Ownership and leadership
Filson remained under the control of the Filson family until 1970, when they sold their interest to a former distributor of Filson products to independent dealers in Alaska. Stan Kohls, a skiwear entrepreneur, purchased the company in 1981. Kohls expanded the product line from 35 items to 250 items, drawing from the company's archive or designing each new item himself. Kohls attempted to preserve the authenticity of the products by not using modern materials like Velcro.[4][8]
On January 1, 2005, Los Angeles, California-based private-equity group Brentwood Associates and former Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation executive Doug Williams acquired C.C. Filson, with Kohls maintaining a minority ownership interest and a seat on the board. Brentwood Associates and Williams renamed the company Filson Holdings and named Williams the Chief Executive Officer.[4][8][9] Williams hoped to expand the brand's sales by introducing casual wear and selling to new customers based on Filson's reputation for ruggedness and quality.[4] In 2006, Filson made Bill Kulczycki, a former Patagonia executive, CEO.[10] In 2010, Mark A. Korros became CEO.[11]
In 2012, Brentwood Associates sold Filson Holdings, Inc. to another Dallas-based private-equity firm, Bedrock Manufacturing Co., for an undisclosed amount.[12][13] Alan Kirk was appointed CEO of Filson in 2013. In June 2013, the company opened an extensive new manufacturing facility on 1st Avenue South in Seattle's SODO manufacturing district, more than doubling capacity and by year end, more than 100 new jobs were created in production. The company manufactured luggage, apparel and accessories in three company-owned locations in the USA.
Former CEO Steve Bock[14] left the company in early 2019, and was replaced by Rollen Jones. Following Jones' move in the following year to his current role as CFO and a brief interim return by Bock, former global strategist Paolo Corinaldesi of international retail group WP Lavori was appointed to the position, and was the standing CEO.[15][16] In January 2025, Bedrock recruited Tim Bantle from Eddie Bauer as President at Filson.[17]
Offshoring
Under Bedrock's leadership, Filson has reduced positions in its Seattle and Kent manufacturing facilities and shifted more production overseas.[18] In 2023, plans were announced to outsource most remaining Seattle production to a garment contractor in Los Angeles.[19] The percentage of products manufactured in the U.S. has been reduced from 90% in 2015 to 35% in 2025, according to Filson. Over the same period, the company's Seattle-area workforce has been reduced from 369 employees to under 100.[20]
