Jack Cook reported about Plant OtterBox at MobilitySite.com in his posting “Win $100 … maybe a $1000“ that can be found here.  As Jack stated in that posting, ” Planet OtterBox is the place where you can show off your latest OtterBox adventure from anywhere in the world.”  Their contest to win up to a $1000 is ongoing.  If you want to learn more or simply want to spend some time exploring Planet OtterBox navigate over to www.PlanetOtterBox.com. 

In classic Colorado tradition, I was treated warmly by everyone throughout my visit to the OtterBox offices.  I wish to thank both Curt and Kristin for their hospitality and in-depth answers to my many and sometimes naive questions.  While Curt and everyone at the Company take their creations seriously, they all seem to enjoy life by keeping everything in balance and proper perspective.  The best way to see what  I mean is to visit the “About the Company” page on their website here.  I can assure the reader that the people at OtterBox, their products and their Company deserve your serious consideration when you are thinking about acquiring your first or next protective case.  For more information about the Company and their products, visit their website at www.OtterBox.com.

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Rich Bilancia (23 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Rich, a former IT executive and managerial accountant, is enjoying retirement in northern Colorado. He remains an active civic volunteer and a passionate technologist.