B.O.S.S. This Week

Even with the holidays right around the corner we had a busy news week.

Cascade Designs Moves on with New Leadership...

Joe Mc Swiney, the new president of Cascade Designs, sat down for a conversation with The B.O.S.S. Report to discuss his goals for the company. Cascade Designs is facing some challenges that several maturing companies in the outdoor industry are looking to address. Many of the classic outdoor brands were founded during the backpacking boom of the mid to late 1970’s and today, are faced with sustaining the energy of the brand in the absence of the founders.

"It's my intention that the organization last a very long time, and I consider that to be one-hundred years plus," said Mc Swiney. "So it is essential that we transition beyond the original founders. Organizations tend to get their core purpose from their founders, the reason for existence, and sometimes organizations take that for granted. So, it's important to manage that transition. This is not a today or tomorrow thing, John Burroughs is going to be around for quite a while, but it’s something to set up so the transition happens smoothly."
LINK

Timberland Sale Rumors Swirl in the Press…

Wall Street and the business media were all abuzz last week after the Wall Street Journal published a story suggesting that The Timberland Company was exploring strategic options for the company, including a potential sale. Timberland is reportedly valued at nearly $2 billion. The Journal, Reuters and others cited "people familiar with the matter" as their source for the information.

WSJ said that Goldman Sachs had been called in to assist the company with the sale and Timberland has been reaching out to potential buyers. The Times of London also fueled the speculation writing that, “The company is believed to have held 'preliminary and informal' talks with at least three potential buyers, all of which were private equity firms.” Timberland officials contacted by The B.O.S.S. Report declined to comment on what were described as "rumors."
LINK

Other Stories include:

􀂄 Johnson Outdoors improves nearly all metrics in fiscal Q4… (Page 3)
􀂄 Gander Mountain swings to profitability in Q4… (Page 4)
􀂄 Eddie Bauer Q3 loss grows; inks deal to go private… (Page 4)
􀂄 Dick’s SG beats Q3 guidance, raises full year estimates…(Page 5)
􀂄 Royal Robbins sees record Q3… (Page 6)
􀂄 Zumiez Q3 margins hit by new stores… (Page 6)
􀂄 Easton Bell integration rolls on with strong Q3 results… (Page 6)
􀂄 Mammut acquires German headlamp brand… (Page 7)