03/28/2024

This company bags San Francisco for Portland

San Francisco bag-maker Chrome Industries is the latest apparel company to move operations to Portland. The company said its headquarters will relocate there in early April.

The company also named Slate Olson president. He will start in mid-January.

“The move to Portland sets Chrome up for a brave new chapter,” Olson said, in a news release.

The company already has innovation and e-commerce divisions in Portland. It also operates a West End store.

Chrome’s durable messenger bags are popular with commuters. The company also sells a limited line of clothing and footwear.

Portland has become a hotbed of footwear and apparel companies thanks to the presence of stalwarts Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear and Keen. In recent years, numerous companies have set up Portland operations to capitalize on the city’s talented apparel workforce.

Chrome employs 70, including 21 at its San Francisco headquarters. Each of the employees at the company’s headquarters will get an “exploratory trip” to Portland to see if they’re interested in making the move, said spokesman Matt Sharkey, in an email.

View Article