Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & President, COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR CO
Looking at Portland's business climate with Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle
Columbia Sportswear just received one of the highest honors in the world of advertising. The powerhouse Portland brand received the Dan Wieden Titanium Lion at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for their "Expedition Impossible" campaign.
KATU's Debora Knapp spoke with Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle about the honor on "Your Voice, Your Vote."
Boyle says the award isn't just a win for the company, but for the city of Portland.
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About Timothy Boyle
Timothy Boyle, chairman, CEO, and president of Columbia Sportswear, has recently spoken about the importance of retaining the Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchise. In July 2026, Boyle warned that losing the team would be "incredibly disappointing" and would diminish Portland's status as a world-class city. He argued that the Blazers' presence provides significant economic value to the city and urged that this value be calculated in negotiations over Moda Center renovations, whether through direct payments or in-kind contributions. Boyle has also discussed Columbia Sportswear's business climate and marketing strategy. In June 2026, he stated that Portland needs greater investment in public safety and a more competitive tax environment, saying the city currently lacks both. He noted that tariffs on imported footwear and apparel are damaging to the company's competitiveness. Regarding the company's brand, Boyle said that differentiation is essential in a crowded market and that the company aims to create an emotional connection with consumers by emphasizing fun in the outdoors.
Transcript (77 segments)
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Interviewer0:01
Joining me now is Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle. Thank you for your time and thank you for welcoming us to your headquarters.
T
Timothy Boyle0:07
Absolutely. Welcome. Yeah.
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Interviewer0:09
We are here to talk about a very exciting award Columbia Sportswear just won. Tell us about it.
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Timothy Boyle0:13
Well, I mean the most exciting thing frankly other than it being like the Oscars of the marketing and creative world is that it's named after Dan Widen. So just I knew Dan well and he as our company grew he was obviously somebody who represented Nike and helped Nike become this spectacular business that they are. But he was always somebody I could call and say, 'What do you think?' And he'd say, 'Well, yeah, I think you're right about this ad.' So we had a great relationship and just thrilled to win that award.
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Interviewer0:48
Really one of the biggest names in advertising and a local Portlander. Yeah,
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Timothy Boyle0:52
We want to show that advertisement now. Hi, I'm Tim Boyle. I'm the CEO here at Columbia Sportswear. And this message is for flatearthers. You guys claim there's an end to the earth. Well, just go snap a picture, send it to us, and you get the assets of the company. All of it. No paperwork, no lawyers, no catches.
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Unknown1:13
Tim, there is some paperwork. Hey, we're giving you all this, this, this. There's a lot of good stuff in here. This has a note on it. This This This How long is this meeting? All this, this. How did he do that? This. That's actually a rental. No, not this. All this, this, and all of that.
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Timothy Boyle1:58
Hey, flatearthers, do me a favor. If you're going to the edge of the earth, wear Columbia. You'll need it. Best of luck. We done.
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Interviewer2:14
What made you decide that it was time to revamp the brand?
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Timothy Boyle2:18
Well, you know, we talk about this all the time at the company. There are so many brands of footwear and apparel. Nobody needs another one. So, how can we possibly be successful with that kind of competition? And it's really about being different. So if you remember the commercials that my mom and I made, many of them really were very different because there were very few women who were involved in business certainly at a senior level. And not very many sons working for mothers and so we were very fortunate to have a great connection and collection of interesting things to talk about. So it made us very different from the typical outdoor company which would have really beautiful scenes and beautiful models and we had my mother
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Interviewer3:06
And the comedic element of it.
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Timothy Boyle3:08
Yep. So that was very successful and then after my mom passed we sort of cast about to try and find some other way to talk about the business. We ended up being way too close to other brands and so we said you know what, let's be different. And so my son who runs the Columbia brand did an exhaustive global search for a firm that could help us provide differentiation and that's how we came up with what we got today.
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Interviewer3:36
And it really is a fantastic idea. Have you heard from flatearthers?
