Gert Boyle

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Gert Boyle, 2013

Gert Boyle , born as Gertrude Lammfromm (born March 6, 1924 in Augsburg ; † November 3, 2019 in Portland ) was a German-American entrepreneur and head of the sporting goods manufacturer Columbia Sportswear for many years .

Origin and childhood

The daughter of the Jewish textile manufacturer Paul Lammfromm from Augsburg and his wife Marie, née Epstein, were born in Augsburg in 1924. In 1937 the family fled from the National Socialist dictatorship and its anti-Semitism to Portland in Oregon / USA. There her father Paul Lamfrom bought a hat factory, the Rosenfeld Hat Company , and renamed it Columbia Hat Company . He soon expanded his production to include outdoor clothing.

Career

In 1948 Gert married the Irish-born Joseph Cornelius Neal Boyle, whom she had met while studying. She soon took over the management of the textile manufacturer, now trading under the name Columbia Sportswear, with him. In 1970, after the early death of her husband, Gert Boyle and her son Timothy Boyle began to save the company from an imminent bankruptcy through clever management and to expand it into a global multi-brand company. Until the death of her husband, she had hardly taken care of business matters, so she has now designed a waterproof fishing jacket, has become the company's own advertising icon, expanded the production program and, together with Timothy, was responsible for the introduction of Gore-Tex parkas in 1975 , making Columbia Sportswear a pioneer was. In 1988 she resigned as company president and handed over management to her son, but continued to be the CEO.

Personal

In addition to her son Timothy (* 1949), Gert Boyle also had daughters Kathy Boyle (* 1952) and Sally Boyle (* 1958). Kathy is an artist and real estate seller, and Sally is a co-owner of Moonstruck Chocolates , an upscale chocolatier. In 2010 Gert Boyle was the victim of a robbery at her home in West Linn , she was able to trigger the alarm and was freed by the police. In memory of her sister Hildegard Lamfrom , a molecular biologist who died of a brain tumor, Gert Boyle was a sponsor of various health institutions. Gert Boyle died in Portland on November 3, 2019 at the age of 95.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Columbia Sportswear - mother of the company Gert Boyle is dead , Simone Preuss, November 5, 2019, in: Fashion United, accessed on April 1, 2020
  2. ↑ Gert Boyle in her own words , Leslie Pugmire Hole, Joseph Gallivan and Geoff Pursinger, June 16, 2019, in: Pamplinmedia, accessed April 1, 2020
  3. ^ The grandmother of the outdoor industry , Joachim Hofer, February 3, 2004, in: Handelsblatt , accessed on April 1, 2020
  4. ↑ Invention Ma , Todd Schwartz, Summer 2005, in: The University of Portland Magazine, accessed April 1, 2020
  5. ^ Story behind Gert Boyles , Nick Balnick, August 29, 2014, in: Oregonlive, accessed April 1, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Boyle, Gert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lammfromm, Gertrude (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-American entrepreneur and longtime head of the sporting goods manufacturer Columbia Sportswear
DATE OF BIRTH March 6, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Augsburg , Germany
DATE OF DEATH 3rd November 2019
Place of death Portland , United States