Osprey expanding headquarters

Outdoors company planning 14 additional jobs in Cortez

Osprey Packs announced Feb. 10 its plans to expand the company’s headquarters in Cortez, a move that will create 14 new jobs.

The expanded corporate headquarters, slated to open in the second half of 2015, will offer “a creative work environment for Osprey Team members and allow for continued company growth,” according to a company press release.

Fourteen positions will be added to Osprey’s Cortez headquarters including increases to the sales, marketing, quality and returns and IT departments, the company said in a news release.

“This is an exciting time for Osprey,” said Tom Barney, CEO of Osprey Packs. “We just concluded our 40th anniversary year, where we enjoyed double-digit sales growth and started several important initiatives, including expanding to our new distribution facility in Ogden and a further commitment to Cortez as our world headquarters.

Barney said 2015 “will surely be a year of opportunity and growth for the brand. Opening a new Distribution Center allows us to better serve our customers but our primary home remains in Southwest Colorado around our Cortez main offices.”

Osprey said its decision to locate a distribution center in Ogden was a strategic one. The change positions Osprey’s domestic fulfillment near the national rail network, allowing it to better fulfill shipments to the brand’s retailer base and significantly reduce its carbon footprint. It also places distribution in a transportation hub while focusing most other company functions in Colorado. The company currently receives and distributes by overland truck.

This change also addresses the office space constraints Osprey has faced in recent years, which required the company to patch together several smaller facilities.

Osprey’s enhanced headquarters in Cortez streamlines the organization with headquarters in one facility in Colorado and a single distribution center in Utah, the company said.

The new Ogden distribution center is set to open mid-April with a staff of 23.