{"id":2251,"date":"2017-07-14T15:53:09","date_gmt":"2017-07-14T22:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/?p=2251"},"modified":"2017-07-14T20:22:43","modified_gmt":"2017-07-15T03:22:43","slug":"gert-boyle-chairman-of-columbia-sportswear-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/?p=2251","title":{"rendered":"Gert Boyle \u2013 Chairman of Columbia Sportswear Company"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Like Nike and other major brands from Portland, the Columbia Sportswear Company is globally known for their clothing, outerwear, and accessories but few people know the empowering story of their chairman Gert Boyle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Born in 1924 in Augsburg Germany, Gertrude (Gert) Lamfrom\u2019s family was well known since her father owned what was then the biggest shirt factory in Germany before the start of World War 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the war began through her family\u2019s assets were seized by the government and she fled Nazi Germany with her parents, while her grandmother who stayed behind sadly died in a concentration camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

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About Gert Boyle<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Gert\u2019s story is remarkable because when she arrived with her family in Portland Oregon in 1937 she didn\u2019t speak any English but she learned it quickly while her family laid down roots in America.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although her father lost his business in Germany he didn\u2019t let that setback stop him from starting fresh in the United States, he borrowed money from relatives to purchase the Rosenfield Hat Company and he ultimately changed the name to the Columbia Hat Company.<\/span><\/p>\n