LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. | Introduction
Introduction
18550 N.E. Riverside Parkway
Portland, Oregon 97230-4975
U.S.A.
Telephone: (503) 766-1010
Toll Free: (800) 323-2668
Fax: (503) 766-1015
Web site: http://www.lacrossefootwearinc.com
Public Company
Incorporated: 1983 as La Crosse Rubber Mills, Inc.
Employees: 400
Sales: $97.8 million (2002)
Stock Exchanges: NASDAQ
Ticker Symbol: BOOT
NAIC: 316211 Rubber and Plastics Footwear Manufacturing; 316213 Men's Footwear (Except Athletic) Manufacturing; 316214 Women's Footwear (Except Athletic) Manufacturing
Named after its former hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin, but now headquartered in Portland, Oregon, LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of rubber, leather, and vinyl footwear. It specializes in premiumquality protective footwear for the sporting, occupational, and recreational markets. It has three major brands: the original LaCrosse brand; the Danner brand, established in 1932 and acquired by LaCrosse in 1994; and the Rainfair brand, originally marketed through a joint venture established in 1996 between LaCrosse Footwear and Rainfair, Inc., of Racine, Wisconsin, before becoming wholly owned by LaCrosse in 1998. The product line of Rainfair, which now operates as the La-Crosse Safety & Industrial division, includes rainwear, footwear, and other protective clothing for occupational markets. Historically, LaCrosse Footwear manufactured most of its products at its own manufacturing plants in the United States. In the early 2000s, however, the company began shifting to outsourcing. By 2002, 70 percent of the products sold by LaCrosse were manufactured by third parties, most of them located in the Asia-Pacific region. LaCrosse continues to operate two U.S. factories, located in Portland and in Claremont, New Hampshire. Sales of the company's products are made through more than 4,300 accounts in the United States, including sporting goods and outdoor retailers, shoe stores, general merchandise stores, wholesalers, catalog merchants, and the U.S. government. Two factory outlet stores can be found in Portland and La Crosse. Less than 3 percent of the company's net sales originate overseas, principally from Japan. More than 44 percent of La-Crosse's common stock is owned by members of the family of George W. Schneider, through the Schneider Family Voting Trust; Schneider was the main investor and driving force behind the management-led group that bought the company in 1982 from the heirs of the founders.