Outdoor Retailer: Dollars for Socks

Darn Tough Vermont Socks donates cash to maintaining Appalachian Trail

Last winter, Darn Tough Vermont Socks approached the Appalachian Trail Conservancy with a pretty sweet idea: For every ATC Logo-emblazoned "boot sock" they sold, they'd donate 5% of the proceeds to the ATC's volunteer based programs. You could call it a green initiative. Darn Tough just calls it being a good trail neighbor. "Our trails, the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail literally overlap," said one rep, "and we wanted to engage the 22 dealers we have in the trail towns along the AT while helping the trail itself too."

Six months later, they've sold 1,600 ATC socks, and today a smiling Marc Cabot, president of Darn Tough Vermont Socks, walked a check across the tradeshow floor to the ATC's Brian King. The Purchase With a Purpose program will continue through 2010. Any mathematicians want to wager a guess as to the amount of the check?

—Shannon Davis