mtbusiness had the opportunity to speak with Josh Fairchilds of Oboz Footwear. Josh, tell us about the business.

 

Oboz is based in Bozeman. We started the Company in the spring of 2007. Oboz started shipping our first shoes in January of 2008. John Connelly and I are the two primary founders of the Company. John is the President of the Company and I serve as the VP of Marketing and Product Development.

 

John and I both have an extensive background in the industry. John worked for Vasque Footwear, Zamberlan Footwear, and Montrail. We met when we both worked for Five Ten, which is a climbing shoe company based in California.

 

We decided that, given John’s connections within the industry on the sales side and my connections on the manufacturing side of the business, we had something to bring to the market -- new Company with a fresh outlook on relationships with our dealers and our customers.

 

Our premise was that we would build a Company that everybody enjoyed doing business with. You know, we can build products as good or better than anybody else’s - most of our competitors are hundred million dollar / billion dollar companies in some cases. But we are this small outfit; six of us in Bozeman, making the best footwear in the world and bringing it to market.

That’s great! Tell us about your product and what Oboz Footwear is bringing to the industry.

 

Sure! The tagline of Oboz is “True to the Trail.” This is the lens through which we look at all aspects of our business; everything from the products, to the way we actually run the business itself.

 

We are in the outdoor footwear market. We manufacture hiking shoes, backpacking boots and trail running shoes. All of our products, from the design, development, and through the production stage are created to ensure that we hit our “True to the Trail” guideline.

 

What that means is that we design, develop, and produce shoes that we believe outperform all shoes on the trail. Instead of using a generic outsole, that anybody can buy, we have proprietary outsoles that are designed specifically for our footwear. Traction, friction, durability and more are built into the outsole, they are unique and proprietary to Oboz. That is one element that sets us apart from our competitors and that we think is incredibly important.

 

In the uppers of our shoes we make sure that we have the right materials in high-abrasion and high-wear areas so they will stand up and have lasting quality. And we design the shoes to lace up in a way that flexes naturally with the foot. There are many, many steps to identify the details that make our product “true to the trail” - and we believe is better than our competitors.

 

Oboz has a strong interest in social responsibility as a business, explain.

 

We knew that, as a start up, we could choose a responsible path from the outset. From day one we have had our 'One More Tree Program', which, in partnership with Trees for the Future, we plant one tree for every pair of shoes that we sell. The trees are planted throughout the world, generally in third world countries, for beneficial and sustainable purposes in accordance with the needs of the local people, community, and environment.

 

Oboz also offsets all of the carbon that we use from the time the shoes leave the factory in Asia until they reach our retailers’ doors. We have done that since day one as well.

 

We power the offices - small as they are - with wind power that we purchase from the Judith Gap Wind Farm in North Central Montana.

 

We have tried, like I said, from day one, to really make sure we have not just built a “True to the Trail” product, but have also created a company that has values and actions that are “True to the Trail.”

 

That is one of the things, particularly here in Montana, we have seen more and more with businesses is a commitment to green energy practices. Oboz has seemed to really envelope the social aspect. How did that come about? It is something that you and your partner really felt strongly about when you started?

 

Yes it was. These aren’t huge steps that we have taken. They are, for the most part, fairly small steps but they make a pretty big difference in our eyes. If every company were to adopt similar small steps, it would make a world of difference.

 

We also offer our employees the opportunity to volunteer up to ten percent of their weekly time in the community, paid by Oboz. They can also take two weeks every year, paid by Oboz, to do a volunteer project of their choosing. We really believe these benefits contribute to higher workplace efficiency and productivity. By enabling people to get out of the office, engage in and be part of our community–, they then come back to work reinvigorated with that energy, and reapply those ideas and passion back into the company.

 

I imagine you must get feedback from your customers or see the fruits of those “trails” when you are talking to them about your products.

 

Yes we do, certainly. Whether it is our retailers - the stores that sell our product - or our end consumers, our kind of brand philosophy has been a very engaging talking point. It is something that has enabled us to truly get a foot in the door against huge competitors. It really isn’t a tremendous amount of investment or time on our part, but it pays huge dividends - both for the brand and our community.

 

I went to your website, and just knowing you are in Bozeman, and knowing the origin of the name of the Company - talk a little bit about why Montana is so important to your Company; and your location in Bozeman - I imagine you get a lot of inspiration there for what your Company does.

 

Basically the second day, or the first day that I moved to Bozeman I realized it was the best place in the world! We take a lot of inspiration from where we live, whether we are designing products or thinking about Oboz’ marketing and creative side.

 

Montana in general, but in particular Southwest Montana and the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, has really been a big influence upon product design, development, and product names. We have shoes named Yellowstone, Sawtooth, and Gallatin. So we really… we LOVE living here! Of course getting out and enjoying what Montana has to offer is definitely part of what Oboz is about.

 

Montana is an incredibly healthy place to live. We believe it is really ideal for a business because on the one hand it is small, so you are not part of the rat race and you have some distance between yourself and the big metropolitan areas. On the other hand, Bozeman airport has hourly flights to Denver, Salt Lake, Seattle, Minneapolis. So for Oboz, running a global business, we have access to the global market without any problem. And yet we get to live in Bozeman, Montana, which is such a beautiful and idyllic place.

 

Plus there is just a wealth of knowledge, and experience, and capabilities here that is just superb. We have used creative people here in town, as well as photographers, printers here in town. It is incredibly important to the brand. People really recognize this as one of the most remarkable places in the country, if not the world.

 

That’s great to hear. One last question. Tell us where we can find your products - what stores can then find them in?

 

Sure! Here in Bozeman, Schnee’s is one of our very best customers. Grizzly Outfitters in Big Sky, Sportsman & Ski Haus in Kalispell, Sylvan Peak in Red Lodge and REI, which is one of largest customers, has stores in Missoula and Bozeman, as well as across the country. And many outdoor- themed retail locations across country and globally carry Oboz.

 

Yes, well basically, if you walk into a high-end outdoor footwear store, you are going to find your product.

 

You should find Oboz, yes. Absolutely! We have about 175 dealers in North America, which represent over 300 actual stores. Our second-biggest customer is actually based in Christchurch, New Zealand. They have over a hundred stores in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. We also have distribution in Korea and South America and we are looking to expand our international distribution in the near future.