As my interview began with the President of Filson, Tim Bantle sat in the global headquarters in Seattle – the American heritage brand founded during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897.

Over a century ago, Clinton C. Filson would equip gold-seeking prospectors with apparel to survive one of the harshest environments on earth. Operating his own mill, C.C. Filson manufactured Mackinaw woolens, coats, blankets, and knit goods that the company still produces today.

Our conversation started at the beginning. Tim grew up as the second of six children, coined “the Bantle bunch” as there were three boys and three girls. His mother stayed home to lead the household while his father was an optician who owned a retail store.

His father had sage business advice that Tim would reflect on to this day. “He told me when I was a teenager,” he recalled, “Focus on selling things people want, not things they need. People will pay a lot of money for things they want, and they want to pay the least amount possible for the things they need.”

His father was selling eyewear, a necessity for most. That nugget of insight would guide Tim through years in the outdoor industry, where passion purchases reign supreme.

Tim studied philosophy and literature in college which led him to believe he’d be a professor. However, he began working in a gear shop in college and never looked back as the rest of his future was in the outdoor industry.

His father, observing his children’s unconventional career choices, eventually developed his own sarcastic advice for parents. “You should just study philosophy.” The self-deprecating humor came from watching his art school daughter become a Fortune 50 CMO and his philosophy major son become an accomplished outdoor industry executive.

The chapter of Tim’s career at Patagonia was an inflection point. It’s where he met his wife, fell in love, and had their first child – a son with special needs. What appeared to be a career-ending crisis had a silver lining because it led to opportunity. When his wife left her career to care for their son, Tim was free to explore opportunities wherever they may have led him and his family: California, Utah, Europe, Canada.

“The thing that was a big crisis for our family was also the origin of opportunity,” he reflected, “because we weren’t saying, ‘What can we do to stay put forever?’ It was, ‘What can we do to support the family?’”

Tim helped orchestrate one of the biggest transformations in the history of outdoor retail during his time at Patagonia. In the beginning of his tenure, the company’s product portfolio was disconnected. Founder, Yvon Chouinard, was losing faith in the outdoor market.

“I can remember going to my first board meeting and saying, ‘No Yvon, I think you’ve got a $200 million business here that could be like a $2 billion business. All we have to do is show up with product people want,” Tim stated.

He recalled Yvon’s skepticism, mentioning that it would be really difficult to take market share from others.

Through a lot of hard work the plans materialized. Under Tim’s product leadership, they created innovations like the Down Sweater and the Nono Puff – products that became what he calls “annuities for the brand,” foundational revenue drivers that enabled investments in other areas.

The design of the Nano Puff was a great illustration of Tim’s approach to innovation. The team’s original focus was to reinvent fleece when their designer had a breakthrough about down insulation. By reducing the channel thickness in down jackets, they could use half the fill while maintaining the warmth.

“We thought we were working on a fleece project,” he explained. “It turns out we were reinventing down insulation.” When the Nano Puff launched, it was an immediate home-run.

“There are times when you launch a product and it feels like a well-struck ball,” Tim said, borrowing a sports analogy. “You can count those on your hands and toes, probably in your life. But when you hit one, you know.”

At Filson, Bantle is faced with a unique opportunity. Growing a 128 year-old company that manufactures products using century-old patents. It’s what he calls “a gem of a business” that has never scaled, making it a new mountain to climb.

“When you try to compare Filson to other brands, it’s very difficult to find good one-for-one comparisons,” he stated. The heritage focus on designing apparel for the Alaskan outfitter has resulted in products that are, as one online forum explained, so heavy they require rebuilding closets to support their weight.

How do you interpret this rugged heritage for broader markets and different climates without losing the brand’s character. It’s the type of problem you have to approach with both respect for the brand and the courage to evolve. Perfectly suited for someone like Tim who has spent his entire career balancing authenticity and innovation.

Throughout our interview, it was clear that Tim’s leadership style was about leading with curiosity, trusting his team, and being authentic. “ I’m sure my team is tired of me asking questions, admittedly, “but I basically spent the first six months continually asking questions.”

He’s witnessed executives bring their old playbooks new to organizations and fail miserably. “Although these brands can look similar from the outside, given where they are in their life cycles, the opportunities and all of the structure and models for how to run the business need to be tuned for where it is today.”

His hiring philosophy is also built on authenticity. “You gotta just be yourself,” he tells job candidates. “You just need to be the best version of yourself and see if that’s compatible with the opportunity.”

As we concluded our interview, it was evident that the most important measurement of success was family. He’s most proud of building a loving family and the relationship with his wife through all of the career changes.

“To get to where I am in life and have a loving relationship with my wife and kids is by far the most important thing in my life,” he explained. “I kind of see that as a precondition for being good at work.”

As far as career advice Tim would impart on someone wanting to make an impact – his answers were practical:

“Go to the office. You’ll never develop deep relationships with people if you don’t spend time with them.”

“Be the best version of yourself, authentically.”

“Be very careful who you choose to be your primary relationship in life, because it’s the most important relationship in your life.”

Above all else, Tim’s leadership was rooted in experience and guided by clear values. In a world filled with corporate business speak – speaking with Tim felt like a conversation with someone who has figured out how to build a career and a family without sacrificing either for the other.

Click here to listen to the full interview with Tim Bantle