Columbia Sportswear may close its offices in downtown Portland that house Sorel’s headquarters and relocate 50 jobs due to unsafe conditions in the area.
The Oregonian reported that staffers have reported “a series of frightening run-ins with transients and car break-ins so frequent they’ve come refer to them as Columbia’s “laptop donation program.’”
“It is a relief when the only thing we are dealing with is the garbage and human waste by our front door,” Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle wrote in an op-ed column submitted to The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Think about that for a minute.”
Last November, Columbia held a grand opening at the location on the corner of Southwest Broadway and Taylor.
The Oregonian report said Columbia will decide over the next 90 days whether to relocate the downtown staffers.
Photo courtesy Sorel
