Outdoor industry

Over the past few years, Portland State has looked to capitalize on its urban location and global roots by adding certificate programs in fields such as beer brewing and mobile app development.

This fall, the university will introduce a new certificate program in the athletic and outdoor industry that will focus heavily on retail, marketing and sales.

The program, which will be housed in PSU’s Center for Retail Leadership, will follow a 20-credit-hour map, giving students the opportunity to learn from leaders in local companies such as Nike, Columbia Sportswear and more.

“One of the advantages we have here at Portland State is a well-established relationship with the business community,” said Lauren Beitelspacher, a PSU professor and the director of the program. “Students like hearing from those in the real world rather than being stuck in textbooks.”

Like similar programs recently introduced by the School of Business Administration at Portland State, the athletic and outdoor industry certificate was designed in part to adapt to growing changes in the Portland business economy. According to a study by the Portland Development Commission, more than 800 athletic and outdoor industry firms employ more than 14,000 workers throughout the state of Oregon, at an average annual salary of $80,000.

In a press release, Tom Gillpatrick, the executive director of the Center for Retail Leadership at PSU, referred to this change in Oregon’s economy and what it means going forward.

“We created this new certificate program because the athletic and outdoor sector is a key part of our regional economy. This whole sector is vibrant and growing; we see a great opportunity for industry careers for our students,” Gillpatrick said.

While the program itself doesn’t officially roll out until fall 2013, the SBA previously opened a few classes in 2011 and 2012 in an attempt to gauge student reaction and to define the nature of the curriculum for the program.

It proved to be a hit, and the success of these classes didn’t just speak to the health of the program but also made a lasting impression on visiting professors and industry executives visiting to lecture.

“The reaction seems pretty good,” Beitelspacher said. “Speakers…have been very impressed with our students so far.”

The program will focus on manufacturing and marketing, including analyzing products and release strategies by real-world companies in an attempt to, as Beitelspacher put it, “understand how products go from ideas to finished products.”

So while the SBA is eager to roll out the program, it seems clear that it is by no means a blanket program for the entire athletic industry. Initial projections aim to see 20 to 25 students enrolled in the program this fall, and the SBA hopes to see 100 program graduates within the next five years.

“Obviously we expect to see business students, maybe some [postbaccalaureate students]. But what we would really like to see is hardworking, motivated students interested in the outdoor and athletic industry,” Beitelspacher said.

Registration for the program will open in May, and interested students can visit the program’s website at pdx.edu/sba/athletic-outdoor or email Beitelspacher at [email protected].