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Spyder History
 To explain our company's history, we have to begin with the man who started it all. David Jacobs, Spyder's founder and CEO, has been the brand driver, product visionary, and cultural leader throughout our history. David was born in Montreal, Canada, and began skiing at age 13. At 21, he won the prestigious Quebec Kandahar, and from 1957 through 1961 was a member of the Canadian National Ski Team. In 1957 he captured the title of Canadian Downhill Ski Champion, and was the top-ranked member of the Canadian FIS Team the following season. As the first full-time head coach and program administrator for the Canadian National Ski Team from 1964-1966, David continued his contribution to the sport at the national level. Having this perspective of a world-class athlete, David understands that athletes depend on quality equipment to give a competitive edge.
In 1978, while David's sons were in the ski race circuit, he noted that there was only one brand of race sweaters available. He knew he could make a better product and sell it to the close-knit race community. This business, named David L Jacobs, Incorporated, began as a small mail order business in his kitchen "for racing, by racers."
After the successful introduction of race sweaters, David added ski pants to the catalog offering. One of David's early creations was a navy blue racing pant with yellow striped pads extending from the knee to the hip. His son Billy mentioned that skiers were calling them "spider" pants, due to their spider leg-like appearance. David recognized this as an opportunity to have a powerful, lasting name and logo associated with his products, and renamed the company. A passionate sports car fan, he borrowed the spelling with a "y" from the Ferrari Spyder. The new black widow logo was splashed across Spyder's early mail order catalogs, which included race pants, padded sweaters, Vuarnet sunglasses, bent downhill poles and other racing accessories. For two years, Spyder operated out of David's kitchen. At the end of two years, sales were in the six figures and his kitchen was too crowded.
With an expanded product offering and loyal consumer following, Spyder's growth exploded over the past 10 years, and the company is now the largest ski-specialty brand in the world. In 2004, Apax Partners, a global investment group, acquired Spyder. The partnership allows Spyder to continue to expand its product line and build on the brand's momentum. David continues to direct the company as CEO. Jake, his eldest son who penned our trademark spiderwebs, took the reigns as President and COO in 2005, and is leading us to into the future.
Currently, the company sells products in the United States and Canada to over 550 high-quality specialty retailers. Spyder is sold outside North America into 50 countries through its Spyder-Europe office and through independent distributors around the globe. Spyder's vision remains focused on performance, fashion, and function. Our passion for our product is matched by our love for sport. We dedicate our past and our future to creating the ultimate performance experience for you, the athlete.
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