In the
Beginning
COLUMBIA'S
HISTORY
Founded in 1938, Columbia Sportswear
Company™ has grown from a small family-owned
hat distributorship to one of the world's
largest outerwear brands and the leading
seller of skiwear in the United States. In
2007, the company reported record net sales
of nearly $1.36 billion. Columbia's
extensive product line includes a wide
variety of outerwear, sportswear, rugged
footwear and accessories. Columbia is
renowned for developing innovative products
that are comfortable, protective,
functional, stylish and offer great value.
At the head of the company are
84-year-old matriarch Gert Boyle, chairman
of the board of directors, and her son, Tim
Boyle, president and chief executive
officer. Columbia's history began in the
1930s when Gert's parents fled Germany and
settled in Portland, Oregon. They bought a
small hat distributorship and named it
Columbia Hat Company, after the river
bordering the city. Frustrated by poor
deliveries from suppliers, the family
started manufacturing products themselves,
and expanded the line to include jackets,
fishing vests and shirts.
In 1948, Gert married college sweetheart
Neal Boyle, who joined the family business
and later took the helm of the growing
company. In 1970, Neal died of a heart
attack. He left behind three children, an
expanding company leaning heavily on bank
loans, and a wife without business
experience.
The day after Neal's funeral, the phones
at Columbia were ringing off the hook with
salesmen and vendors who assumed that the
company was going out of business. Then the
bank called. Concerned with the thought that
a housewife was going to run the company,
the bank summoned a meeting with Gert. In
this meeting she managed to buy herself a
little time. Appeasing the bankers, she
pledged Columbia's building as collateral
for loans. She also trimmed the company a
bit and Tim started hitting the trade shows.
After a few years, profits went up. Gert's
no nonsense approach was paying off.
Eventually, Gert took on the persona of
the tough mother in Columbia advertising.
Mother Boyle is often shown as the tyrant
who makes sure that each of Columbia's
products can stand up to her tough standards
and the worst weather. The global marketing
campaigns and Gert's "Tough Mother" persona
turned her into an international celebrity.
The mom-is-looking-out-for-you message is
universally understood around the world.
Today, Gert is the inspiration for the
"Medal of Merit" (M.O.M.) awarded to
pioneers with a passion for the Greater
Outdoors.
Our chairman's passion drives us to make
the best products for outdoors people with
the same spirit. We believe this passion is
what defines true pioneers. Not skill. Not
the size of the mountains they play on. It's
their joy. To us this makes the great
outdoors the Greater Outdoors.
Investing in the Essentials
Product
Innovation
Columbia is known as a product innovator
and has an unparalleled reputation for
quality and value. These basic principles
guide Columbia through the creation of
inventive and highly popular designs,
including its famous Interchange System™.
Columbia developed this revolutionary
concept in 1982 and it has since propelled
the company to the forefront of the
outerwear industry. Columbia's first
Interchange jackets were made for hunting
and featured a weatherproof outer shell and
an insulating inner jacket that could be
worn together or separately. This allowed
each parka to be several garments in one.
The product was so popular that we applied
the same concept to a ski parka and called
it the Bugaboo™, which became one of the
best-selling ski jackets in history. In
1991, the company introduced its Omni-Tech™
products, which feature waterproof
breathable fabric. Columbia is now one of
the world's largest providers of waterproof
breathable performance products designed for
authentic outdoor adventures. Other
innovations include Omni-Shade™ clothing,
recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation as
effective protection from the sun's harmful
effects on your skin.
Strategies Spreading the Warmth
Community
Involvement
As Columbia Sportswear has grown, so has
its commitment to serving the expanding
community. Locally and throughout the world,
Columbia provides support to organizations
that specialize in human assistance,
conservation, the environment, the arts and
education. The Rethreads program provides
garments that are returned or slightly
flawed, but still wearable, to people in
need throughout the United States. Columbia
is a member of the Conservation Alliance, a
group of specialty outdoor businesses that
has become a powerful source of grass roots
conservation and environmental funding.
Columbia employees also make a difference
through a volunteer program that organizes
groups of employees for causes like SMART
(Start Making A Reader Today), the American
Hiking Society and the American Heart
Association.
Now We're Everywhere
Global
Presence
Today Columbia products are available in
approximately 90 countries around the world.
Columbia owns and operates sales offices in
North America, Europe and Asia.
Additionally, Columbia wholly owns
subsidiaries in Canada and Japan. The
company's family of brands has grown to
include Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, Pacific
Trail and Sorel. Columbia corporate
headquarters remain in Portland, Oregon, and
the company employs nearly 3,000 people
around the world.
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