STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — When Smartwool announced plans to leave its founding headquarters for Denver in 2018 it left a lot of people scratching their heads. Not from the company’s merino wool, but for the conundrum it created for its workers in this thriving but remote corner of Colorado. Cue the Clash tune: “Should I Stay […]
Big Agnes
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Economy, Housing, News, Outdoors
Big Agnes started by sketching plans on beer-stained napkins. 20 years later, the gear company is a local hero.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Bill Gamber, co-owner, co-founder and president of tent, sleeping bag—and now, pack—maker Big Agnes, stoops over and picks up an empty Diet Coke can from a willow bush next to the bike path, just a block away from the company’s new headquarters. It’s a small gesture, really, but one that’s symbolic of […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Newsletters, Outsider, Transportation
An upgraded Grand Junction rail yard could accelerate Western Slope economic development
What if something as simple as getting freight trains to stop for a moment in Grand Junction could keep businesses and jobs on the Western Slope, support Grand Valley economic-development and reduce truck traffic on Interstate 70? “It would be huge; an absolute game-changer for the Western Slope,” if rail owners Union Pacific and Burlington […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Newsletters, Outdoors, Outsider
“Outdoor Business Town USA”: Steamboat Springs has become a proving ground for outdoor innovation
With more than 90 and counting, Steamboat Springs is well known as a breeding ground for Olympians. But it’s also just as fertile an environment for outdoor businesses, nurturing them with all the right ingredients to succeed. Forget its snappy “Ski Town USA” moniker. How about “Outdoor Business Town USA”? Somehow, a veritable Who’s Who […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Outdoors, Outsider
A look at Steamboat Springs’ long list of outdoor businesses
A veritable Who’s Who of successful outdoor companies have set roots and prospered in Steamboat Springs. Leading the pack are such outdoor giants as merino apparel maker Smartwool, tent and sleeping bag manufacturer Big Agnes, energy food company Honey Stinger and Boa Technology, a ratcheting system that recently sold for $454 million. Here’s a look […]