Empire Attire, a ski apparel and accessories company started by freeskier Simon Dumont in 2007, launched a crowd-sourcing campaign this week to raise $25,000 on indiegogo.com. The funds will be used to bring aspects of Empire's business operations back to the United States.
At the moment, Empire Attire outsources distribution, order fulfillment, printing, and packaging design and production to companies overseas. If the indiegogo campaign is successful -- Empire set a 30-day deadline to raise the money -- these aspects of the business will transition to a graphic and distribution company in Denver, Colo.
It's unlikely Empire will ever make gloves in America -- but then, not many glove companies do. "Unfortunately, it's almost economically impossible to manufacture ski gloves in the U.S. without tripling the price of the end product," said Otto Hanson, Empire's COO. "We found our consumers wouldn't pay that price, even for a Made in the U.S.A. sticker."
According to Hanson, the money raised through the crowd-sourcing campaign will be used to add personnel, training, new computer software, and infrastructure like racks and warehouse security, which are required to handle Empire's business. The change could create two jobs immediately and up to 10 in the long term.
"The beauty of it is that people get something out of it," Hanson says. Small donors receive Empire t-shirts, hoodies, and retail discounts. For individual donations in the $3,000 to $5,000 range, Empire will bring investors to Colorado for a spring training session with Dumont and Empire athlete Peter Olenick. The trip would include filming for an edit featuring the donor and Dumont.
Even with public support, doing business from the U.S. will cost Empire roughly 5 to 10 percent more per year. But, with election-year rhetoric focused on jobs and the economy, Empire was moved to commit to working from home. "We feel we have a responsibility to contribute to our country's growth and profit," said Hanson. "The possibility is there for a company to say, 'Hey, it might cost a smidgen more, but with crowd support we can find a way.'"
Hanson also hopes turning to the public for capital will create publicity for Empire Attire, inspire the freeskiing community, and create ownership among consumers. "If we went with private investors or private financing, the whole movement would be quiet," he said. "We thought the highest-impact way to do it would be to go the crowd-funding route. And it's the best way to raise money for business these days."
