Columbia Sportswear CEO to speak on growth through innovation

VANCOUVER, Wash. 鈥 Washington State University Vancouver鈥檚 Business Growth Mentor & Analysis Program along with CREDC鈥檚 Grow Clark County will host an evening forum with Tim Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear, on Nov. 18.

The event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hilton Vancouver Washington, 301 W. 6th St., Vancouver. Tickets are $20 and include hors d鈥檕euvres; a no-host bar will be available. To reserve a ticket, visit .

Boyle鈥檚 topic is 鈥淔rom local to global: How Columbia Sportswear fuels growth through innovation.鈥 He will discuss how a culture of innovation has sustained Columbia Sportswear鈥檚 path to success, from humble roots as a local, family-owned hat distributorship to one of the world鈥檚 most recognized apparel and outdoor brands.

Boyle has served as Columbia Sportswear鈥檚 CEO since 1989, when he took over from his mother, Gert Boyle, who is now the chairman of the board. Gert Boyle, an industry icon whose autobiography is called 鈥淭ough Mother,鈥 enlisted Tim鈥檚 help to continue the struggling company鈥檚 aggressive expansion, which her late husband had initiated. Together Tim, Gert and their employees built a highly respected global brand that reached sales of $2.1 billion in 2014.

Organized to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015, the Nov. 18 forum also serves as the monthly Business Growth MAP Alliance meeting. The Business Growth MAP Alliance brings together small businesses and entrepreneurs to learn from each other, industry experts and 麻豆传媒 faculty.

About 麻豆传媒

As an urban campus of the Washington State University system, 麻豆传媒 offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university offers affordable baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities of Southwest Washington. As the only four-year research university in this corner of the state, 麻豆传媒 helps drive economic growth in Southwest Washington through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.

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MEDIA CONTACT(S)

Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@wsu.edu