[0]CEO Jake Nichol and Commissioner Sam at Leatherman Tools: It was love at first sight for Sam and Leatherman Tool's new gardening shearsSam visited Leatherman Tools' [1] recently renovated headquarters and manufacturing center in NE Portland to hear about what the famously innovative folks are up to. Sam got a chance to talk about his work with workforce development, support of Manufacturing 21 [2]and other ways the City of Portland is working to support our local economy.
Sam heard about athe company's adoption of "lean" -- efficiency -- techniques and toured the state-of-the-art facility. He also had a chance to hear about the company's commitment to the community. Leatherman has promised to keep its manufacturing in Portland - saying it's both the smart and the right thing to do. As part of the commitment, Leatherman focuses their outreach locally by sponsoring a local elementary school, and supporting Mercy Corps, the Mt. Hood chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and the Big Brother Big Sister program among other investments.