Wild Tribute, an outdoor clothing company, has moved its headquarters from Kentucky to Salt Lake City.
The move was prompted by Salt Lake City’s lifestyle and recreation, its proximity to the company’s wholesale business, and “the open arms of local strategic partners as well as the embedded outdoors industry,” the company said in a news release.
Wild Tribute was founded in 2012 by Brian Stowers and Ben Kieffner and was known as Flow397 until January of this year. It primarily sells apparel that honors national parks and public lands. Four percent of proceeds are donated to nonprofit organizations that educate, preserve and protect wild and historic places.
“Our national parks and public lands are the fabric of our great country, representing not only heritage but pride,” Kieffner said. “These treasures face a continuous siege of threats and challenges that extend beyond the nonprofit sector and our government’s capacity. We like to think business is the most powerful man-made force on the planet. If harnessed with purpose and passion, why can’t business help plug the gaps in funding and education the parks so desperately need?”
The company plans to hire up to 10 employees as it ramps up Salt Lake City operations. Its products can be found online as well as at retail stores in Salt Lake City and around national parks and public lands nationwide.
“These places feed my soul,” Stowers said. “Our commitment to the amazing grassroots associations that support our public lands is unwavering. Beyond Wild Tribute’s 4 percent pledge, we leverage the brand to show Americans how fortunate we are to not only claim these magical lands as our own but also that they’re protected in the first place. Salt Lake City provides the perfect backdrop to deliver our message.”
“Wild Tribute is a great addition to the thriving outdoor products and recreation industry and we are thrilled to have them call Salt Lake City home,” said Mayor Jackie Biskupski.
Talks that led to the company’s relocation started during the most recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Show, when company officials were invited to a cocktail reception hosted by Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development, in partnership with Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah). Discussions continued and the city’s incentives and financing options were made available.
“We are excited to have an up-and-coming brand like Wild Tribute join the already established outdoor products industry in Utah,” said Theresa Foxley, president and chief executive officer of EDCUtah. “Their commitment to supporting our public lands while making great products will fit right in with our outdoor products community.”