The Founding Story of Foghorn Labs

Foghorn Labs was born in 2010 out of equal parts passion and necessity.

After seven years at Google, where I worked in ad sales and product development for some of the largest advertisers in the US and Latin America, I knew I wanted something different. My goal was to get closer to my personal passions, like skiing, cycling, camping, surfing, and travel, while working with people who shared a love for being outside and protecting wild places.

At the time, very few outdoor brands were selling direct-to-consumer online. I was living in San Francisco, and the type of digital marketing job I was looking for simply did not exist. So, I decided to create it.

Why "Foghorn"?

The name "Foghorn" came to me one night in my San Francisco apartment. We would often leave the windows open to let in the cool marine air, and at night, the low, steady sound of foghorns would resonate through the city.

At first, the sound was so omnipresent, it was difficult to ignore. But over time, it became a kind of soothing white noise, a constant presence in the background. I realized that to the captains of cargo ships navigating the treacherous waters of the Golden Gate, those foghorns were lifelines, a signal guiding them safely through uncertainty and poor visibility.

It became a powerful metaphor for the kind of work I wanted to do: help brands navigate the unknown waters of online marketing and eCommerce, quietly guiding them toward growth without seeking the spotlight ourselves.

Just like the foghorns, essential, reliable, but often unseen.

Building Foghorn

It turned out the outdoor industry was about a decade behind eCommerce leaders like Zappos, Nordstrom, and Williams Sonoma, brands I had worked with at Google. There was an enormous opportunity for outdoor brands to scale online if they had the right direction and partner.

Initially, I contacted small and medium-sized outdoor brands in the Bay Area. One partnership led to another. Demand quickly grew beyond what I could manage on my own.

In 2014, I relocated to Portland, a city more friendly to startups and outdoor businesses, and moved into a small office space built from converted railcars next to OMSI that we shared with Cascade Web Development and BrandLive. I hired the first team members, formalized our processes, and Foghorn Labs started to take shape.

The industry began to shift. When The North Face transitioned to a direct-to-consumer model, other brands reluctantly followed suit. We were there to help them, applying lessons learned from larger eCommerce players to brands ready to make the leap.

Today, the foghorn continues to symbolize our mission: to serve as a steady guide for outdoor and active lifestyle brands navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape.

And fifteen years later, that mission feels as relevant as ever.