ZAY FOUNDERS
BEHIND THE BRAND
REX DEITESFELD
Born and raised in Colorado, Rex Deitesfeld has been skiing almost his entire life. He hit the slopes at the tender age of three and raced competitively for the Lake Eldora Race Team (LERT). During that time, he spent an average of 100 days each year skiing down a snow-capped mountain. After a successful 35+ year career in the insulation industry, Rex reignited his passion for skiing and quickly recognized the need for advancements in ski boot design; as a result, he believed he could bring his skills and product innovation to the ski boot market.
Immersing himself in new technologies, Rex reached out to industry leaders like Ed Chalmers, who developed the Radial Closure®, and Sven Coomer, the inventor of Zip Fit®. Leveraging this unique combination of talents and experience, Rex co-founded Zay Products, Inc. in Longmont, Colorado with his wife, Karen, to pursue their shared vision of the world’s first automatic tensioning ski boot. Using innovative technology designed to disrupt the industry, Zay’s goal is to ensure alpine skiing is a comfortable and memorable experience for millions of skiers.
KAREN DEITESFELD
With more than 30 years’ professional experience in business operations, including accounting, purchasing, inventory logistics, freight and transportation, Karen Deitesfeld has helped businesses grow using a strong, process-driven foundation.
Karen’s organizational abilities span beyond electronics and insulation equipment to include food and packaging for her award-winning Buffalo Style Hot Wing Sauce, SchWings. Through her expertise and tenacity, Karen grew SchWings from a family recipe to a half a million-dollar company with product carried by national grocers, including King Soopers and Albertsons. Her success in promoting the product led to the establishment of “Wing Sauce” as a new food category. During the brand’s growth, Karen was a founding board member of the Colorado Food Association and was instrumental in creating the ABC/Colorado Proud organization and program designed to identify Colorado food and agricultural products, in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
As co-founder of Zay Products, Karen understands how having the optimal equipment impacts the overall ski experience. A mother of two, she knows the importance of warm and comfortable gear that results in happy faces – and feet. She’s excited about creating a legacy for the next generation, in bringing a product to market that both parents and kids will enjoy for years of shared experiences.
Today, under the team’s leadership, the Zay ski boot has been tested by over 23 professionals (Olympian, World cup, PSIA and others) and won numerous awards for design, innovation and best in class — with over 2,000 days of use, proving durability and market readiness. Zay has redefined the possibilities for comfort, warmth and performance of the alpine ski boot.
SDC SWISS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AG
SDC Swiss Development Corporation AG is an investment holding company, which invests in management and development of industrial & logistics projects, real estate, technology, fashion, sports, and other promising projects, all over the world. SDC is particularly interested in supporting the development of truly exciting and promising innovative projects and start-up companies in a wide array of fields and interests.
One such exciting and new sporting venture is the Zay High-Performance Ski Boot. SDC is proud to be an investment partner in the development of this promising product, with the potential to revolutionize the ski experience for everyone from professional athletes to those enjoying the amateur experience in an industry that comprises 130 million skiers worldwide.