Final week to enter 2016 American Made Outdoor Gear Award

ARCATA, CALIFORNIA, October 26, 2015 – Companies committed to domestic manufacturing have until Friday October 30, to submit their “made in America” story for the 2016 American Made Outdoor Gear Award (AMOGA). The award program recognizes companies with the most compelling domestic manufacturing stories.

Founded by Kokatat, the paddlesports apparel and gear company known for its longstanding commitment to American manufacturing, the program is targeted to the outdoor industry and is open to all companies with a solid commitment to American manufacturing and sourcing that have a compelling story to tell.

“We look forward to hearing inspiring made in America stories from the latest start ups to the century old stalwarts,” said Jeff Turner, Kokatat sales manager.

The company with the best “made in America” story receives one-year ownership of the ‘Sassy’ traveling trophy — a hand carved, redwood Sasquatch from Humboldt County, CA. Category winners receive miniature versions of the award and finalists and all entrants receive a certificate of participation.

“The Sasquatch may be a thing of legend, but we hope by sharing these companies’ stories we can keep American manufacturing from becoming a myth,” added Turner.

Past keepers of ‘Sassy’ include Liberty Bottleworks (www.libertybottles.com) of Yakima, WA, Benchmade Knives (www.benchmade.com) of Portland, OR, and current warden of the trophy Sterling Ropes (www.sterlingropes.com) of Biddeford, ME.

Applications for the AMOGA may be completed online at http://www.americanmadeoutdoorgearawards.com. To request a PDF version of the application please send an email pr@palemorning.com. Applications must be received by October 30, 2015.

Award finalists will be announced on Friday, November 27, 2015, and winners will be announced during an official “Sassy” presentation on day two of the 2016 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, UT. 

For additional information on the American Made Outdoor Gear Award visit www.americanmadeoutdoorgearawards.com.

About the American Made Outdoor Gear Award:

Founded by Kokatat and shared with the Outdoor Industry, the American Made Outdoor Gear Award is a celebration of American manufacturing. First awarded in 2013, the American Made Outdoor Gear Award recognizes companies with compelling domestic manufacturing stories. Finalists are announced annually on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and the winners are announced on the second evening of the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. The company with the best “made in America” story receives one-year ownership of the ‘Sassy’ travelling trophy — a hand carved, 3-foot-tall, redwood Sasquatch from Humboldt County, Calif. Along with highlighting company stories, the program tracks domestic manufacturing trends and insights in the outdoor industry. Learn more at www.americanmadeoutdoorgearawards.com and follow us on Twitter at @AMOGAward.

About Kokatat Inc.:

Kokatat has been manufacturing paddling gear in Arcata, California for more than 40 years. At a time when many technical apparel brands were moving manufacturing offshore, Kokatat continued to invest in infrastructure in the United States. Kokatat founder Steve O’Meara was committed to the development of the finest and driest paddling apparel in the world and recognized the need to control and continually evolve the development of our dry wear. In the early days, Kokatat worked closely with W.L. Gore & Associates, makers of GORE-TEX®, to refine the sewing and sealing techniques required for full immersion suits and tops. Today, our hands-on approach to manufacturing continues to set the standard in paddling apparel. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.