Bozeman is
still Bozeman.

I was born in Bozeman and have spent my life watching this town and this valley change. There’s a lot I appreciate about the Bozeman I grew up with, and a lot I appreciate about what Bozeman is becoming.

People love Bozeman for different reasons. Some were born here, some found their way here, and some came for a weekend and never quite got over it. The town changes and the valley changes, but there is still something about this place that is unmistakably Bozeman.

Bozeman Hat Company started with a simple idea: start with a great hat. Not just a hat with Bozeman on it, but one that fits right, feels good, gets worn in and becomes the one you reach for without thinking. If we are going to put Bozeman’s name on something, the hat should be worthy of it.

But I also want this company to be about more than hats. Bozeman has no shortage of talented people, including artists, photographers, writers and designers. Some are students just getting started, while others have been doing great work here for years. I want those people to be part of what Bozeman Hat Company becomes, and that means looking close to home when we need a photograph, an illustration, a design or a new idea.

If we are going to build a company around the Bozeman name, I also think we have a responsibility to put something back. That might mean supporting a local organization, showing up for an event, creating opportunities, helping someone doing good work get noticed or simply being there when being there matters.

I don’t want community involvement to become a marketing campaign. I want it to become part of how we do business.

I don’t know exactly what all of that will look like yet, and I’m okay with that. We’re still building it. What I do know is that none of the bigger ideas matter if the hat isn’t good.

Start with a great hat. Keep getting better. Build the rest from there.