Omni-Shade™ blocks Ultraviolet A and Ultraviolet B rays (UVA and UVB), helping to prevent sunburn and long-term skin damage.

Who is the brand Columbia?

For more than 80 years, Columbia Sportswear Company has been making gear for people who enjoy the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest and far beyond. Chairman Gert Boyle has been at the helm for nearly 50 of those years and her Tough Mother persona helped grow Columbia into the global sportswear brand it is today. They are based in Portland, Oregon and still making no-nonsense apparel, footwear, and accessories to keep you warm, dry, cool, and protected no matter what. Their innovative gear, Pacific Northwest heritage, irreverent spirit, and family business ethos is what sets them apart. Gert’s parents were immigrants who fled Nazi Germany in 1938 and settled in Portland where they purchased a small hat manufacturer, naming it the Columbia Hat Company after one of their new home’s iconic rivers. This humble beginning marked a newfound freedom and a fresh start for the family. The business eventually passed from Gert’s father to her husband Neal and then to Gert herself when she went from housewife to executive overnight after Neal’s sudden passing in 1970. Today, Gert’s son Tim Boyle is their longtime CEO and her grandson Joe Boyle is Columbia brand president. The family—like the business—has experienced its ups and downs, but enjoying the outdoors together has always been integral to its success. Columbia is made up of talented, hardworking people who are as passionate about the outdoors as you are. They are proud to be based in the great Pacific Northwest where the majestic forests, volcanic mountains, rugged coastline, and wide open spaces serve as our lab and playground. This is where they hike, fish, hunt, camp, climb, shred, golf, paddle, run, and just enjoy the fresh air with friends. At Columbia, we create enduring, iconic, and innovative products that enable people to enjoy the outdoors longer. We combine our approach to product creation with our commitment to our consumers, communities, and the environment. We want you to be proud to wear our products any time you step into the outdoors. Stakeholder input is invaluable to the continuous improvement of our programs at Columbia and I invite you to participate in making our programs better by providing your feedback at [email protected]. — Joe Boyle, Columbia President