Tim Boyle, who gained notoriety after being strapped to the roof of an off-roading SUV in Columbia Sportswear’s TV commercials, will be honored today by the University’s Lundquist School of Business during the school’s Visionaries Awards Luncheon in Portland.
Boyle, president and chief executive officer of Columbia Sportswear, attended the University in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
In 1970, Boyle’s father died, leaving Columbia Sportswear to his mother, Gert Boyle. She enlisted his help and Boyle had to leave the University, though he needed only one credit to graduate. He returned to the school in 1992 to earn his degree.
“I am honored to receive this prestigious award,” he said.
Boyle’s award, “Trendsetter of the Year,” is the highlight of the luncheon at the Benson Hotel. Carolyn Chambers, chairman and chief executive officer of Chambers Communications Corp., will receive the “Alumni Trailblazer Award,” and Bruce Fabbri, co-founder of Sitewise Marketing Inc., will receive the “Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.”
Fabbri graduated in 1997, and in the four years since he has created an online search engine that serves Fortune 500 Businesses and Global 1000 companies.
Chris Murray, associate dean for the Lundquist School, said the awards can help students gain an understanding of the business world.
“This event allows us to honor the type of people we want our students to emulate,” he said.
He said there are no requirements for applicants to be accepted, but a committee meets to decide “who have set the bar and made great contributions” in the community.
Raymond King, associate dean of the school, said the awards are intended to keep the school active in the business community.
“It’s important to our students and business community that we gain ties and let them know we are active,” he said.
He added that the awards also allow for students to make connections with professionals.
Philip Romero, dean of the business school, said the recipients were chosen because they began their companies from scratch and have made them large successes.
“They were chosen because they have taken relatively small regional companies and turned them into national powerhouses,” he said. “They show exceptional vision and tenacity.”
Murray said Chambers, who owns KEZI-TV in Eugene, has built a production facility that is unrivaled in the Pacific Northwest.
“She is very savvy in the way she runs her business,” he said.
Chambers graduated from the business school in 1953 with a degree in accounting, and seven years later she launched KEZI. She later started Liberty Communications, where she served as executive vice president and treasurer until 1983, when the company was purchased by Tele-Communications Inc.
“Carolyn has been very active in the community and with us,” Murray said.