His company, Columbia Sportswear, had long relied on plants in Asia to make its clothing, but that appeared increasingly precarious.
A trade war undermined the benefits of using Chinese factories to keep Americans stocked with windbreakers and fleece pullovers.
As Columbia’s head of apparel manufacturing, Mr. Burton, 52, was responsible for diminishing the risks.
He visited Zuntex Apparel, a factory in Guatemala City that was already making modest quantities of Columbia’s hooded sweatshirts and button-down fishing shirts.
When Mr. Burton reached the back of the cavernous plant, he gawked at an array of Italian-made machines capable of printing elaborate designs that could be pressed onto clothing.
Persons:
Stan Burton, Burton
Organizations:
Apparel
Locations:
Guatemalan, Columbia, Asia, Central America, United States, Guatemala City