Outdoor Retailer - December 2020 - 16

THE PULSE

Ultimate Associate

The outdoor industry says goodbye to Bob Gore, one of its original
innovators. by Doug Schnitzspahn
YOU COULD TRACE THE MODERN OUTDOOR INDUSTRY BACK TO ONE IDEA: STRETCHING A
polymer called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Robert W. Gore (Bob) and his father Wilbert
L. Gore (Bill), had begun experimenting with PFTE while Bill was working at DuPont in the late
1950s. Bill and his wife, Genevieve, founded the W.L. Gore & Associates company in their basement
in 1958, putting the properties of PTFE to use in Multi-Tet cable used to insulate wires, a product
that Bob invented. But the big breakthrough came in 1969, when Bob, at the breaking point with
some experiments trying to slowly stretch PTFE, quickly yanked a rod of it and realized it had incredible stretch. Not only that, he discovered the porous structure of the expanded PTFE was the
right size to keep water out but let air pass through. Gore-Tex had arrived. The membrane would allow adventures in conditions that had been unbearable or required bulky, sweaty rain gear.
The company that Bob Gore built is just as innovative as the material. W.L. Gore & Associates,
which claimed $3.168 billion in revenue in
2017, has been unflinching in ensuring the
quality of its fabrics, and built a work culture
where all employees share the same title of
" associate " and work as an equal group.
" Bob's curiosity and determination were
key to his success, and the success of our enterprise and the Gore-Tex brand. We remain
committed to building upon his legacy of
delivering the best high-performance technical products for our customers, " says Paul
Canatella, technical leader, fabrics division of
W. L. Gore.
In 1978, seminal outdoor industry brand
Wilderness Experience started producing Gore-Tex products and outfitted Ned
Gillette and Galen Rowell with its new technical Gore-Tex outerwear for their successful first one-day ascent of Denali. " That was
the first year we met Robert Gore, " says Greg
Thomsen, who ran Wilderness Experience
with brother Jim, both of whom would go
on to steer brands from VF Corporation to
Adidas Outdoor. " It was a great start to a long
and wonderful relationship with Bob and
company. He encouraged us to expand our
design ideas into other catagories like tents,
sleeping bags, and down jackets, and he offered to help us market these new products
to the outdoor industry. His support and encouragement helped us build our company

16 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ December 2020

and greatly expanded our horizons. "
Jim agrees. " I still remember my first visit
with Mr. Gore, " he says. " I was a longhaired kid
(as was Greg), and he treated me as a real businessman. He was a great leader. "
Gore's ability to innovate, inspire, and
challenge those with whom he worked will
live on. " He had a profound ability to ask
deep and insightful questions on many topics, from technical performance to customer relationships to brand and marketing, "
says Canatella. " Sometimes in the moment
it wasn't comfortable being the associate on
the receiving end of those questions, but,
once you stepped back, you realized there
were really good insights and learnings to
take away from his questions. "
Robert Gore died of cancer in September.
He was 83. O.R.

Robert Gore
1937-2020

Courtesy W.L. Gore

FAREWELL

https://www.gore.com/

Outdoor Retailer - December 2020

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