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Timothy Boyle3:39
Oh absolutely every day. And not only that, I get people who have submitted photographs that prove that the earth is flat. They haven't heard from us. They send notes. Hey, I haven't heard anything. What's up? We're the keys to the business.
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Interviewer3:53
Yeah, exactly. Okay, so obviously receiving the award huge for Columbia, but really what does it mean for the city of Portland and Oregon in general?
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Timothy Boyle4:02
Well, I think it's a recognition of what a terrific place this is. You know, we built our business globally on the premise that the West, the US West is such a fabulous place. And of course, everybody thinks about cowboys and the whole aura around the west, but it's really the Northwest is really where you can have true, in my opinion, Western United States activities. And so, we get recognized for that and it's terrific.
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Interviewer4:36
Your family has been in business for decades. What is your assessment of where Portland is business-wise in 2026?
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Timothy Boyle4:45
Well, I get asked that question all the time because we travel around the world and around the United States, and I can definitely say with great confidence that we're 2% better than we were before, but there's a long way to go to get back to where we were.
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Interviewer5:02
And what will that take?
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Timothy Boyle5:04
Well, I think, and I've talked to the mayor and others, our governor about this topic. I think there are really two issues. First and foremost is public safety. We have to live in an environment where you can feel safe and that's critical and we have to have a competitive tax environment today. We do not have in my opinion either of those things.
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Interviewer5:28
Are those the biggest challenges facing Portland right now?
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Timothy Boyle5:30
Yes, there are other challenges but those are the two key ones.
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Interviewer5:35
A recent state of the economy report from Portland Metro Chamber raised some red flags including slow job growth and declining exports. How has Columbia Sportswear been impacted?
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Timothy Boyle5:45
Well, I'm a Portland resident. Sometimes I have to scratch my head about that, but I live here in Portland so I get firsthand view of this. You know, the company's based in Washington County and many of our employees do not live in the city of Portland. This state tax system is very favorable for companies like ourselves, like Nike and others, in terms of how the structure is built. It's not good for key employees, highly compensated employees, or frankly, as said many times, Oregon is a bad place to die.
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Interviewer6:29
What are employees telling you that they need to see change?
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Timothy Boyle6:33
Well, I think that as I said, the public safety thing is first and foremost. You know, you can be a resident of this general economic area, call it the Portland metro area, and never go downtown, which I think is a bad thing. But you can live in Washington County or Clackamas County and it's a totally different environment than if you live in Multnomah County and live downtown.
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Interviewer6:57
Tell me more about why it's a bad place to die.
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Timothy Boyle7:00
Well, Oregon is one of 13 states that has a death tax and it's the most onerous of all 13. So, if you're fortunate enough to be able to put together even a small amount of wealth, it's a very expensive place to live.
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Interviewer7:17
One of the reasons we're seeing a lot of high-income earners leave.
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Timothy Boyle7:20
That's right.
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Interviewer7:21
What conversations have you had specifically with city leaders as well as the mayor?
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Timothy Boyle7:26
I've had frankly, I've only talked to the mayor. I don't know any of the council members. I've only just spoken with the mayor and the governor. But it's been very pointed about those two topics that I said. You know, there are lots of issues in Portland. We talk about holes in the road and other things. But frankly, the key things for me are those two.
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Interviewer7:50
Young professionals can really move anywhere. So, what is attractive about Portland to draw that top talent to a company like Columbia Sportswear or a Nike?
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Timothy Boyle7:59
Well, you know, started with the environment here is spectacular. There's only a few places in the world where you can go skiing and surfing in the same day, and we're one of them. So, if you like the outdoors, if you like a place where you can open your windows in the summertime and have no bugs, I mean, this is just I could go on and on about the list of great things about Portland and about Oregon. The difficulty is the economic engine of Portland is not operating at a high level because the public safety issues are front and center and the taxation system is not established to encourage people to be downtown and working.
