Washington Business Winter 2019 | Washington Business | Page 27

what’s working
The Global Impact of Cascade Designs
Family-owned Cascade Designs has upended the outdoor
equipment industry and improved global health.
Andrew Lenderman
Cascade Designs, Inc., has created many innovative outdoor products to improve backcountry safety and
make outdoor recreation more enjoyable. This private, family-owned manufacturer employs hundreds and has
invested steadily in downtown Seattle. Now, the company is applying its same innovations in outdoor equipment
to expanding access to clean water and improving global health in developing countries around the world.
At A Glance
Cascade Designs, Inc., includes five
outdoor equipment brands that
created the Therm-a-Rest sleeping
pad, stronger ice axes for mountain
climbers, water filters for soldiers
on the move, and more.
The MSR Community Chlorine
Maker is being deployed in
developing nations around
the world.
The company builds strong stoves
so mountain climbers can melt
snow and stay hydrated at high
elevations.
Don’t blink, or you’ll miss the turn to one of the world’s more innovative companies.
Cascade Designs is located in the heart of Seattle’s Industrial District in an
average-looking office park.
But once inside, it’s clear that the accomplishments of this private, family-owned
outdoor equipment company are significant and ongoing.
First, the designers and engineers with Cascade revolutionized the outdoor
industry through a long list of creative products: Stronger ice axes. Nearly
unbreakable stoves. Water filters that screen for bacteria, and viruses. Safer climbing
helmets, better headlamps, the Platypus hydration system, and the Therm-a-Rest,
which was the world’s first self-inflating sleeping pad.
“For half a century, our brands have used their technical ingenuity and
manufacturing expertise to develop hundreds of groundbreaking innovations that
advance the way people experience the outdoors worldwide,” said Patrick Diller of
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