The Portland Development Commission announced an action plan to help nurture Oregon’s athletics and outdoor industry.
The Portland Development Commission announced an action plan to help nurture Oregon’s athletics and outdoor industry.
Nike, Columbia Sportswear and Adidas America form the core of the industry, with hundreds of similar firms making one of the regional economy’s biggest strengths.
The commission published a report that says the industry includes more than 300 firms with a payroll, employing more than 14,000 Oregonians at an average wage of more than $80,000 annually. An additional 3,200 people are self-employed in the industry, with sales of $100 million a year.
“We are at the epicenter of the global footwear and apparel industry,” Elliott Hill, Nike’s vice president and general manager for North America, said at a panel discussion Tuesday afternoon. Others on the panel included Tim Boyle, chief executive of Columbia Sportswear, and Paul Ehrlich,Adidas America’s general counsel and vice president for human resources and business affairs.
Even with an abundance of resources in the Portland area, though, panelists said success is no sure thing.
Read more at OregonLive.com.
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