5.11 Tactical
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Apparel |
| Founded | Modesto, California, U.S. (2003)[1] |
| Founder | Dan Costa[1] |
| Headquarters | Costa Mesa, California |
Key people | Tom Davin, CEO |
| Products | Uniforms, tactical clothing, tactical gear, knives |
| Revenue |
 US$95 million (2007)[1] |
Number of employees | 170 (2007)[1] |
| Parent | Compass Diversified Holdings |
| Website |
www |
5.11 Tactical is a United States brand of clothing consisting of uniforms and tactical equipment for military, law enforcement and public safety personnel. The company is based in Modesto, California.
History
5.11 Tactical started as a clothing line created by mountain climber Royal Robbins. Upon reaching the top of a climb in Yosemite California, he noticed that the trousers that he was wearing were not suited to climbing. Robbins decided that he needed to design something more durable and with better functionality. He owned a boot and clothing company and began manufacturing pants by the name of "5.11" that had a trademarked tactical strap and slash pocket design in 1968.[1][2][3]
The name “5.11” comes from the highest rock climbing difficulty level that was listed in the Yosemite Decimal System at Yosemite National Park, which was developed by Robbins in the 1950s.[4] The difficulty level is somewhat jokingly defined as, “After thorough inspection, you conclude this move is obviously impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it".[5]
Robbins sold a 51% stake in his company to Dan Costa in 1999,[6] who, after a lot of streamlining, noticed that the 5.11 Tactical pants were becoming popular at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.[1]
Costa bought the entire company in 2002 and ended up selling Royal Robbins Clothing back to Robbins in 2003, but kept the 5.11 Tactical brand and spun off a whole new company called 511 Inc or 5.11 Tactical. Partnering with the FBI, Dan Costa and the newly formed 5.11 Tactical, began creating additional tactical apparel and improving on the existing line. In 2006 5.11 Tactical was ranked No. 211 on Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest- growing companies in the nation.[1]
TA Associates, a Boston private equity firm, bought a majority stake in 5.11 Tactical for $305 million in 2007.[7]
In 2012, 5.11 Tactical purchased Seattle-based outdoor apparel manufacture Beyond Clothing LLC for an undisclosed amount.[8] An April Fool's joke that same year resulted in production of the Tactical Duty Kilt contemporary kilt.[9]
Products
5.11 Tactical makes clothing, gloves, boots, holsters, knives, slings and packs for law enforcement use, but is popular with civilian shooters and private military contractors.
Actress Jennifer Garner and her co-stars wore 5.11 watches in the 2007 film The Kingdom.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 van der Meer, Ben (2007). "A tactical decision by Costa leads to sale of company He sells majority ownership of booming 5.11 uniform company, buys back 20%". Modesto Bee. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ↑ McGowan, Elizabeth (1985). "Royal Robbins". Backpacker. Active Interest Media, Inc. 13 (3): 17–18. ISSN 0277-867X.
- ↑ Woodward, Bob (1985). "Short Cuts". Backpacker. Active Interest Media, Inc. 13 (3): 38–39. ISSN 0277-867X.
- ↑ Graf, Mike (20 March 2012). Yosemite National Park: Harrowing Ascent of Half Dome. FalconGuides. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7627-8409-7.
- ↑ Graydon, Don (1992). Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books. ISBN 0898862019.
- ↑ Gitman, Lawrence J.; McDaniel, Carl (2008). The Future of Business: The Essentials. Cengage Learning. p. 187. ISBN 0-324-59075-X.
- ↑ van der Meer, Ben (2007). "Costa's Six". Modesto Bee. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ↑ Hamanaka, Kari. "5.11 Tactical Acquires Performance Clothing Company". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
- ↑ "Tactical Duty Kilt Is Back". PRNewswire.
Coordinates: 37°42.1′N 121°0′W / 37.7017°N 121.000°W