One Tough Mother Taking Charge in Life, Business, and Apple Pies

"When a heart attack claimed Gert Boyle's husband in 1970, the forty-six-year-old housewife and mother of three found herself at the helm of Columbia Sportswear, a small outerwear manufacturer in Portland, Oregon, that was struggling financially. With no business experience whatsoever, Boyle was faced with the challenge of running Columbia, which had been founded in 1937 by her father-a Jewish immigrant who had fled Hitler's Germany. Through challenging times, Boyle and her son Tim persevered, turning a company that in 1970 had forty employees and less than $800,000 in annual sales into the leading seller of skiwear in the United States, with more than 2000 employees and over a billion in annual sales. Along the way, thanks in part to a creative markting campaign that billed her as ""one tough mother,"" Boyle has established herself as an industry icon, and the first woman ever inducted into the International Sporting Goods Hall of Fame. In One Tough Mother, Boyle presents an honest, open, and often irreverent account of her journey from a childhood in Nazi Germany to incredible success in America. Boyle offers insights into succeeding in business and in life, and shares many of the advertisements and strategies that have made her so recognizable. Her story is an inspiration for mothers everywhere, as well as small business owners, or anyone facing seemingly insurmountable odds."

Gert Boyle is the recognizable face of Columbia Sportswear.

Coauthor Kerry Tymchuk serves as State Director for United States Senator Gordon Smith. He previously worked for Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and has assisted the Doles in the writing of several books.