Last month, I wrote an article on the history of a couple companies in the outdoor industry. Below is Part 2 of the Humble Beginnings series. Like all the companies I will be featuring, both Alpen and Danner started out as a simple dream that developed into a prosperous company.
Alpen Optics Alpen Optics opened their doors in 1997. The founder of the company, Tim Gardner, worked for an Optics maker for years during the late 80’s and early 90’s. After the company he worked for switched hands, he decided he wanted to leave after working there for a short time. “Tim and I both love optics. We grew up hiking a lot in California and always liked looking at animals through binoculars. When I was a kid, there were five kids and one pair of binoculars. I always wanted my own pair. After Tim left the company he worked for, he realized he loved working with optics. After a year away from the Optics market, we started Alpen Optics. Now I have my own pair,” explained Vickie Gardner, Alpen’s Marketing Director.
They named the company Alpen Optics because Alpen stands for solidarity and they wanted to have a solid company. Alpen also means “Of the Alps” and they wanted a mountain name. Tim and Vickie worked on developing a pair of binoculars that fit well in the palm of their hands and offered many of the features optics users want - waterproof binoculars and multi-coated lenses.
Their first pair of binoculars was homemade. They took bondo cement and optics glass to create a prototype. After the Gardners were happy with the design, they began producing binoculars. From the beginning, Alpen wanted to provide binoculars that were affordable so everyone could afford them and high quality so everyone would want to use them. This led them to develop their slogan, “Quality, Value, and Performance for Today’s Sports Optics User.”
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Over the last ten years, they have strived to develop binoculars and spotting scopes for every price range. From $50 binoculars to $1,000 binoculars, Alpen makes a pair that fits almost everyone’s budget.
Alpen Spotting Scopes and binoculars have won the Outdoor Life Magazine Best Buy Award on several occasions. They won the award because of their great features.
Danner Boots The slogan, “Experts’ Choice,” is what Danner Boots has strived to be since its inception in 1932. Charles Danner, the founder from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, wanted to build a boot that experts relied on, regardless of their job. When they needed a boot that was tough and comfortable and able to stand up to the elements, Charles Danner wanted the public to think of Danner. In the beginning, the Danner brand was built for loggers, mill workers, and guys who worked hard and needed a boot that could do the same.
In 1936, the Danner Company moved from Wisconsin to Portland, Oregon. Oregon had a thriving timber industry and the Danner brand quickly gained popularity among loggers because, according to Mark Reilly, Director of Product Line Management for Danner, the goal was to "over deliver". “From the beginning, Danner wanted to exceed customers’ expectations. Loggers and workers of the day needed more than a run-of-the-mill boot. Danner provided a boot that was comfortable, strong, and would last for a long time.”
Although Danner began by catering to “experts” in the field such as loggers and policemen, Danner gained popularity with everyday Americans and sportsmen over the years. Danner boots are a trusted friend of upland hunters and bowhunters. Many hunters gravitate to Danner because they offer stitched seams and high-quality craftsmanship that never seem to wear out. Their boots are also waterproof. In 1979, they were the first boot to offer a Gore-Tex® membrane, which provides outdoorsmen with waterproof footwear and breathing ability that has made Gore-Tex® famous.
Danner has developed boots that are built especially for outdoorsmen. Some boots are extremely lightweight with the upland hunter in mind. Other boots were designed for hardcore bowhunters who hike miles each day afield. Catering to the outdoorsmen worked - today, many hardcore outdoorsmen who are experts in the field rely on Danner boots to get them where they are going.
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