American-made paddlesports company Kokatat will continue accepting applications for the 2014 American Made Outdoor Gear Awards until Friday, November 8. Targeted to the outdoor industry, the second annual American Made Outdoor Gear Awards is open to all companies with a solid commitment to American manufacturing and sourcing and have a compelling story to tell.
“Last year more than 50 of the most innovative domestic manufacturers in the outdoor market shared their stories with us,” said Jeff Turner, Kokatat sales and design manager. “This year we hope that many more will join them as we honor their stories and salute the leaders in American made quality, craftsmanship and creativity in the outdoor world.”
The company with the best “made in America” story receives one-year ownership of the ‘Sassy’ travelling trophy – a hand carved, 3-foot-tall, redwood Sasquatch from Humboldt County, Calif. Runners up receive miniature versions of the award and all entrants will receive a certificate of participation.
“The Sasquatch may be a thing of legend, but we hope by sharing these companies’ stories we can keep American manufacturing from becoming a myth,” added Turner.
This year Kokatat recognized overall winner Liberty Bottleworks (www.libertybottleworks.com) of Yakima, Wash., and four category winners during an awards presentation at the 2013 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Category winners included; Cilo Gear (www.cilogear.com) of Portland, Ore., for companies with less than 10 employees; Branches LLC (www.bendingbranches.com) of Osceola, Wis, for companies with 10 to 50 employees; Stormy Kromer (www.stormykromer.com) of Ironwood, Mich. for companies with 50 to 100 employees; and Jackson Kayak (www.jacksonkayak.com) of Sparta, Tenn. for companies with 100+ employees.
Applications for the Sassy award may be completed online or downloaded at http://www.Kokatat.com/sassy. To submit an application by mail, send it to Kokatat Inc. attn: 2014 Sassy, 5350 Ericson Way, Arcata, CA 95521. Applications must be received by November 8, 2013.
Winners will be announced on Friday, November 29, 2013, and an official “Sassy” presentation will be made at the 2014 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, UT.
