Columbia Sportswear - March 8, 2026

To the Toughest Mother of all.

Meet our founder, Gert Boyle.

Hearing that I was head of the company, a businessman said, BUT YOU'RE A WOMAN. My response? You know, I noticed that when I got up this morning. Picture of legend Gert Boyle standing tough by a waterfall.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate our Founder, Gert Boyle. In 1970, when few women led corporations, Gert turned Columbia, a struggling family business, into the global powerhouse it is today.

Collage of old photos of Gert and her family.

Don't let anyone, including yourself, put you in a box.

Through decades of change, challenges, innovation, and bad weather, Gert’s legacy of tenacity, wit, and unapologetic perfectionism lives on in everything we do.

Scroll of vintage Gert Columbia ads and old photos.

Draw strength from tough times and look ahead to the future.

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