Gert Boyle in ad
MANUFACTURING
One Tough Mother Is Back
Columbia Sportswear, based in Portland, Ore., produces a lot of outdoor clothing for inclement weather conditions. Think skiing down nearby Mt. Hood, where it sometimes snows at the peak and, at the same time, rains at the bottom.
With this in mind, the company has launched a new ad campaign called "Tested Tough," showing how it does real-life testing of its ski jackets, rain gear, thermal underwear, sweaters, boots and hats. Front and center of this campaign is the ageless Gert Boyle, who is the company's chairwoman.
Almost two decades ago, Gert was also front and center in the apparel company's advertisements, sporting a fake tattoo on her flexed upper arm that said, "Born to Nag," She looked stern, which she can be when it comes to product quality.
Now she is back in the spotlight, appearing in ads and various 30-second spots, showing how her employees are pushed to personally test the quality worthiness of Columbia's products. In one video, two poor employees sit on a Mt. Hood chairlift at 2 a.m., wearing Columbia Sportswear jackets. Gert suddenly appears, hoisted up on a lift, only to give them a box that has a Columbia Sportswear jacket in it to be tested. Then she is slowly lowered away.
Gert's family has been a stronghold in the Portland community for decades. She immigrated from Nazi Germany nearly 80 years ago to Portland. Her father bought the Rosenfeld Hat Co. and the name was later changed to Columbia Sportswear, which has grown to a $2.1 billion company where Gert has always been a mainstay. When her husband, Neal Boyle, who headed Columbia Sportswear, died of a sudden heart attack in the 1970s, she was soon back in the office to carry on. Now her son, Tim, is the chief executive.
The company's success means that Gert has been able to be very generous. Last year she donated $100 million for cancer research at the Oregon Health & Sciences University.
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