PORTLAND — For the first time in its 104-year history, Pendleton Woolen Mills has installed three nonfamily members to its board of directors. The Portland-based, family-owned clothing and textile company operates a mill in Washougal.
New members are Pendleton CEO Mark Korros; Stephen Babson, managing director of Endeavour Capital; and Steven Wynne, a Portland-based business adviser. Pendleton said the move strengthens the board’s financial position and broadens its range of executive experience as the company continues to build its brand worldwide.
The company dates to 1863, when English weaver Thomas Kay began producing woolen products in Pendleton, Ore. In 1876, Kay’s daughter Fannie married haberdasher C.P. Bishop, combining the company’s wool manufacturing with specialty retailing.
