Pearl Izumi
 | |
| Founded | 1950 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Louisville, CO, USA |
Key people | Mike O'Connor, CEO |
| Products | Cycling, running and triathlon apparel and footwear |
| Website | www.pearlizumi.com |
Pearl Izumi is a company that produces sports apparel, primarily focusing on cycling. Pearl Izumi also has products in other sports including cross-country skiing, triathlon, duathlon, and running.[1]
With origins in Tokyo, Japan over 50 years ago, it began to be seen in the U.S. around 1981.
It has sponsored many cycling teams, including the 1984 USA Olympic team.
Pearl Izumi was purchased by Shimano for $70M in 2008.[2]
DASH America (trading as Pearl Izumi USA) was founded by Stan Mavis, & Hugh Walton who purchased the trademark from Dave Jacobs (founder of Spyder, and the original distributor of Pearl Izumi in the USA) and traveled to Japan to meet with the Shimano family and were given the legal rights from the parent company to do business as Pearl Izumi in the US. After several years of successful growth Mavis and Walton were given the rights to distribute the product everywhere in the world except Asia. Pearl Izumi USA, Inc. is a subsidiary of Shimano America, Inc.[3]
The name Pearl Izumi is derived from the gem "pearl" and an area of Japan known for its clear water "Izumi." Literally translated, the name means, "fountain of pearls."
References
- ↑ "Pearl Izumi History". Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "Pearl Izumi Sale Closes".
- ↑ "Shimano Corporate Fact Sheet". Retrieved 2012-06-21.