Featured Image: Bruno Long
VF Corporation, the holding company of outdoor brands such as The North Face, JanSport, Smartwool and others, announced yesterday that it would be moving its headquarters from Greensboro, North Carolina to the Denver Metro Area in a move that will bring 800 high-paying jobs to Colorado.
“Colorado is an area with an unrivaled heritage and culture of outdoor and activity-based lifestyles, as well as a thriving business environment,” said Steve Rendle, VF’s chairman, president and CEO, in a press release. “It is a great strategic fit for our business, and we are excited to be relocating our headquarters and several brands to the metro Denver area next year. We believe that the creation of our new headquarters in the area will help us to unlock collaboration across our outdoor brands, attract and retain talent and accelerate innovation.”
Denver’s ever-growing population of avid outdoor consumers make the switch an obvious choice and news comes in the same year that the thrice-annual Outdoor Retailer trade show, at which VF and its brands are key players, also moved its conventions to Colorado’s largest city.
VF employees from the Greensboro headquarters will be the first to make the move to the metro Denver area, while a two-year plan will steadily relocate staff from The North Face, Smartwool, JanSport, Eagle Creek and Altra to the Front Range.
State Governor John Hickenlooper resonated excitement in a press release, noting: “We are thrilled to welcome a new partner that embodies the values that define Colorado. VF’s move underscores the critical driver that the outdoor recreation industry plays in our economy where business meets lifestyle.”
