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OREGON CITY, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2004--Senior executives from leading outdoor manufacturers, retailers and
associations across the country gathered today to endorse Senator John Kerry for President and Senator John Edwards for Vice
President. They announced their endorsement at a press conference with Senator John Edwards at Clackamus Community College in
Oregon City, Oregon. "We have come together to endorse Senators Kerry and Edwards because they share our values and goals,"
said Lee Fromson, president of Seattle-based Cascade Designs, Inc., a leading manufacturer of outdoor equipment. "And we are here
today because the Great American Outdoors is in serious jeopardy and if we fail at protecting the outdoors then our businesses will
fail, our health will fail and we will leave future generations with air they can't breathe and water they can't drink."
Remarks by Senator John Edwards and Cascade Design's Lee Fromson carried common themes:
We must clean up the air we breathe and the water we drink or the health of all Americans will suffer We must provide more venues
and opportunities for outdoor recreation for the 150 million Americans who actively enjoy outdoor recreation We must treasure our
national parks for recreation and not the industries that mine them for treasure We must lower health care costs to stay in business.
This is true for all businesses not just our own. "Our national parks are severely under-funded resulting in rampant understaffing, site
closures, eliminated visitor education programs, neglected cultural and natural resource preservation and unsafe trails," said Peter
Bragdon, vice president and general counsel of Columbia Sportswear. "Protecting our parks and open space is essential to the
health of my business, the outdoor industry at large and to the many States whose economies depend upon tourism and recreation,
not to mention the millions upon millions of Americans who enjoy the Great American Outdoors each year."
"Health care is the hardest decision I have to make each year as a business owner," said Paul Fish, president of Mountain Gear in
Spokane, WA. "I want to provide my employees and their families with quality care but the cost of doing so weakens the very
business we are trying to build together."
Executives attending today's event included: Lee Fromson, president, Cascade Designs, Inc.(Seattle, WA); Peter Bragden, vice
president, general counsel, Columbia Sportswear (Portland, Oregon); Menno Van Wyk, CEO Montrail (Seattle, WA); Paul Fish, president
Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA); Carn Nielsen, vice president, Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA); Dan Nordstrom, CEO Outdoor Research
(Seattle, WA); Jeff Bowman, vice president, Cascade Designs, Inc. (Seattle, WA); Doug Phillips, president, Metolius Climbing (Bend,
OR); Tim Leatherman, president, Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. (Portland, OR); Dunham Gooding, president, American Alpine Institute,
Ltd (Bellingham, WA); Brian Bennett, national accounts manager, Patagonia (Ventura, CA)
Outdoor businesses depend on abundant and available recreation opportunities so their customers can enjoy outdoor activities. In
return, outdoor businesses employ over a million Americans, contribute $18 billion to the U.S. economy and work closely together to
promote an active and healthy lifestyle to the 149 million Americans who enjoy the great American outdoors.
September 14, 2004
Dear Fellow Americans:
We are business leaders in the outdoor industry and we have come together because we can no longer be silent. Outdoor
businesses depend on abundant and available recreation opportunities so our customers can enjoy outdoor activities. In return,
outdoor businesses employ over a million Americans, contribute $18 billion to the U.S. economy and work together to promote an
active and healthy lifestyle to the 149 million Americans who love the great American outdoors.
In our opinion increasing the number of venues for active outdoor recreation, staunchly protecting the environment, bolstering
recreation and conservation funding to our public land agencies and reducing health care costs go hand-in-hand. They are essential
for the health and well being of the outdoor industry and its customers.
Senators John Kerry and John Edwards share our values and goals. They know that promoting active outdoor recreation promotes
good health. They know that proactively protecting and supporting public lands for recreational use means future generations will
enjoy them too. They know that improving the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink is not negotiable for any industry
or business in America. They know that health care costs will continue to increase unless we are united in reducing obesity in
America.
