Gert Boyle
| Gertrude Boyle | |
|---|---|
Gert Boyle in 2013
|
|
| Born |
Gertrude Lamfrom March 6, 1924 Augsburg, Germany |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | B.A. University of Arizona |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Known for | Chairman of Columbia Sportswear |
| Spouse(s) | Joseph Cornelius “Neal” Boyle (1948–1970; his death) |
| Children |
Timothy Boyle Kathy Boyle Sally Boyle |
| Parent(s) | Paul Lamfrom Marie Lamfrom |
Gertrude "Gert" Boyle (born March 6, 1924) is a German-born American businesswoman in the state of Oregon. After her family fled Nazi Germany, her father started Columbia Sportswear, where she later became president. As of 2013[update], she is the chairperson of the company, as well as a philanthropist and memoirist.
Born Gertrude Lamfrom to a German Jewish family in Augsburg, Germany, she was the daughter of Marie (née Epstein) and Paul Lamfrom. Her father used to own the largest shirt factory in Germany until it was seized by the government. Her mother was a nurse during World War I. In 1937, when she was 13, her family fled Nazi Germany and immigrated to Portland, Oregon, in the United States; her grandmother who stayed behind died in a concentration camp. When she arrived, she did not speak English. In 1938, her father borrowed money from a relative and purchased the Rosenfeld Hat Company, changing its name to the Columbia Hat Company (after the river). She attended Grant High School in Portland and later graduated with a B.A. in sociology from the University of Arizona.
In 1964, Boyle's father died and her husband, Neal Boyle, became president; her husband diversified the hat business into outerwear for hunters, fishermen, and skiers. In 1960, Gert Boyle designed the first fishing vest (her husband was an avid fisherman) and the name of the company was changed to Columbia Sportswear. In 1970, her husband died at the age of 47; she became president of the company, then with $800,000 in annual sales. The company struggled and teetered on bankruptcy until in the 1970s, she and her son Timothy, refocused the business on outdoor clothing and casual wear which paralleled a general trend away from formal work attire. In 1975, they were the first company to introduce Gore-Tex parkas.
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