Columbia Sportswear Company

Columbia Sportswear Company has been engineering outdoor gear since 1938, when it began as a small hat distributorship in Portland, Oregon, founded by Paul Lamfrom and his family after fleeing Nazi Germany. What started as the Columbia Hat Company has grown into one of the largest outdoor and active lifestyle apparel and footwear companies in the world, with products sold across the globe through wholesale partners, retail stores, and e-commerce channels.

Today, Columbia Sportswear Company operates as a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing, and distribution of outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment. The company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and employs approximately 10,070 people worldwide. Columbia Sportswear Company is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol COLM. The company's portfolio includes four well-known brands: Columbia, SOREL, Mountain Hardwear, and prAna, each serving different segments of the outdoor and active lifestyle market.

The company's operations span four geographic segments: the United States, Latin America and Asia Pacific (LAAP), Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Canada. In the U.S. alone, Columbia sells products through over 1,850 wholesale customers and operates over 170 retail stores. The company is renowned for its commitment to innovation, developing proprietary technologies like Omni-Shade, Omni-Freeze, Omni-Heat Infinity, and OutDry Extreme that provide consumers with protection from the elements.