Outdoor Insight

s /UTDOOR )NSIGHT s *ULY OUTDOORINSIGHTMAGCOM 0HOTO BY &RANK *AMES N E W S / A N A L Y S I S OUTDOOR EYE By Bob McGee T im Leatherman's lifelong journey of self-discovery, perseverance, entrepreneurism and problem- solving has wound its way to a screening room in a Brooklyn hotel. A small group of trade and consumer media types are gathered to hear the gangly, unassuming executive tell his story, celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Leatherman Tool Group, a Portland, OR, company he co-founded with good friend Steve Berliner, and screen a short film on the company called "Made of Mettle." The documentary screening was a celebration of the past 35 years of Leatherman's namesake company's success. The brief movie, and a further conversation with Leatherman, reveal that the impetus for creating The Leatherman Tool Group decades ago began for Tim Leatherman during a self- described "budget trip" across Europe with his young wife in the 1970s. The couple toured Europe in a used Fiat 600D that he purchased in Amsterdam for $300. Boy Scout-type knife toting Tim soon found he was ill-prepared for the traveling perils he would soon face on-the-road and in cheap hotels with leaky plumbing. His mind flooded with all sorts of "tool solutions," so Leatherman spent many days of the trip jotting everything down. When he returned to Portland, the persistent Oregon State mechanical engineering graduate, armed with his note- book, retired to his garage and set to task. And his wife went to work to support his young family. Eight years later in 1983, Leatherman emerged from his work space with the Pocket Survival Tool (PST) and his first order for 500 units from Cabela's. Besides Cabela's, today's retail customers include Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods and REI. "Some people describe our tool as a Swiss Army Knife on steroids," proclaims Leatherman, who witnessed a meteoric rise in demand for his product over its first decade to approxi- mately one million units sold in 1993. A typical multi-tool from LTG includes everything from pliers to a cork screw. The company currently assembles more than 20 different Leatherman products for distribution in more than 70 coun- tries in its Portland facility, where it employs 400. Retail prices range from about $25 for a key chain product to $200, with $100 pegged as the "sweet spot" of the range. The three primary customer sets of the company's various multi-tools, including its wearable bracelets that may be worn onboard an aircraft since they comply with TSA regulations, are outdoor recreationists, Do-It-Yourselfers and professionals. The last group, ranging from plumbers to soldiers, typically use their Leatherman on the job. The CEO says the company regularly welcomes input from customers on elements that could improve the functionality of its multi-tools. Besides the U.S. jobs he has helped create, Leatherman is most proud of the way the company's products prepare people to face challenges of all sorts. This summer, LTG is launching an inaugural grant program that will donate $100,000 to support non-profit organizations that aim to inspire, prepare, and develop the next generation of problem solvers. All 501(c) 3 organizations or the global equivalent are eligible to apply for funding via a grant appli- cation process that ends August 31. Ten to 15 grantees, with funding ranging from $5000 to $15,000, will be announced in October. Looking ahead, Tim knows what he wants from the company. "In the next 5-10 years, you'll see the next big advancement in the evolution of multi-tools come from Leatherman." Q Carving Out a Legacy The man behind the multi-tools. Listen to our Podcast with Tim Leatherman at SportsInsightExtra.com sportsinsightextra.com/podcast.html

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