Columbia Sportswear Company

2703 Words6 Pages

“Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise”

- Gert Boyle, Chairperson of Columbia Sportswear

Columbia Sportswear Company (Columbia) is a leader in the competitive active outdoor apparel industry. A company propelled by their differentiation strategy, leveraging innovation, brand equity, and strong marketing in the design, manufacture, and distribution of outdoor apparel. Columbia’s product lines include everything from outerwear and footwear to camping equipment and skiwear. It has grown from a small hat company in the 1930’s into a company with a global strategy and a physical and online presence spanning Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

To fully appreciate the evolution of Columbia from “a corporation that was a niche manufacturer of outdoor clothing aimed at fishermen…into an international brand and publicly traded powerhouse,” (1) one must understand the level of perseverance, work ethic, dedication, and attitude of one Gertrude Boyle: now 87, but still “One Bad Mother.” (Exhibit1) Gert Boyle took over the family business in the 1970s after the sudden death of her husband. A candid and straight person, Boyle has often admitted that, having never worked a day in her life, she had no idea what to do when she first began running the company. (2) Despite her lack of experience, Boyle helped turn Columbia from a company near bankruptcy and collapse into a billion dollar publicly traded organization. Along the way she relied on her natural business savvy and perseverance, overcoming trials such as family tragedy and even an attempted kidnapping.

Columbia’s corporate culture and business personality reflects a great deal of the ideals which Gert Boyle’s leadership had imbued into the company. ...

... middle of paper ...

...loomberg.com/news/2012-02-07/collective-brands-said-to-pare-pool-of-bidders-to-10-ahead-of-second-round.html?cmpid=yhoo.

41. Regenold, Stephen. Gear Junkie. Columbia calls 'B.S.' on Outdoors Industry. [Online] November 10, 2010. [Cited: April 20, 2012.] http://gearjunkie.com/columbia-sportswear-2011-electric-heated-jackets.

42. Larson, Erik. Columbia Sportswear Files European Antitrust Complaint W.L. Gore. Bloomburg L.P. [Online] June 13, 2011. [Cited: April 20, 2012.] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-13/columbia-sportswear-files-european-antitrust-complaint-w-l-gore.html.

43. REI. 2009 Stewardship Report. REI Inc. [Online] 2010. [Cited: April 19, 2012.] http://www.rei.com/stewardship.html.

44. Columbia Sportswear Company. Columbia. About Us. [Online] April 18, 2012. [Cited: April 23, 2012.] http://www.columbia.com/About-Us/About_Us_Landing,default,pg.html.

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