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Interviewer8:42
What will have to happen in order to create that change? Because it feels like we're hearing more voices speak up about this. Like this is a problem. We're seeing more people close up shop. We're seeing a lot of people move out of the city or even the state. What needs to happen in order for change to really take place?
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Timothy Boyle8:58
Well, I mean I honestly I would challenge the elected leadership here in the state in the city. We elect these people to make this place better. And there are lots of people working hard to make Portland better. But it has to be it can't be me. I mean all I can do is complain. But you know it needs to be
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Interviewer9:19
Squeaky wheel though. Well, yeah, but you know, it's frankly here's why we're having an issue is it's just easier to leave than fight with this stuff. But so I can't really tell you why I'm still here fighting, but frankly, it's all about making this place better and what needs to happen simply. We need to make a bigger investment in public safety and we need to be competitive from a tax perspective. Are you committed to staying in Portland in Oregon?
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Timothy Boyle9:46
Well, I mean, we're going to fight the fight as long as we can, but you know, you have to look at the economic realities.
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Interviewer9:55
Does that mean there's a window that Columbia Sportswear would not be an Oregon company?
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Timothy Boyle10:00
I hope not, but I can tell you we get recruited all the time.
I
Interviewer10:05
Wow. What would it take for you to stay to leave, I guess?
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Timothy Boyle10:12
Well, as I've told the governor, some of our employees, depending on where they live, might increase their salary by 15% just to go to another jurisdiction where the taxes are not so onerous.
I
Interviewer10:25
Where are you in that space? How fed up are you right now with
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Timothy Boyle10:28
Well, you know, obviously my first the first three things I have to do is make Columbia a better, bigger, and a much more fun place to be. Where we locate is, you know, not in the top three, but you know, it's on the list.
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Interviewer10:44
It's a conversation.
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Timothy Boyle10:45
Y
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Interviewer10:46
Let's talk globally. US Supreme Court struck down President Trump's tariffs. The US government is issuing $81 billion in refunds. So, what impact has the president's tariffs had on Columbia Sportswear?
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Timothy Boyle10:57
Well, you know, it's interesting. The commodities that we sell, footwear and apparel, are very heavily tariffed and have been for almost a hundred years. In fact, to the scale where prior to the first Trump administration, Columbia was the 44th largest duty payer in the United States. We're not the 44th largest company in the United States, but the commodities that we import and we distribute are heavily tariffed. So, new tariffs are damaging to the company because it makes our products less competitive, but it's more about the uncertainty. So, we don't really know even today what we're going to be paying for the products that we've already sold.
I
Interviewer11:43
How much of the price is absorbed by the consumer?
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Timothy Boyle11:46
100%.
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Interviewer11:48
You've led Columbia through recessions, supply chain disruptions, trade wars. What's the biggest lesson that you've learned about leading through uncertainty?
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Timothy Boyle11:57
Well, that's an excellent question because it's really about leadership, in my opinion, has to be calm and forward-looking. And we've been very fortunate to put together a business with a strong balance sheet. So, we don't have to be doing crazy stuff to stay in business. We can be much steadier than a company that was less well capitalized. But you know, you have to be able to make sure that you've got people leading and following the guidelines that you established long ago. And you know, it's sometimes hard to be carrying the banner, but I'm here. I'm carrying the banner.
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Interviewer12:47
We're happy that you're here carrying the banner. I'm going to go back a few questions ago because I'm still a little bit stunned of imagining an Oregon without a Columbia Sportswear as a headquarters here. What states have been trying to lure you? What states are attractive?
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Timothy Boyle13:00
Well, I think many, you know, there are many obviously Texas and Tennessee would come to mind. And you know, there are companies that are hired by jurisdictions and there's jurisdictions who are very focused on attracting businesses. And you know, we'd be, you know, I'm here because I grew up here. Same with Mr. Knight. I mean, he's that's why he's here in Portland or in Oregon. But you know, somebody who was to be the next person who ran the business may be from Florida, and Florida is a much more receptive place to run a business. I'm not saying I like Florida really a lot. I mean, we sell a lot of merchandise in Florida, so I can't be disparaging, but I like it here. I'd like to stay here.
