Osprey Packs

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Osprey Packs Inc.

Trade name Osprey

Founded 1974; 48 years ago in Santa Cruz, California

Founder Mike Pfotenhauer

Headquarters Cortez, Colorado

Key people  Layne Rigney (CEO)

 Mike Pfotenhauer (Lead Designer)

Products Backpacks

Revenue US$155,000,000 (2021)

Number of employees 300 (2021)

Parent Helen of Troy Limited

Website osprey.com

Osprey Packs, Inc, commonly known as Osprey is an American brand 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.

History[edit]
The front of an Osprey AG 70.

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 this point 90% of their
workforce was made up of Navajos. In 1994 the company would move production
from Dolores to Cortez, Colorado. In 1999 the company would move all operations
from Dolores to Cortez. On the June 18, 1999 edition of Time magazine the
Osprey Aether 60 is shown on the cover, worn by blind climber Erik Weihenmayer.
He was the first blind climber to summit Everest. [1] By 2001 Osprey had 92
employees including manufacturing staff. In 2002, production started to be
outsourced to Korea and Vietnam in order to meet demand and lower production
costs. At the time, labor costs in Vietnam were 90% lower than in the US. "We had
to lower our cost of production," said Tom Barney, Osprey's CEO at the time. The
company kept one Navajo sewer in Cortez to perform warranty repairs. They were
the last major US backpack maker to move production overseas. In 2014, the
Cortez warehouse was turned into their warranty repair facility. A distribution
warehouse in Ogden, Utah would be opened to replace the Cortez warehouse. In
2015, a headquarters for Osprey Europe would be established in Poole. It was
reported that in 2021 Osprey had about 300 employees, and would generate
$155–160 million that year. In 2021, Osprey was sold to Helen of Troy Limited for
$414 million.[2][3][4][5] In 2022 the Osprey Unltd line was released. It retailed for $700,
and had features such as a patented 3D printed back padding. [6][7]

Advocacy[edit]
Osprey participates in a number of charitable works. Every year, a member of its
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 they climb Mount Shasta. Osprey also donates backpacks for the event.[8] In
2021, Osprey supported 90 organizations throughout the world. In 2021, they also
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 a twice-yearly
trade show from Salt Lake City.[9]

References[edit]
1. ^ "TIME Magazine Cover: Erik Weihenmayer - June 18,
2001".  TIME.com.  Archived  from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
2. ^ "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.
3. ^ Jump up to: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.
4. ^ "History".  www.osprey.com.  Archived  from the original on 2022-01-28.
Retrieved  2022-03-24.
5. ^ 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.
6. ^ "INTERNATIONAL PATENT: OSPREY PACKS, INC. FILES APPLICATION FOR
"BACKPACK AND LUMBAR PAD"".  US Fed News Service. 9 Aug
2021. ProQuest 2559370911.
7. ^ 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.
8. ^ Maxwell, Molly (22 May 2013). "Farmington's Kelsy Woodson climbing against cancer
at Mount Shasta". Daily Times. ProQuest 1353961559.
9. ^ Leavenworth, Stuart (Apr 11, 2017). "Companies mobilize in battle over public
lands".  Pantagraph.  ProQuest  1904296067.