NEWS RELEASES
First Indoor Rock Climbing Gym Hits 30 Years In Business
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved through Vertical World.
SEATTLE, Wash. -- Vertical World reports on its 30th year anniversary, marking three decades since the first indoor climbing gym in America opened. In a rundown warehouse in Seattle, two ordinary climbers made history when they decided to glue some chunks of rock onto sheets of plywood. With not much more than a vague concept and a shoestring budget, Richard Johnston and Dan Cauthorn laid the foundation for what is now the indoor climbing gym industry.
According to the press release, co-founder Rich Johnston relays: "When we launched in the fall of 1987, it was just Dan Cauthorn and myself running the business. Today we have over 80 employees, with another 15 coming on line with our new gym in Lynnwood, Washington, this summer." Current locations include Seattle and Redmond. As The Outdoor Industry Association reports, the outdoor industry is now a burgeoning $887 billion industry that supports 7.6 million American jobs, and generates $65.3 billion in federal tax revenue and $59.2 billion in state and local tax revenue each year. "We are not a day care, or amusement park set up. We teach kids the risks and responsibilities of climbing," Rich says. "We educate youth on the importance of how they interface with the environment."
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