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Cascade Designs 4000 1st Avenue South Seattle, WA 98134 U.S.A. www.cascadedesigns.com General Inquiries consumer@cascadedesigns.com (206) 505 9500 Military Affairs Kevin Gallagher Director, Military & Government Affairs (206) 676 6028 kevin.gallagher@cascadedesigns.com Government Sales Tim Davis Director, Government Sales (206) 676 6069 tim.davis@cascadedesigns.com
COMPANY PROFILE
Cascade Designs’ worldwide brands include: `` Therm-a-Rest the global leader in premium outdoor comfort `` Mountain Safety Research (MSR) the ultimate provider in high performance outdoor gear `` Platypus specialist in modular hydration solutions for optimum performance `` SealLine the outdoor leader in all-purpose, portable gear protection `` PackTowl superabsorbent towels designed for an active lifestyle `` Hummingbird lightweight luggage and gear for adventure travel `` Tracks lightweight walking staffs and trekking poles `` VARILITE innovative wheelchair seating and positioning products Each of our brands fills a well-defined market niche and holds a distinct place in the Cascade Designs family. With nearly 1,000 individual products across 12 categories, Cascade Designs has earned and maintained an outstanding reputation for innovation and quality. Cascade Designs is recognized as the technical and market leader in sleep pads, hydration systems, water treatment, lightweight camp stoves, cookware, dry bags, tents, and snowshoes. The company and its products have received over 140 awards from major retailers, design associations and the editors of leading trade publications around the world. Cascade Designs has also received awards from the Outdoor Industry Association of Non-Profit Organizations in recognition of its outstanding philanthropic efforts. Cascade Designs | 2
“Customer-Driven Innovation Since 1972”
MISSION
Cascade Designs began 40 years ago with the simple idea of providing a more comfortable night outdoors. From the original self-inflating camping mattress to the first multi-fuel stove, Cascade Designs has developed numerous products that deliver optimum performance in the outdoors through exceptional engineering and quality. Since then, we have grown to become the parent company of some of the most respected brands in the outdoor industry.
In our commitment to deliver exceptional service, Cascade Designs strives to provide the highest quality products, stand behind them with unrivaled support and to do all of it while adhering to a code of responsibility that considers our operation’s impact today, and for generations of outdoor enthusiasts to come. To achieve this goal, Cascade Designs will: `` Better understand customer needs through market research, product development and by being active users of our products `` Create and acquire innovative product designs which provide superior value `` Aggressively market and efficiently deliver quality products and services which exceed customer expectations by using proprietary technologies, materials and processes
VISION
Cascade Designs is dedicated to being a leading global, innovator of outdoor, recreational, travel and medical rehabilitation products which enhance the quality of our customers’ lives.
CORE VALUES
`` React quickly and forcefully when opportunities and adversities arise.
`` Quality – Products that perform as promised `` Innovation – Continually searching for new and better products, services and ways of working `` Service – A commitment to exceeding expectations in all interactions with our customers `` Responsibility – Tasking responsibility for our actions and their results `` Trust – Believing in others and acting in a manner that causes others to believe in us
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CORE COMPETENCIES
/ Product Development Services / Cascade Designs has the ability to provide its partners with a broad range of product development and commercialization expertise to rapidly introduce new technologies into the marketplace. The company has a specialized group of scientists and engineers who are experienced in the development of proof-of-concept breadboard devices, low-rate production prototypes for field testing, and full-scale commercial production. Our extensive in-house product development services have allowed Cascade Designs to develop innovative solutions for a wide range of customers that include outdoor enthusiasts, U.S. military personnel and the developing world.
`` CAD/CAM modeling using SolidWorks and ProEngineer with the in-house capability of fabricating 3-D conceptual models `` Complete tool shop (CNC lathes, mills, punch presses) for building prototypes, production tooling and assembly fixtures. `` Product evaluation laboratory for testing mechanical durability, impact resistance, UV exposure, full lifecycle behavior, and user interface issues. `` Microbiological facilities for performing viral and bacteriological testing according to relevant NSF, EPA and military water purification standards. `` Marketing department to create financial models/business case analyses to assess the viability of launching new technologies into different markets. `` Lean manufacturing department for developing strategies to reduce the overall system cost by reviewing component selections, identify cost drivers and investigate value engineering opportunities. `` Supply chain management personnel that can work with our large network of suppliers to obtain quotes on raw materials, source and validate alternate suppliers, and provide configuration control support.
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/ Domestic Manufacturing /
Although much of the world’s manufacturing has shifted from North America to Asia, Cascade Designs believes that manufacturing the majority of our gear in our U.S. facilities is an essential element in maintaining quality, and in doing so, we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations for service. U.S. operations are headquartered in a four building, 200,000 square foot complex located in the industrial district of Seattle, Washington. This facility presently manufactures approximately 80% of Cascade Designs products that are sold worldwide. European manufacturing, warehouse and administrative operations are located in Midleton, Cork County, Ireland. Lean manufacturing principles that are employed in these facilities allow us to minimize waste and re-appropriate materials whenever possible. Using local suppliers also allows us a level of scrutiny and on-the-spot problem solving that result in an unmatched assurance of quality. The company’s U.S. and Irish facilities collectively have a wide knowledge of numerous manufacturing disciplines and technologies: `` Sheet metal forming and fabrication `` Ceramics processing `` Thermoforming `` RF, impulse and ultrasonic welding `` Sewing `` Final product assembly Our domestic production of individual sustainment gear for the military is often supported by partnering with local organizations under the AbilityOne program such as the Seattle Lighthouse For the Blind and PROVAIL.
