Columbia Sportswear on Wednesday announced part of its succession plan for longtime Chief Executive Officer Tim Boyle, one of the region’s most high-profile business leaders.

The outdoor apparel company named Peter Bragdon and Joseph Boyle co-presidents, effective immediately, signaling that one of the two is likely to become the company’s next top executive.

Columbia Sportswear is the second-largest company in Oregon’s signature athletic and outdoor industry, behind only Nike. It employs nearly 10,000 workers and had $3.4 billion in sales last year.

Tim Boyle, 76, became CEO in 1988. The company went public in 1998 and trades on the Nasdaq exchange, where it has a $2.8 billion market capitalization.

Boyle is active in the community, including through political donations , investing

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