Ogden gets equipped for outdoors

Amer Sports Winter and Outdoor Americas opened an outlet store in downtown Ogden on Saturday, Nov. 21. The store is in the AmeriCAN building at 2030 Lincoln Ave. and offers merchandise from global manufacturers.
Major brands include Salomon, Atomic, Suunto, Arc’Teryx, Mavic and Bonfire. Some of the first week’s proceeds will be used to benefit Weber State University.
“We offer technically advanced products that improve the performance of sport enthusiasts,” said Director of Human Resources Teresa Leavitt.
Amer Sports is a subsidiary of the Finland-based Amer Sports Corporation.
The factory opened its North American headquarters in Ogden in 2007. Leavitt said the company chose Ogden because of its high adventure outdoor community and because of the interest expressed by community members.
The outlet factory informally opened at the beginning of September, but Saturday, Nov. 21 marked its official grand opening. Discounts attracted shoppers throughout the day. During the grand opening Amer Sports partnered with Weber State University’s Wildcat club and donated 10 percent of the proceeds to student athletes.
Amer Sports is among a dozen outdoor companies that call the Ogden area home. However, employees of the factory outlet say they are unique.
“Amer Sports is a year-round, full-service supplier,” Leavitt said.
The outlet store provides equipment, technical apparel and footwear for a wide variety of athletic activities: winter and summer, indoor and outdoor, individual and team, women and men, and  adults and children.
“It’s exciting to see customers enter the store and hear them talk about how much they like the selection,” said Britt Zumwalt, a factory outlet associate.
Amer Sports is in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas — from Canada to South America. There are no outlets or retailers for Amer Sports in the United States except Ogden. Previously Suunto was in San Diego, Atomic was in was in Massachusetts and Salomon was in Portland, Oregon, but when they consolidated they moved all of the U.S. operations to Ogden.
“It’s a great satisfaction I get from seeing the community excited about the factory outlet store,”Leavit said. Among others, the store features Salomon footwear, clothing, helmets and accessories; Atomic bags; Mavic cycling shoes and apparel; Suunto wristop computers; Bonfire winter apparel and accessories; and Arc’teryx technical outerwear. The factory outlet is open Thursdays noon to 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.