Mountain Hardwear

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is the site of heavy industry, which has been undergoing a shift towards a service and commercial economy... since the 1970s. Richmond almost completely surrounds the city of San Pablo and the unincorporated areas of North Richmond, El Sobrante and East Richmond Heights. The city has a reputation for being crime-plagued, although this problem is centralized in the urban core, with many parts of Richmond having a low crime rate. The city's own police department, however, has described the city as having a chronic violent crime problem for "decades" and in 2010, Richmond was ranked the 6th most dangerous city in the United States. The city is headed by mayor Gayle McLaughlin, making Richmond the largest city in the country with a Green Party mayor. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city's population is at 103,701. This makes Richmond the 61st largest city in the state.
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Columbia Sportswear Company is a United States company that manufactures and distributes outerwear and sportswear. It was founded in 1938 by the late Paul Lamfrom, father of present chairperson Gert Boyle. The company is headquartered in Washington County, Oregon, in an unincorporated part of the Portland metropolitan area near Beaverton. Columbia Sportswear also produces footwear, headgear, camping equipment, skiwear, and outerwear accessories.... In 2001, it was the largest American seller of ski apparel. Columbia Sportswear began as a small, family-owned hat distributor. Present chairwoman Gert Boyle's parents, Paul and Marie Lamfrom, fled Nazi Germany in 1937 and immediately bought a Portland hat distributorship. They became the Columbia Hat Company, named for the nearby Columbia River. In 1948, Gert married Neal Boyle, who became the head of the company. Frustrations over suppliers influenced the family to start manufacturing their own products. Columbia Hat Company became Columbia Sportswear Company in 1960. In 1970, Neal Boyle died following a heart attack.
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