K2 Inc. reaches new heights
By Jessica Mikasa and Andrea Korogi
As a direct result of their rapid growth and success, sporting goods giant K2 Inc. recently relocated their corporate headquarters from Palomar Airport Road to a brand new, custom designed office located on El Camino Real in Carlsbad.
Last month, community leaders from the City of Carlsbad, Camp Pendleton and local North County businesses welcomed K2 Inc. to their new corporate headquarters with one of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's bi-annual "Evening With" events. Guests were invited to wander through the playfully high-tech building, where they were encouraged to play with and "test" several of the company's recreational products. K2 Inc. revealed more of its recreational side when they led guests to their sports bar that was designed after the bar on the television series "Cheers," complete with leather couches, flat-panel-televisions, bar taps and beer nuts.
The new, 76,000-square-foot building, includes a natural stone lobby, an employee gym with showers and a bridge connecting two halves of the second floor over the lobby. The building, designed by HG Fenton, is only at a 50,000-square-foot build out, leaving K2 plenty of room to expand.
Ever since the Kirschner family invented the first pair of fiberglass skis in 1946, K2 Inc. has been dedicated to celebrating the human passion for sports and adventure. With approximately $1.2 billion in annual sales in 2004, a portfolio of more than 35 leading brands sold in more than 100 countries, nearly 5,000 employees and a tenacity as profound as the mountain for which they were named, K2 Inc. continues prove that they truly are at the top of their game. The company is named after the second highest peak in the world. At 28,250 feet, K2 is perched atop a giant glacial field in the Karakoram Range on the Pakistani-Chinese border, and is often referred to as the most difficult and dangerous of all mountains. A 35-foot photo of the photo dwarfs visitors as they enter the new lobby.
K2 Inc., a public company (NYSE: KTO) has predominantly been known for their skis (they are ranked No. 1 in North America with their K2 and Olin brands), skateboards and bikes. However, since CEO Dick Heckmann signed on with the company in 2002, K2 Inc. has grown. In the last two years alone, they have acquired 17 sports manufacturing companies. The acquisition of Rawlings earlier this year added yet another branch to a family tree that includes brands such as Adio Footwear, Hawk Shoes, WGP Paintball, Stearns, Marmot Mountain Gear, Shakespeare Fishing, Shakespeare Electronic Products, and deBeer Lacrosse.
K2 also manufactures industrial products such as marine radio antennas and monofilament lines used for fishing and weed-wacking. K2 products are sold worldwide, with Wal-Mart accounting for about 10 percent of sales.
By Jessica Mikasa and Andrea Korogi
As a direct result of their rapid growth and success, sporting goods giant K2 Inc. recently relocated their corporate headquarters from Palomar Airport Road to a brand new, custom designed office located on El Camino Real in Carlsbad.
Last month, community leaders from the City of Carlsbad, Camp Pendleton and local North County businesses welcomed K2 Inc. to their new corporate headquarters with one of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's bi-annual "Evening With" events. Guests were invited to wander through the playfully high-tech building, where they were encouraged to play with and "test" several of the company's recreational products. K2 Inc. revealed more of its recreational side when they led guests to their sports bar that was designed after the bar on the television series "Cheers," complete with leather couches, flat-panel-televisions, bar taps and beer nuts.
The new, 76,000-square-foot building, includes a natural stone lobby, an employee gym with showers and a bridge connecting two halves of the second floor over the lobby. The building, designed by HG Fenton, is only at a 50,000-square-foot build out, leaving K2 plenty of room to expand.
Ever since the Kirschner family invented the first pair of fiberglass skis in 1946, K2 Inc. has been dedicated to celebrating the human passion for sports and adventure. With approximately $1.2 billion in annual sales in 2004, a portfolio of more than 35 leading brands sold in more than 100 countries, nearly 5,000 employees and a tenacity as profound as the mountain for which they were named, K2 Inc. continues prove that they truly are at the top of their game. The company is named after the second highest peak in the world. At 28,250 feet, K2 is perched atop a giant glacial field in the Karakoram Range on the Pakistani-Chinese border, and is often referred to as the most difficult and dangerous of all mountains. A 35-foot photo of the photo dwarfs visitors as they enter the new lobby.
K2 Inc., a public company (NYSE: KTO) has predominantly been known for their skis (they are ranked No. 1 in North America with their K2 and Olin brands), skateboards and bikes. However, since CEO Dick Heckmann signed on with the company in 2002, K2 Inc. has grown. In the last two years alone, they have acquired 17 sports manufacturing companies. The acquisition of Rawlings earlier this year added yet another branch to a family tree that includes brands such as Adio Footwear, Hawk Shoes, WGP Paintball, Stearns, Marmot Mountain Gear, Shakespeare Fishing, Shakespeare Electronic Products, and deBeer Lacrosse.
K2 also manufactures industrial products such as marine radio antennas and monofilament lines used for fishing and weed-wacking. K2 products are sold worldwide, with Wal-Mart accounting for about 10 percent of sales.