Marmot

Two California college students, Eric Reynolds and Dave Huntley, forged the beginnings of Marmot in the early 1970s, making prototypes of down apparel and sleeping bags in their dorm room. In 1974, together with cofounder Tom Boyce, they founded Marmot in Grand Junction, Colorado, as a retail and rental outlet.

Soon after they earned their first big order—more than 100 puffy down jackets for the filming of The Eiger Sanction, starring Clint Eastwood. Marmot also became an early adopter of Gore-Tex fabrics in their production, adding waterproof protection to their product lines. Marmot’s reputation for technical apparel was born.

Shortly after a 1991 acquisition of the company by Odyssey International, the company faced bankruptcy until Steve Crisafulli, president from 1991 to 2004, rallied his employees and management team to buy out the company for $3.5 million. Crisafulli  died in October 2018.

Marmot is now owned by the publicly traded company Newell Brands.