Dakine to close Oregon office, move HQ due to pandemic

HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) — Outdoor gear maker Dakine is closing its Hood River office and laying off 39 employees, officials said

“The current health crisis, and the corresponding Oregon stay at home order were unforeseen business circumstances, and have made it financially unfeasible for the company to continue operating,” Dakine human resources director Raeanne Norberg wrote in a letter to state workforce officials.

Neither Norberg nor the company immediately returned calls seeking comment, but Dakine sent a letter to the website Shop-Eat-Surf outlining its plans, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

“We will be transitioning operations and a number of employees to our (new) global headquarters in Southern California,” the company wrote.

Founded in Hawaii in 1979, Dakine moved to Hood River in 1986, where it became one of the state’s signature brands for outdoor gear selling backpacks, luggage, ski and snowboarding gear.

Dakine sold to Billabong in 2008 and later spun out from that company to private investment firms.

The coronavirus pandemic has trounced Oregon’s outdoors industry, preventing people from engaging in many activities in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Oregon shed over 360,000 jobs in the first six weeks of the crisis. A growing number of well-known businesses closing permanently.