News: Cloudveil Profile

Talk about a gift that keeps on giving. When Stephen Sullivan received a pair of pants as a gift, he and friend Brian Cousins saw an entrepreneurial opportunity. Working at the same outdoor retail shop and sharing a passion for skiing and climbing, the friends banked on their belief that the pants' comfortable, lightweight Schoeller fabric would be the next big thing in active outdoor apparel. In 1997, they founded Cloudveil, purchasing the fabric from Schoeller Textile USA and starting a new category of stretch woven fabric known as "soft shell."

Cloudveil's location among the mountains surrounding Jackson, Wyoming presented some unique circumstances. Without many resources nearby, the company had to outsource distribution and pattern making. Cousins and Sullivan have no plans to relocate Cloudveil, however - product development couldn't get any better where lifts, trails and lakes are minutes away from the office. "We can have a sample out the door and tested the same day," Sullivan explains. "That's something the bigger companies just can't do."

With 2001 sales of $2.1 million, Cloudveil's current challenge is becoming a major player in an industry shared with giants like Columbia. But with the tag line "Live close to your dreams," Sullivan and Cousins dreams are already their reality.

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