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Interviewer13:51
Okay. Transitioning to something that I know you care very deeply about, and that is the Moda Center. You reportedly recently signed a letter supporting renovations. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently talked about that talks aren't moving as quickly as he had hoped. What's your reaction to that?
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Timothy Boyle14:09
Well, I'm not surprised, frankly. I mean, I'm asked occasionally about the city of Portland and what, other than our company and Nike, what makes it special here? And I think it's pretty simple. Powell's Books. People who come to Portland want to go to the bookstore. It's world famous. It has to be continued. Um, you know, when you think about being downtown Portland, Nordstrom's is an anchor. And the Blazers, they put us on the map and make sure that people know about us globally. So I really think that the city and state need to make sure that the Blazers stay here and are successful. And I'd like to see that happen. And you know, I would be happy to help in some way to make it happen, but I'm so
I
Interviewer15:04
What does that mean?
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Timothy Boyle15:05
Well, if I could be helpful in making sure that people are talking about the right topics, that would be good.
I
Interviewer15:11
So that's not a financial offer.
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Timothy Boyle15:12
No, no, no, no. I'm unless they let me play, in which case I'm in.
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Interviewer15:18
We'll see if we can arrange that. From a business perspective really, how important of a role is the Moda Center in keeping Portland vibrant as a city?
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Timothy Boyle15:26
Well, you can imagine that facility was built by Paul Allen, but just think about a facility of that size that had no tenants. I mean, it would be a derelict building and we can't let that happen, especially it's in the middle of the freeway. You know, people drive by that every day. It has to maintain its position as a vibrant home to hopefully the Blazers, the fire, and we need to make sure that sticks around.
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Interviewer15:59
Really, how important is that relationship for Portland to reach with the Blazers for a long-term agreement for the city?
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Timothy Boyle16:05
Well, if we want to consider ourselves to be a high quality city with a big ambition, we can't be known as the place that made the Blazers leave.
I
Interviewer16:17
Right. What's one word you would describe Portland right now?
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Timothy Boyle16:22
Well, I think it's a creative place and I would say that all the way from the kinds of products that we make, food and the art museum. This is a place where creatives like to be and frankly they can thrive here. So I'd say it's a really creative place. We need to make it so attractive that we have a full downtown. And
I
Interviewer16:48
What are you most proud of with Portland?
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Timothy Boyle16:52
Well, I think it's got a great history. It really does. And that's probably the thing that we can continue to build on. It's right between Mount Hood and the coast. And you know, there's this is a great environment, great weather here. You know, I just there's so many good places, good things. We tell people that we try to attract to the company from the Midwest, as an example, you cannot buy a snowblower here. So, don't think you're going to be blowing smoke and snow. But yeah, I mean it's a great place and you know, but everybody's hometown is good, right? But I think ours is better.
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Interviewer17:34
Ours is the best.
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Timothy Boyle17:35
I agree.
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Interviewer17:35
Five years from now, what do you hope people will be saying about Columbia Sportswear and about the city of Portland?
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Timothy Boyle17:41
Well, as it relates to Columbia, I hope they're saying the same things that they say today, which is a high quality company that is well-run, but that's growing rapidly. That would be spectacular. And then hopefully what they say about Portland and Oregon is what a great place to be. I can start a business here. I can live here for a long time. I can die here. And, you know, it helped me make a difference.
I
Interviewer18:09
What are your visions of growth for Columbia Sportswear?
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Timothy Boyle18:12
Well, I always say that my personal goals are that we would grow in the high teens annually, and we haven't done that recently, but we have done in the past. So that's my personal goal.
I
Interviewer18:23
Maybe the ad campaign will get
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Timothy Boyle18:24
That will do it for sure.
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Interviewer18:26
All right. Sportswear, Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, thank you so much for having us. Appreciate it.