Bedrock Sandals Chooses Missoula for its New Headquarters
The Missoula Economic Partnership announced this week that Bedrock Sandals has chosen Missoula as its new headquarters.
CEO of the MEP Grant Kier said Missoula was in the running along with many other similar locations in the Rocky Mountain west, but Missoula had the right combination of community, access to the outdoors and infrastructure that helped to bring the company to the Garden City.
“In the last year they’ve grown with some really big contracts and they’re looking for more growth in the company, and they wanted a place where they could explore how to develop products for the outdoor industry that spanned all four seasons,” said Kier. “They were looking for a new location with access to the great outdoors and we were really thrilled to work with them to make sure that Missoula was on their radar, and eventually it was clear to them that this was a great place to make a new home.”
The company is currently located in the San Francisco Bay area and was looking for a new home closer to the outdoors with a more affordable lifestyle and Missoula fit the bill perfectly.
Governor Steve Bullock released a statement welcoming Bedrock Sandals to Montana.
“I am thrilled to welcome the Bedrock Sandals team to Montana,” said Governor Steve Bullock. I continue to believe Montana is the perfect home for outdoor gear manufacturers to grow their business, test their products, and live in landscapes that inspire and challenge each day. Bedrock is a great example of a company that not only wants to succeed in business, but become part of a community that supports their products and their employees and families.”
Kier said there will be new job opportunities for Missoula workers when Bedrock settles in Missoula early next year.
“I think like so many employers in Missoula, understanding who they are and what they’ve done to build success, they’re going to be looking for people who have a broad set of skills and experiences, a passion for their product, love the outdoors, and clearly enjoy having a lot of fun doing their work,” he said. “I think it will be a place where a lot of people would be lucky and proud to work, and I am looking forward to helping them find good people out of our community to join them.”
Kier said Missoula is uniquely suited to help Bedrock Sandals when it comes to getting their products shipped all over the world, without having to be located near a metropolitan area.
“Honestly, that’s what has been so exciting about this partnership,” he said. “We have another home-grown company in Missoula called Big Sky Fulfillment, and they are able to do retail and commercial fulfillment out of Missoula by serving markets worldwide. They’ve been really successful and will be a really strong partner to Bedrock as they move forward, just as they are to other partners here in the manufacturing sector in Missoula.”
Through their environmental stewardship “1% for the Planet” program, Bedrock has already started giving back to Missoula-based organizations like Clark Fork Coalition and Adventure Cycling.