A local Marin County paper recently ran a story about the hurdles that Any Mountain, the regional outdoor retail chain based in Marin County, Calif. that filed for bankruptcy late last year, has had to overcome in recent years. In the article, Bud Hoffman, CEO of Any Mountain, says that he will do “anything in his power” to emerge from bankruptcy successfully.

In court documents obtained by The BOSS Report, it appears that the company may be turning a corner. For the months of January and February, Any Mountain Court papers indicate that net sales were $4.4 million with an additional $1 million forecast for March. On the bottom line of the report, Any Mountain’s net income for the two months was $825,000. On the down side, the company is predicting a $75,000 net loss for March.

In the Marin paper, Hoffman said that he was forced into bankruptcy when an independent secured creditor cancelled Any Mountain’s loan and put a lien on the company’s bank accounts. Hoffman refused to identify the lender, but court documents show that Cardinal Financial Services LLC found the company in default on a $1.8 million loan and subsequently instructed Any Mountain’s bank to return any unpaid checks drawn on its accounts.

Hoffman also told the Marin paper, “I thought this guy was an angel on my shoulder, and I couldn't have been more wrong.”

There were several pieces of correspondence submitted to the court sent to Any Mountain from Cardinal, and many of these were signed by Steve Crisafulli, former president and owner of Marmot Mountain. Cardinal pulled the plug on this loan after Any Mountain hadn’t made any payments for 15 months.

It seems like Any Mountain is now looking for investors, or maybe someone to acquire the company outright. Lawyers involved in the case claimed that the company is soliciting bids, although Hoffman said that he would like to hold on to Any Mountain’s home base store in Corte Madera.


>>> Any Mountain was a $25 million chain at one point, and those sales would be sorely missed by more than one vendor