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PRODUCTS
/ Technology Development /
Cascade Designs has built a solid team of material scientists, chemical engineers, mechanical engineers and microbiologists that are well respected within the R&D community. Our strong in-house product development capacities make Cascade Designs highly adept at undertaking government and private industry sponsored R&D projects. With the aid of our manufacturing division, Cascade Designs’ involvement in government funded technology development efforts has led to the introduction of many new and innovative consumer products over the past decade. Water Treatment Systems `` Smart electro-chlorination systems
Combustion
`` Chemical disinfectants
`` Capillary force vaporization
`` Ozone generation
`` Flameless personal water heater
`` UV LED disinfection
`` High-efficiency cookware
`` UV photocatalytic reactor
`` Turbo-Brayton power generation
`` Hollow fiber filtration `` Novel sorbent media `` Forward osmosis `` Reverse osmosis `` Capacitive deionization `` Ion-exchange resins `` Membrane distillation `` Beverage chilling
`` Multi-fuel stoves
Individual Sustainment Gear `` Personal lowering device `` Microclimate cooling garments `` Soft body armor encapsulation `` Shock and vibration mitigation during patient transport `` Government Clients: `` Army Combat Feeding
Self-Inflating Mattress Technology `` Lightweight sleep systems
`` DARPA
`` Flat fold sleep pad
`` NASA
`` Non-invasive physiological monitor
`` National Science Foundation
`` Marine Corps System Command
`` Office of Naval Research `` U.S Army Natick RD&E Center `` Technical Systems Working Group Cascade Designs | 6
/ Military Individual Sustainment Gear /
Cascade Designs’ diverse range of products developed for the outdoor and recreational markets and its engineering-first, analytical approach, led to the creation of a separate military division. The military division is focused on improving the sustainment gear developed for the outdoor market so that it meets the unique performance requirements of the U.S. military. Direct sales of specialized individual sustainment gear over the past decade to the military include selfinflating sleep pads, water purifiers, dry bags, multi-fuel stoves and snowshoes. Troops in the battlefield often carry multiple items produced by Cascade Designs. The Air Force Battlefield Airman system contains 18 different Cascade Designs products while 11 different items are part of the SEAL’s Personal Environmental Protective and Survival Ensemble. The first product that Cascade Designs developed specifically for the U.S. military, the MSR MIOX Purifier, was awarded the “Grand Award Winner for General Innovation” for 2003 by Popular Science magazine.
Products fielded by the military: Sleep Pads
Sleep Pads
Stoves
Snowshoes
Dry Bags
Government Customers `` Marine Corps Systems Command `` Army PEO Soldier `` Army Combat Feeding `` United States Coast Guard `` Defense Logistics Agency `` U.S. Forest Service `` National Park Service `` Bureau of Land Management `` U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Water Purifiers
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/ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Products /
Cascade Designs has donated over several hundred thousand dollars of Therm-a-Rest sleeping pads, SealLine dry bags, Platypus water bottles and MSR water treatment systems to help victims of natural disasters where our gear has been shown to help save lives. It was our philanthropic efforts in Sri Lanka following the 2005 tsunami that inspired Cascade Designs to take a more active role in improving access to safe water. We realized from this experience, that to make a real social impact beyond just philanthropy, we should leverage our people and water treatment technologies to develop custom products for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenarios.
Government and Private Partners: `` Marine Corps Forces, Pacific
Cascade Designs is now using its water treatment expertise to produce inexpensive electro-chlorination and household water filtration systems for the developing world market where one billion people currently lack access to safe drinking water. Our low cost water treatment systems have already been successfully deployed in Africa, Asia and South America. These products have also been evaluated by different military agencies to purify water during disaster relief scenarios.
`` PATH
`` Naval Facilities `` Gates Foundation `` Lemelson Foundation `` Mercy Corps `` World Vision
CORE ADVANTAGES
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Strong Intellectual Property Portfolio Cascade Designs has been awarded 18 U.S. patents, with numerous patents still pending, that extensively cover its diverse range of product categories. Our intellectual property portfolio includes our self-inflating mattress technology, high performance stoves, individual water treatment products, collapsible water storage containers, medical positioning devices, and lightweight tent structures. Reputation as a Domestic Manufacturer of Quality Products The different brand names that cover Cascade Designs’ diverse range of products have received tremendous goodwill and have a reputation associated with superior products of exceptional quality. Our philosophy is to only manufacture and sell products that last using lean manufacturing principles but are nevertheless serviceable should they be damaged. We ensure quality in our manufacturing with extensive product testing—both in-house and through the feedback of our staff and professionals in the field. Furthermore, Cascade Designs has been recognized by the military as one of the leading systems integrator of individual sustainment gear. This reputation has largely been earned due to our proven track record over the past decade for commercializing innovative military funded technologies. Unparalleled Product Distribution and After-Sales Support Cascade Designs is recognized as an industry leader in the outdoor market for sales, marketing, and distribution. We have over 5,500 retailers in North America and distributors around the world. We maintain a knowledgeable staff of customer service representatives that provide support and administer a worldwide warranty and repair program that is second to none. The Military Division of Cascade Designs has its own dedicated sales with a separate product distribution network. Our military products are available through GSA and leading tactical retailers. Cascade Designs displays its complete line of military products at over 20 military conferences or trade shows including Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show, and Modern Day Marine. Furthermore, we have a product support team that routinely visits Army and Marine Corps bases to conduct training sessions on our products. Cascade Designs | 8