news
Ultimate Versatility UltiClip specializes in holster security for everyday concealed carry
I
By Brian McCombie n this age of digital marketing and social media, many people are convinced that just one viral video, photograph, or article can propel them or their company to fame and fortune. Such thinking has certainly pushed its way into the shooting sports industry. Although there’s nothing wrong with going viral, Doug Carbol and Randall Darby also know of another method for success in the shooting sports: good, old-fashioned face-to-face networking while putting your product lines on display.
In other words, the SHOT Show approach. Carbol and Darby own and operate UltiClip Ultimate Carry Solutions, an Illinois-based company that produces and sells several versions of the UltiClip, a holster clip for everyday concealed carry. The UltiClip secures a wide variety of holsters to the carrier’s belt, pants, purse, or any other places the user desires. UltiClip is also a great way to secure and carry a knife. The idea for the UltiClip came to Darby several years ago, when he was looking for a safe and effective way to carry his handgun. He wanted to be able to clip his holster to his waistband—both when he was wearing a belt and those times when he wasn’t. The latter scenario was the problem. When attached to his waistband without a belt, Darby’s holster and handgun either would not come up and out easily or the gun came out still in its holster. The various clips on the market, Darby soon realized, simply were not able to grasp his waistband securely enough. Darby came up with some ways to attach carry holsters, ran his ideas by Carbol, and the two worked on various clip prototypes. Once they were sure of the design, they had a metal-working company manufacture dozens of the very first UltiClips. The two entrepreneurs debuted their new product at a concealed-carry trade and consum-
The Slim2.2 and Slim3.3 clips are narrower than previous iterations in order to accommodate smaller handgun holsters and knives.
er show in the fall of 2015. At that show, the new UltiClip garnered positive reactions from concealed carriers and holster makers alike.
56 ■ SHOT BUSINESS DAILY ■ DAY 3, JANUARY 24, 2019
056_SHD03_NEWS_ULT.indd 56
“Then we got a booth at the 2016 SHOT Show,” says Carbol, chief operations officer for UltiClip, and a retired firefighter. “With the exposure we received from the media and the connections we made with manufacturers, things really took off for us. We’ve been back to the SHOT Show every year since.” Carbol notes that he feels SHOT Show is an essential venue. “For a newer company like ours, SHOT is really what it is all about,” he says. “The contacts and the relationships you build and the all-around exposure SHOT generates can’t be beat.” For the 2019 SHOT Show, UltiClip will be introducing the Slim2.2 and Slim3.3 clips. They are narrower than previous iterations in order to accommodate smaller handgun holsters and knives. They will also launch UltiClip 3+, which works with Kydex carry holsters. Currently, UltiClip is sold by approximately 250 dealers worldwide. Carbol notes that the various UltiClips provide a hefty 50 percent profit margin. “Our product line can also generate new sales,” he says. “If you have a solid base of concealed-carry customers, you likely sold many of them holsters. Now, you can offer them a very secure way to attach those holsters.” Booth #2967. (ulticlip.com)
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @SHOTBUSINESS
1/23/19 4:27 PM