John Kerry and John Edwards are committed to preserving our national parks for the benefit of current and future generations.
President Bush has promoted policies that break that commitment and endanger the future sustainability of our national parks.
President Bush's policies have severely under-funded our national parks resulting in rampant understaffing, site closures, elimination
of visitor education programs and neglected cultural and natural resource preservation, demonstrating indifference towards unsafe
trails, unclear facilities and the growing shortage of safety staff.
As importantly, the Bush administration has rolled back basic environmental protections that undermine parks including:
Rolling back Clean Air Act requirements that ensure visibility and healthy visits to our national parks; Eliminating federal protections
for our public lands that will allow mining, logging and development in national forests; Slashing the Land and Water Conservation
Fund, which enables the National Park Service to acquire new land and protect and enhance existing parks facilities. In contrast John
Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to protect the scenic landscapes and vistas for the appreciation of future generations through
rigorous enforcement of clean air and water regulations and will preserve the resources that embody our cultural heritage through
committed funding for parks operations by:
Increasing the operating budget of the National Park Service by $600 million will put our parks back on the path toward recovery and
restoration. We will pay for this important objective by modernizing the sale of mineral rights and using the revenue generated to
increase the operating budgets of our national parks. We know that Senator Kerry is a champion on the environmental issues that
are central to our industry and customers. We also believe that Senator Kerry's economic and health care policies will keep our
businesses competitive and health care affordable.
Therefore, we the undersigned are proud to endorse Senator Kerry as the next President of the United States.
Sincerely,
Lee Fromson, president, Cascade Designs (Seattle, WA)
Peter Bragden, vice president, general counsel, Columbia Sportswear (Portland, Oregon)
Menno Van Wyk, CEO, Montrail (Seattle, WA)
Paul Fish, president, Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA)
Carn Nielsen, vice president, Mountain Gear (Spokane, WA)
Dan Nordstrom, CEO, Outdoor Research (Seattle, WA)
Jeff Bowman, vice president, Cascade Designs (Seattle, WA)
Doug Phillips, president, Metolius Climbing (Bend, OR)
Tim Leatherman, president, Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. (Portland, OR)
Dunham Gooding, president, American Alpine Institute, Ltd (Bellingham, WA)
Larry Harrison, president, Earth Games (San Clemente, CA)
Jim Clark, CEO, Watermark (Arcata, CA)
Steve Barker, CEO, Eagle Creek Travel Gear (San Diego, CA)
Peter Metcalf, CEO, Black Diamond (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Ashley Korenblat, president, Western Spirit Cycling (Moab, Utah)
Mike Wallenfels, vice president, Mountain Hardware (Richmond, CA)
Roody Rasmussen, CEO, Petzl America (Clearfield, UT)
Tony Post, president, Vibram (Concord, MA)
Kelly Stone, director sales and marketing, Werner Paddles (Seattle, WA)
Joe Hyer, president, Alpine Experience (Olympia, WA)
Mike Sullivan, president, Sullivan Agency (Wimberley, TX)
Bob Olsen, president, Peregrine Outfitters (Williston, VT)
Michael Crooke, CEO, Patagonia (Ventura, CA)
Brian Bennett, director national accounts, Patagonia (Ventura, CA)
Adam Forest, managing partner, The Forest Group (Lotus, CA)
Gordon Seabury, president, Horny Toad Activewear (Santa Barbara, CA)
Paul Gagner, vice president, Gregory Mountain Products (Temecula, CA)
Tom Campion, founder and chairman, Zumiez Inc. (Everett, WA)
Malcolm Daly, president, Trango (Boulder, CO)
Rodney Smith, president, American Outdoor Products (Boulder, CO)
). Other than the fish scaler and corkscrew, I think it has a good tool set, and even the fish scaler has a useful ruler on it, and the corkscrew contains an eyeglass screwdriver (making them both at least semi useful). I also find the magnifying glass, and the ink pen a lot more useful than I originally thought.
