Osprey Packs, Inc, commonly known as Osprey, is an American company that manufactures outdoor backpacks. It was founded in 1974 by Mike Pfotenhauer. It was purchased by Helen of Troy Limited in 2021 for $414.7 million.
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| Osprey | |
| Founded | 1974 in Santa Cruz, California |
| Founder | Mike Pfotenhauer |
| Headquarters | Cortez, Colorado |
Key people |
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| Products | Backpacks |
| Revenue | US$155,000,000 (2021) |
Number of employees | 300 (2021) |
| Parent | Helen of Troy Limited |
| Website | osprey |
History
edit
Mike Pfotenhauer, Osprey's founder, and his wife Diane Wren, originally founded Osprey as Santa Cruz Recreational Packs in 1974. It was headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, where they would build custom fitted packs for backpacking.
In 1990, the company moved to Dolores, Colorado. At that point, 90% of their workforce was made up of Navajos. In 1994, the company moved production from Dolores to Cortez, Colorado. In 1999, the company moved all operations from Dolores to Cortez.
The Osprey Aether 60 is shown on the cover of the June 18, 2001 edition of Time magazine, worn by blind climber Erik Weihenmayer. Weihenmayer was the first blind climber to summit Mount Everest.[1]
By 2001, Osprey had 92 employees, including manufacturing staff. In 2002, production began to be outsourced to Korea and Vietnam in order to lower the cost of production. The company kept one Navajo sewer in Cortez to perform warranty repairs.
In 2015, a headquarters for Osprey Europe was established in Poole, England.
In 2021, Osprey had about 300 employees and generated $155–160 million. In 2021, Osprey was sold to Helen of Troy Limited for $414 million.[2][3][4][5] In 2022, the Osprey UNLTD line, which had features such as a patented 3D printed back padding, was released.[6][7]
Advocacy
editEvery year, a member of Osprey staff is supported in a fundraising event for the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners "Climb Against The Odds" event. The participant raises $6,000 for cancer research and climbs Mount Shasta. Osprey also donates backpacks for the event.[8] In 2021, Osprey supported 90 organizations throughout the world. In 2021, they donated over $32,000 in cash and over $51,000 in products.[3]
In 2017, Osprey advocated to keep Bears Ears National Monument at its size, instead of a reduction of size proposed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert. As a result of the legislation, Osprey and other outdoor companies pulled out of a twice-yearly trade show from Salt Lake City.[9]
References
edit- ^ "TIME Magazine Cover: Erik Weihenmayer - June 18, 2001". Time. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
- ^ "Sale of Osprey Packs marks yet another public-company acquisition of a Colorado-raised outdoor company". The Colorado Sun. 2021-12-10. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ a b Mimiaga, Jim. "The Osprey Packs story: Its roots, success, sale and its future in Cortez". Durango Herald. Archived from the original on 2022-02-03. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ "History". www.osprey.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ Clifford, Hal (27 Oct 2003). "The Gear Biz; The West has become the nation's playground, but is there a future here for the folks who make our outdoor toys?". High Country News. ProQuest 363164270.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL PATENT: OSPREY PACKS, INC. FILES APPLICATION FOR "BACKPACK AND LUMBAR PAD"". US Fed News Service. 9 Aug 2021. ProQuest 2559370911.
- ^ Shankland, Stephen. "3D Printing Gives New Osprey Backpacks Ventilated Padding -- for $700". CNET. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
- ^ Maxwell, Molly (22 May 2013). "Farmington's Kelsy Woodson climbing against cancer at Mount Shasta". Daily Times. ProQuest 1353961559.
- ^ Leavenworth, Stuart (Apr 11, 2017). "Companies mobilize in battle over public lands". Pantagraph. ProQuest 1904296067.