Gert Boyle
Gertrude Boyle | |
---|---|
Augsburg, Germany | |
Died | November 3, 2019 Portland, Oregon, US | (aged 95)
Nationality | American |
Education | University of Arizona (BA) |
Occupation | Businesswoman |
Known for | Chairwoman of Columbia Sportswear |
Spouse |
Neal Boyle
(m. 1948; died 1970) |
Children | 3, including Timothy Boyle |
Relatives | Hildegard Lamfrom (sister) |
Gertrude Boyle (
Early life and education
Born Gertrude Lamfrom to a German Jewish family in Augsburg, Germany,[2] she was the daughter of Marie (née Epstein) and Paul Lamfrom. Her father owned the largest shirt factory in Germany[2] until it was seized.[1] Her mother was a nurse during World War I.[1] In 1937, when she was 13, her family fled Nazi Germany and migrated to Portland, Oregon, in the United States;[2] her grandmother, who had remained in Germany, died in a concentration camp.[2] When the family arrived, she did not speak English.[1] In 1938, her father borrowed money from a relative and purchased the Rosenfeld Hat Company,[2] changing its name to the Columbia Hat Company[3] (after the river).[2] She attended Grant High School in Portland,[4] and later graduated with a B.A. in sociology from the University of Arizona.[2]
Career
In 1964, Boyle's father died and her husband, Neal Boyle, became president; her husband diversified the hat business
In 1983, Boyle became chairwoman of Columbia's board of directors[1] (a position she ultimately retained for 36 years, until her death in 2019).
Boyle started starring in commercials for the company in 1984.[2] In the ads she stars as Ma Boyle, who is "One Tough Mother" and uses her son as a test dummy for new products.[7][8] In 1986, they released the Bugaboo, a jacket with a zip out lining which became quite trendy and further propelled the company's growth.[2] Columbia was unique among specialty clothing manufacturers in that it would sell its products to any retail shop or chain.[1] In 1987, Columbia had $18.8 million in sales and by 1997 it had grown to $353.5 million.[1] The company went public in 1998.[6]
She stepped down as company president in 1988, handing the reins to her son Tim, but remained chairwoman of the board.[1]
Philanthropy
In 1995, Boyle outfitted the
Personal life
In 1948, she married Joseph Cornelius "Neal" Boyle, an
In 2010, she was tied up at gunpoint by an armed robber in her home in West Linn, Oregon.[13] She was able to trigger a silent alarm which alerted police, and the robber was later captured.[13]
Boyle died in an assisted living facility in Portland on November 3, 2019, at age 95.[14] Cause of death was not disclosed by the company spokesman who announced the news.[15]
Awards and honors
- 1992 Inc. Magazine’s Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year
- 1998 Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement[16]
- 2003 The National Sporting Goods Association Hall of Fame[17]
- 2018 ISPO Cup[18]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Accettola, Anna (October 16, 2012). Wadhwani, R. Daniel (ed.). "Gertrude Boyle". Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present. 5. German Historical Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Whitford, David; Gert Boyle (September 1, 2003). "Gert Boyle, Columbia Sportswear Co". Fortune Small Business. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Columbia Milestones". About Us. Columbia Sportswear. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ Francis, Jamie (September 1, 2008). "Columbia Sportswear's Gert Boyle talks about her life and her company". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ Harriet Shapiro; Diane S. Lund (September 18, 1989). "Gert Boyle Has a Vested Interest in George Bush's Fishing Fortunes". People. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Boyle, Gert (April 1, 2006). "How I Did It: Gert Boyle, chairman, Columbia Sportswear". Inc. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ Memmott, Mark (November 12, 2010). "Gert Boyle, Columbia Sportswear's 'One Tough Mother,' Foils Robber". the two-way. National Public Radio. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c Schwartz, Todd (Summer 2005). "Inventing Ma: Yes, an ad agency invented Columbia Sportswear's legendary Ma Boyle – but it was Life that made Gert Boyle '97 hon. one real Tough Mother". Portland magazine. University of Portland. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "Columbia Sportswear's Boyle family, including 'One Tough Mother' herself, endow OHSU chair in cancer research". Oregon Health & Science University. April 19, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ Budnick, Nick (August 29, 2014). "The story behind Gert Boyle's $100-million gift for cancer research at Oregon Health & Science University". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
- ^ Dill, Kathryn (November 8, 2013). "Columbia Sportswear Thrives, Lifting CEO Tim Boyle To Billionaire Ranks". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ Bowles, Nellie (November 6, 2019). "Gert Boyle, 95, Dies; Sportswear Chief Billed as 'One Tough Mother'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Bella, Rick (November 11, 2010). "Gert Boyle, the 'One Tough Mother' of Columbia Sportswear, outwits armed robber". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ Duin, Steve (November 3, 2019). "Gert Boyle, longtime Columbia Sportswear chairwoman, dies at 95". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ "'Tough Mother' Gert Boyle dies at 95". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Vol. 157, no. 254. Associated Press. November 4, 2019. p. 1.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "NSGA announces 2003 Hall of Fame roster". SNEWS. November 6, 2002.
- ^ "Columbia Sportswear's Gert Boyle awarded ISPO Cup". KATU News. February 2, 2018.
External links
- Columbia Sportswear Commercial: Tough Mother on YouTube