Posted on 09/30/2004 5:15:07 PM PDT by Republican Extremist
No more Leatherman tools for me!
Top Business Leaders from the Outdoor Industry Endorse Kerry-Edwards Tuesday September 14, 2:24 pm ET The Health of the Great American Outdoors is at Stake
OREGON CITY, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2004--Senior executives from leading outdoor manufacturers, retailers and associations across the country gathered today to endorse Senator John Kerry for President and Senator John Edwards for Vice President. They announced their endorsement at a press conference with Senator John Edwards at Clackamus Community College in Oregon City, Oregon. "We have come together to endorse Senators Kerry and Edwards because they share our values and goals," said Lee Fromson, president of Seattle-based Cascade Designs, Inc., a leading manufacturer of outdoor equipment. "And we are here today because the Great American Outdoors is in serious jeopardy and if we fail at protecting the outdoors then our businesses will fail, our health will fail and we will leave future generations with air they can't breathe and water they can't drink."
Remarks by Senator John Edwards and Cascade Design's Lee Fromson carried common themes:
We must clean up the air we breathe and the water we drink or the health of all Americans will suffer We must provide more venues and opportunities for outdoor recreation for the 150 million Americans who actively enjoy outdoor recreation We must treasure our national parks for recreation and not the industries that mine them for treasure We must lower health care costs to stay in business. This is true for all businesses not just our own. "Our national parks are severely under-funded resulting in rampant understaffing, site closures, eliminated visitor education programs, neglected cultural and natural resource preservation and unsafe trails," said Peter Bragdon, vice president and general counsel of Columbia Sportswear. "Protecting our parks and open space is essential to the health of my business, the outdoor industry at large and to the many States whose economies depend upon tourism and recreation, not to mention the millions upon millions of Americans who enjoy the Great American Outdoors each year."
"Health care is the hardest decision I have to make each year as a business owner," said Paul Fish, president of Mountain Gear in Spokane, WA. "I want to provide my employees and their families with quality care but the cost of doing so weakens the very business we are trying to build together."
Executives attending today's event included: Lee Fromson, president, Cascade Designs, Inc.(Seattle, WA); Peter Bragden, vice president, general counsel, Columbia Sportswear (Portland, Oregon); Menno Van Wyk, CEO Montrail (Seattle, WA); Paul Fish, president Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA); Carn Nielsen, vice president, Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA); Dan Nordstrom, CEO Outdoor Research (Seattle, WA); Jeff Bowman, vice president, Cascade Designs, Inc. (Seattle, WA); Doug Phillips, president, Metolius Climbing (Bend, OR); Tim Leatherman, president, Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. (Portland, OR); Dunham Gooding, president, American Alpine Institute, Ltd (Bellingham, WA); Brian Bennett, national accounts manager, Patagonia (Ventura, CA)
Outdoor businesses depend on abundant and available recreation opportunities so their customers can enjoy outdoor activities. In return, outdoor businesses employ over a million Americans, contribute $18 billion to the U.S. economy and work closely together to promote an active and healthy lifestyle to the 149 million Americans who enjoy the great American outdoors.
September 14, 2004
Dear Fellow Americans:
We are business leaders in the outdoor industry and we have come together because we can no longer be silent. Outdoor businesses depend on abundant and available recreation opportunities so our customers can enjoy outdoor activities. In return, outdoor businesses employ over a million Americans, contribute $18 billion to the U.S. economy and work together to promote an active and healthy lifestyle to the 149 million Americans who love the great American outdoors.
In our opinion increasing the number of venues for active outdoor recreation, staunchly protecting the environment, bolstering recreation and conservation funding to our public land agencies and reducing health care costs go hand-in-hand. They are essential for the health and well being of the outdoor industry and its customers.
Senators John Kerry and John Edwards share our values and goals. They know that promoting active outdoor recreation promotes good health. They know that proactively protecting and supporting public lands for recreational use means future generations will enjoy them too. They know that improving the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink is not negotiable for any industry or business in America. They know that health care costs will continue to increase unless we are united in reducing obesity in America.
John Kerry and John Edwards are committed to preserving our national parks for the benefit of current and future generations. President Bush has promoted policies that break that commitment and endanger the future sustainability of our national parks. President Bush's policies have severely under-funded our national parks resulting in rampant understaffing, site closures, elimination of visitor education programs and neglected cultural and natural resource preservation, demonstrating indifference towards unsafe trails, unclear facilities and the growing shortage of safety staff.
As importantly, the Bush administration has rolled back basic environmental protections that undermine parks including:
Rolling back Clean Air Act requirements that ensure visibility and healthy visits to our national parks; Eliminating federal protections for our public lands that will allow mining, logging and development in national forests; Slashing the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which enables the National Park Service to acquire new land and protect and enhance existing parks facilities. In contrast John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to protect the scenic landscapes and vistas for the appreciation of future generations through rigorous enforcement of clean air and water regulations and will preserve the resources that embody our cultural heritage through committed funding for parks operations by:
Increasing the operating budget of the National Park Service by $600 million will put our parks back on the path toward recovery and restoration. We will pay for this important objective by modernizing the sale of mineral rights and using the revenue generated to increase the operating budgets of our national parks. We know that Senator Kerry is a champion on the environmental issues that are central to our industry and customers. We also believe that Senator Kerry's economic and health care policies will keep our businesses competitive and health care affordable.
Therefore, we the undersigned are proud to endorse Senator Kerry as the next President of the United States.
