Longtime Steamboat resident takes helm at Hala Gear as Steamboat-based company paddles into fresh waters

John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today
Paddleboard manufacturer Hala Gear has changed hands, but will remain based in Steamboat Springs after being purchased by 2010 Steamboat Springs High School graduate Colleen King.
“I love the Hala brand, and I think that Peter and all of us that have worked for him worked really hard to build a great brand,” King said. “When it looked like Hala was maybe not going to carry on, I thought it is too good not to.”
King purchased the Hala assets, digital assets, trademarks and patents from former business owner Peter Hall on May 28. She then took the assets and created her own limited liability company. The Hala Gear Store at 910 Yampa St. closed this spring, and now Hala operates through its website at HalaGear.com.
“Everything is still pretty much the same. We’ve still got great customer service and we are always around to talk,” King said. “We still have this five-year warranty, and we’ve always had it online, and we have our certified repair store. It does seem scary when people see that the store went under, but the reach of Hala is a lot larger than, I think, people in Steamboat recognize. We’re just having to huddle down, regroup and figure out what’s next.”
She said Hala has always shipped paddleboards from Denver because it is more economical and environmentally friendly than shipping them to and from Steamboat.
Hala has 15 inflatable stand-up paddleboards in its lineup including the river, tour ex, all-water and surf series. The website also has accessories, spare parts and apparel, as well as the ability to get equipment repaired.
“I would still consider it a local company, but I think it’s hard to do business with a brick-and-mortar store here,” King said. “You face the small town issues like paying people, rent and the seasonality of the business. But we’re still here.”
Keeping the company based out of Steamboat wasn’t a certainty after Hall ran into financial issues in the wake of the pandemic that forced him to sell the business, which he founded in Steamboat Springs in 2000.
“Since I started the business with very little cash and built it on debt, it was very important that everything had to keep working at a high level,” Hall said. “The second we had disruptions starting in 2020 and the COVID whiplash, it made it difficult to keep up.”
As the pandemic eased, the outdoor industry saw oversupply everywhere.
“(Distributors) didn’t just cancel orders for Hala, but they canceled orders for every vendor, every manufacturer,” Hall said. “REI was like, ‘Our distribution centers are literally full. We have trucks stuck outside, and there’s nowhere to put anything.’ The fallout was real across the outdoor industry with the whiplash of the coronavirus peak in demand and then the demand falling out when everyone was just finishing producing all the backorders that no one then wanted.”
Hall was hit hard by the dip in demand for recreational equipment that followed the pandemic. Hall also owned Colorado Kayak Supply, an online retailer that carried the Hala brand, before selling it to Jon Kahn, who owns and operates Confluence Kayak and Ski.
King, a longtime employee of Hala, saw an opportunity to acquire the Hala business after another investor walked away from the deal. King was able to get a loan from the Small Business Administration that allowed her to make the purchase, and this spring she closed the deal.
On Wednesday, Hall and King were busy working on the 2025 line, and she expects Hall will stay onboard as the business heads toward new waters.
“You can’t have Hala without Peter,” King said. “When I was looking at the deal, before I had to sign a contract, I asked him, ‘If I do this, will you come with me?'”
It’s easy to see the situation has been hard on Hall, but the former owner said he is grateful to the community that supported him and happy King is the one to carry on the tradition.
“I want to thank to the community for all the local support over the years,” Hall said. “It’s been awesome growing a business in this town with all the local support, and Colleen will carry it on into the future. Even if we’re mostly online, the brand will still be there and we will be here to help people out with what they need.”
King, whose mother and father both owns businesses in Steamboat Springs, is looking to make her mark with Hala Gear.
“I’m really honored and excited to carry on the Hala Gear name and to do my best with it,” King said. “I’ve loved not just the brand that Peter has created, but the whole culture and the work culture — it’s been such a great brand to work for. There’s been a legacy of people that have worked here, and I stay in touch with the majority of them. They’re just awesome people that have helped build the brand, so it’s intimidating and a little bit scary — but I’m excited.”
John F. Russell is the business reporter at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach him, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.

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