(Vancouver, BC, Canada) – Popular golf and sportswear designer Linda Hipp announces that her company, LIJA, has been recognized as one of "BC’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies" by Business in Vancouver.
Ranked according to revenue, LIJA by Linda Hipp placed No. 20 on the list, based on a reported 591 percent increase from 2001-2005. The complete rankings appear in the Sept. 5 issue of Business in Vancouver.
"We’ve grown exponentially over the last five years and this award is a wonderful recognition of all our hard work," says Hipp. "When we started, there was a real need in the marketplace for fashionable and functional apparel that transcended the golf course. We’re meeting that need and continue to expand our market reach and open new accounts."
The company recently premiered its Spring 2007 collections, which will be available online and in stores early next year. Inspired by fun, flirty and vivacious colors, the collections feature the distinctive European-inspired styling that has made LIJA a favorite of fashion-conscious golfers and non-golfers alike for the past nine years. Tasteful, yet animated prints from plaids to mini rosebuds are enhanced with unique buttons, snaps and stitching. Prices range from $30 (USD) for some t-shirts to $140 (USD) for cashmere sweaters.
LIJA is a staple in finer golf and non-golf retailers across North America, including world-renowned resorts like Pebble Beach, Doral, Kiawah Island and Kapalua. The company’s clothing is worn by scores of women golf professionals worldwide.
More information is available at www.LIJAStyle.com or 604.270.6060.
About LIJA
LIJA has received significant recognition within and outside the golf industry, achieving organic annual sales growth of at least 50 percent each of the past seven years. Enjoying a rapidly expanding sales force and account base in North America, LIJA recently began selling into the UK, Australian and Japanese markets.
Recent recognition for the company includes:
2006 PROFIT 100 Rankings of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies (No. 69)
2005 Canadian Golf Company of the Year – Score Golf magazine
2005 PROFIT W100 Ranking of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs (No. 3)
2004 Polartec APEX Award (for innovative use of technical fabrics)
North America’s "Top-5 Up-and-Coming Women’s Golf Apparel" – GolfWorld Business
Individually, Hipp has been honored as a grant recipient of the Matinee Fashion Foundation Award, which annually recognizes and funds select Canadian designers, and voted a "40 Under 40" winner by Business in Vancouver.
Hipp, 39, previously worked as a business development executive for Vancouver’s Canucks (NHL) and Grizzlies (NBA). An avid and highly-skilled golfer, Hipp struggled to find on-course apparel that meshed with her off-course fashion sensibility. Recognizing a market opportunity – and the chance to combine her passions for fashion, golf and business – Hyp Golf was launched in July 1997. The company re-branded as LIJA in late 2004. Chiefly influenced by both European trends and West Coast style, Hipp has garnered a widespread reputation as one of North America’s hottest sportswear designers.
About Business in Vancouver Newspaper
Business in Vancouver is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving Greater Vancouver since 1989. Targeted at business decision-makers, it provides local business news and information every Tuesday and reaches more than 62,000+ readers a week.
Contact:
Andrea Latta
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3383
alatta@billycaspergolf.com