In what year was Columbia Sportswear founded?

Columbia Sportswear was founded in 1938.

The company began in Portland, Oregon, as the Columbia Hat Company. Paul Lamfrom, who had immigrated to the Pacific Northwest with his family, established the small hat business and named it after the nearby Columbia River. The enterprise initially focused on headwear rather than the broad outdoor apparel range associated with Columbia today.

The family business later expanded into clothing and outdoor equipment. Paul’s daughter, Gertrude “Gert” Boyle, became a major force in its development, and her husband, Neal Boyle, helped broaden the company’s product line. In 1960, the business adopted the name Columbia Sportswear Company.

The founding year is sometimes confused with the company’s later growth milestones, such as its expansion into technical outdoor clothing or its stock-market history. Those events came decades after the Portland hat company began in 1938.