Sincerely,
Lee Fromson, president, Cascade Designs (Seattle, WA)
Peter Bragden, vice president, general counsel, Columbia Sportswear (Portland, Oregon)
Menno Van Wyk, CEO, Montrail (Seattle, WA)
Paul Fish, president, Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA)
Carn Nielsen, vice president, Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA)
Dan Nordstrom, CEO, Outdoor Research (Seattle, WA)
Jeff Bowman, vice president, Cascade Designs (Seattle, WA)
Doug Phillips, president, Metolius Climbing (Bend, OR)
Tim Leatherman, president, Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. (Portland, OR)
Dunham Gooding, president, American Alpine Institute, Ltd (Bellingham, WA)
Larry Harrison, president, Earth Games (San Clemente, CA)
Jim Clark, CEO, Watermark (Arcata, CA)
Steve Barker, CEO, Eagle Creek Travel Gear (San Diego, CA)
Peter Metcalf, CEO, Black Diamond (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Ashley Korenblat, president, Western Spirit Cycling (Moab, Utah)
Mike Wallenfels, vice president, Mountain Hardware (Richmond, CA)
Roody Rasmussen, CEO, Petzl America (Clearfield, UT)
Tony Post, president, Vibram (Concord, MA)
Kelly Stone, director sales and marketing, Werner Paddles (Seattle, WA)
Joe Hyer, president, Alpine Experience (Olympia, WA)
Mike Sullivan, president, Sullivan Agency (Wimberley, TX)
Bob Olsen, president, Peregrine Outfitters (Williston, VT)
Michael Crooke, CEO, Patagonia (Ventura, CA)
Brian Bennett, director national accounts, Patagonia (Ventura, CA)
Adam Forest, managing partner, The Forest Group (Lotus, CA)
Gordon Seabury, president, Horny Toad Activewear (Santa Barbara, CA)
Paul Gagner, vice president, Gregory Mountain Products (Temecula, CA)
Tom Campion, founder and chairman, Zumiez Inc. (Everett, WA)
Malcolm Daly, president, Trango (Boulder, CO)
Rodney Smith, president, American Outdoor Products (Boulder, CO)
Joan Keller, president, Le Travel Store (San Diego, CA)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact: For Cascade Designs, Inc. Martha Keeley, 978-468-8961
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Cascade Designs, Inc.
Phone: (503) 253-7826 Toll Free: (800) 847-8665 Fax: (503) 253-7830 Warranty E-mail: toolwarranty@leatherman.com General E-mail: mktg@leatherman.com
I won't do any business with them any more. And that goes for most companies that are liberal supporters, when I find out about them. Someimes there isn't much choice. But there are plenty of leatherman clones out there to buy from.
As long as "Liberty" and "Carhart" are not on the list I am ok.
Eliminating federal protections for our public lands that will allow mining, logging and development in national forests;
So they want Kerry to do this….
We will pay for this important objective by modernizing the sale of mineral rights and using the revenue generated to increase the operating budgets of our national parks.
We don’t like mining, logging or development in the national parks. They need to be improved! We will pay for this by selling the rights to log, mine and develop in the national parks.
And these people actually manage to run a business?
Don't forget to e-mail them, and let them know they just effed up worse than Smith & Wesson did.
A_R
I'm going to send mine back to Oregon with a mixture of Ky and beach sand. Commie Idiots!
I have my Petzl rock climbing helmet, and most of my gear is Black Diamond, (carabiners, rescue eight, etc...) they really do make excellant stuff...
I won't be selling them since I already own them, but I may look elsewhere once that gear logs out. (I keep a log of what I buy and adhere to standards)
Thanks for the heads up on this, and I'll let them know next time I buy gear why I am not buying theirs...
The CEO's should just shut up, and sell gear....
Regards,
Joe
Didn't see Danner Boots on that list. I guess they aren't in the tree hugger loop.
Seriously, I wonder if these folks know who their customers are. Sure there are lots of granola heads who own Leathermans. But there are also a lot of people who carry these as work tools and who will pull the lever for Bush. More than a few of these people will buy another brand next time.
I don't mind when corporate bigwigs support a leftist politician on their own time and with their own money. But when they involve a well known brand like Leatherman it really ticks me off.
email them and let them know they just lost you as a customer. Let the Dims support them:
mktg@leatherman.com
I think Leatherman was the first but there are better ones out there now. Besides the knife blade on one of mine broke. I shold have returned it. I think I will now.
Mike
Amen to Carhart rough canvas gear!
I did Bass Pro Shop with my 4 year old lad two wweeks ago...he was in Nirvana!
Damn, I love your tools, but they are just tools and others will come along. I've bought my last Leatherman, and will not buy for, or recommend it to others.
The only good thing about my ex mother-in-law was that she once gave me a Leatherman. Now, that's gone.
Some actually don't. They run a religion of earth worship. But it is really not even that. They all need to make a buck and see the outdoors as the way to do it. All they talk about in meetings is profit margins, trends, etc. This is all self-serving. Arghh. I deal with at least 10 of these companies directly.
They are the very worse at outsourcing on top of it all. Gear once made inthe US is pumped out by the thousands in Korea, ec.
A_R
I guess this idiot's logic is as follows: because paying his health care is expensive, he wants John Kerry to get the government to pay for it with socialized health care instead. Doesn't he realize the taxpayer pays the government, and that means him? Only now he's added a few new layers of bureaucracy to siphon off more health care dollars with no added value. Moron.
LMAO!
You got that right. It's us hunters, fisherman, campers etc. that buy their products (although I don't) that keep them in business. It is people like me who are the real conservationists, preserving these outdoor sports for the future generations. If it were up to the tree huggers, nobody would fish, hunt, camp, and put up with the bugs.
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