Last week, Columbia Sportswear CEO, Tim Boyle, voluntarily slashed his salary to ensure employees, including those who work at the the company’s shuttered retail shops, continue to receive regular paychecks. Boyle reduced his salary to $10,000 while at least 10 other senior executives at Columbia took voluntary 15% pay cuts, reported The Oregonian.
“Columbia has been in business since 1938 and has weathered many storms by keeping our focus on the well-being of consumers, employees and the larger community,” Boyle wrote in an official statement. The sportswear company, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, closed all of its retail shops on March 16 amidst the coronavirus crisis, and those stores will stay closed until April 10, pending review.
The roughly 3,500 retail store employees displaced by the closures will receive regular paychecks. The move by Boyle and other executives to cut personal salaries in order to retain employees is commendable and exemplifies the people-first community that we find in the outdoor industry.
In response to the mandated stay-at-home quarantines around the country, Columbia is also launching a new campaign, coined Tougher Together. “#TougherTogether is an initiative born from the recognition that while we all want to get outside, the best we can do is stay home and stay healthy. And, by being apart, we’re actually closer than ever,” wrote a brand representative in an email to FREESKIER.
Over the next month, Columbia will be premiering Instagram Live videos featuring athletes and how they are staying inspired at home, as well as photos and videos from past projects meant to strengthen the outdoor community.
