columbia sportswear

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 2005, the Company reported record net sales of nearly $1.2 billion. Columbia's extensive product line includes a wide variety of outerwear, sportswear, rugged footwear and accessories. We are renowned for developing innovative products that are functional, stylish and offer great value.

At the head of our company are 82 year-old matriarch Gert Boyle, Chairman of the Board, and her son, Tim Boyle, President and Chief Executive Officer. Columbia's history began in 1937 when Gert's parents, Paul and Marie Lamfrom, 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 Lamfroms decided to start manufacturing products themselves, and expanded the line to include outerwear, fishing vests, and shirts.

The day after Neal's funeral, the phones at Columbia were ringing off the hook with salesmen and vendors who assumed the company was going out of business. Then the bank called. They were quite concerned when they found out that a housewife was going to take control of the company. They summoned Gert in for a meeting, during which she somehow managed to buy herself a little time. She pledged Columbia's building as collateral for loans, appeasing the bankers. She also trimmed the company a bit and Tim started hitting the trade shows. After a few years, profits went up.