One Tough Mother

​Having just shopped at the Columbia Sportswear employee store, a friend handed me a copy of "One Tough Mother".  Wow!  This is a very inspiring story of how the wife and son of the President of Columbia Sportswear stepped in to run the company after his untimely death in 1970.

Facing numerous challenges, mother and son focused on what made them different as well as really listening to their customers.  They ultimately grew the company from 40 employees to over 2,000 with $1 billion in annual sales across the globe. 

The book includes a large selection of their humorous "Tough Mother" themed ads.  A big gamble that established and supported their brand of high quality, but affordable outdoor gear.  A must read - even if just for the advertisements!