Wally Smith Quotes (5 Quotes)

In 1938, Lloyd Anderson and some of his climbing buddies here in the Northwest were hard-pressed to find ice axes that met their quality needs and would perform well for them in the field. And so, they pooled their money and sent off to Europe for a purchase of ice axes, and from that informal buying-club beginning sprang REI.

We have a sabbatical program, which is fairly unusual throughout industry, but I think really unusual in the retail business where people who have been with us for 15 years begin to take a month off, and then up to two months off with longevity to get out and enjoy time away from work.

It's because of our tax structure, mostly. Motorists in New York State are paying some of the highest taxes in the country on fuels.

The toughest thing is that, you know, we're a little bit lean on our marketing dollars, and we're pressed on our expense dollars across the board in order to run the business, so we've become a little bit of the world's best-kept secret.

We've got 5,500 of the best outdoor-oriented recreation folks and business people to be found in the United States. Top-notch people who have made there avocation their vocation.