Legendary Chairwoman of Sportswear Brand Dies at 95
Columbia Sportswear President Gert Boyle Has Died
Gertrude „Gert“ Boyle died at the age of 95 on 3.11.2019. That's what her company Columbia Sportswear said. With Boyle called "Tough Mother" leaves a true legend in the sports business.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Gert Boyle, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Columbia Sportswear Company and its matriarch since 1970. Our “One Tough Mother” held many jobs at Columbia, from seamstress of the first fishing vest to President to advertising icon.," Columbia Sportswear said on the death of Boyle.
Boyle's sharp wit and wisdom helped propel the company from near bankruptcy in the early ‘70s to the global multi-brand company it is today, with annual net sales of almost $3 billion in 2018., Columbia continues.
In 2018 Boyle, who was born in Augsburg (Germany) in 1924 and fled to the USA with her family from the Nazis, received the ISPO trophy for her life's work.
But it's not the bare numbers that have made Boyle an icon in the sportswear business. Rather, it was her impressive life. This becomes clear in the interview with Gert Boyle that ISPO.com conducted with her in January 2018.