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Founded in 1938, in Portland Oregon, Columbia Sportswear Company® is the leader in the outdoor industry. The durability, functionality, performance and affordability of the Columbia products make them ideal for use of all the outdoor activities including skiing, snowboarding, hiking, fishing and more…
Whether seeking a product to perform in extreme outdoor conditions or during a weekend hiking adventure, consumers will find in the Columbia Eyewear or sunwear collection a product that responds to their levels of performance. Developing innovative products that are functional yet stylish and offer great value is what we do.
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Columbia's History:
At the head of our company are 78 year-old matriarch Gert Boyle, Chairman of the Board, and her son, Tim Boyle, President and CEO. Columbia's history starts with Gert's parents, Paul and Marie Lamfrom, in 1937 when they fled Germany. They bought a small hat distributorship in Portland, Oregon, and named it Columbia Hat Company, after the river bordering the city. Soon frustrated by poor deliveries from suppliers, the Lamfroms decided to start manufacturing products themselves.
In 1948, Gert married college sweetheart Neal Boyle, who joined the family business and later took the helm of the growing company. When Neal suddenly died of a heart attack in 1970, Gert enlisted help from Tim, then a college senior, and together they led Columbia from near bankruptcy.
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After that it wasn't long before business really started to take off. Columbia was one of the first to make jackets from waterproof/breathable fabric. We introduced the breakthrough technology called the Columbia Interchange System® where a shell and liner combine for multiple wearing options. In the early 80s, then 60 year-old Gert began her role as "Mother Boyle" in our successful and popular advertising campaign. And in 1998 the company went public, and Columbia moved into a new era as a world leader in the active outdoor apparel industry.
Today, Columbia Sportswear employs more than 1,000 people around the world and distributes and sells products in more than 40 countries and to over 10,600 retailers internationally. You'll find our flagship store in downtown Portland, Oregon with other retail stores currently in Nagoya, Japan; and two in Sydney, Australia. We also have eight outlet stores: two in Portland; and one each in Bend, Oregon; Lincoln City, Oregon; Birch Run, Michigan; Medford, Minnesota; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
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