Columbia Sportswear Company is an American company that manufactures and distributes outerwear, sportswear, and footwear. It was founded in 1938 by Paul Lamfrom, father of present chairperson Gert Boyle. The company is headquartered in Cedar Mill, Oregon, an unincorporated part of Washington County, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area near Beaverton. Columbia Sportswear also produces headgear, camping equipment, skiwear, and outerwear accessories. In 2001, it was the largest American seller of ski apparel.HistoryColumbia Sportswear began as a small, family-owned hat distributor. Present chairwoman Gert Boyle's parents, Paul and Marie Lamfrom, fled Nazi Germany in 1937 and immediately purchased a Portland hat distributorship. They became the Columbia Hat Company, named for the nearby Columbia River. In 1948, Gert married Neal Boyle, who became the head of the company. Frustrations over suppliers influenced the family to start manufacturing their own products. Columbia Hat Company became Columbia Sportswear Company in 1960.In 1970, Neal Boyle died following a heart attack. Gert and son Tim Boyle, then a University of Oregon senior, took over the operations of Columbia, rescuing it from bankruptcy.
