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Tariffs are set to undermine the heart of Idaho’s economy • Idaho Capital Sun [1]

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Date: 2025-07-11

Bringing to market new and innovative product lines is usually one of the most exciting parts of my job. From collaborating with my team on fresh designs to developing best-in-class fabrics, I love creating gear that inspires more women to get outside. But this year, instead of dreaming up adventure wear, I’m tangled in a nightmare of tariff hikes and policy uncertainty — wondering how my small business will survive.

I’m the founder and CEO of Wild Rye, a small, Idaho-based outdoor apparel brand that specializes in technical gear for women. We’re proudly B Corp certified, one of Idaho’s fastest-growing companies, and passionate about fueling adventure in the mountains, rivers, and wild places that define this state. But right now, the greatest threat to my business isn’t a competitor or even inflation. It’s U.S. trade policy.

Here in Idaho, the outdoor recreation industry generates over $4 billion in economic impact and supports more than 37,000 jobs. Tourists and locals alike are flocking to the outdoors in record numbers, and small businesses like mine are essential to that growth. But thanks to a volatile and punitive tariff regime, we’re being pushed to the brink.

Let me put it plainly: We’re facing up to $1.2 million in tariffs on a $700,000 order for our upcoming Fall/Winter line — up from the $200,000 we budgeted. The uncertainty of where these tariff rates will land are paralyzing, and could even eclipse the cost of the product itself. But here’s the kicker: Wild Rye is thriving. Our business is one of the fastest growing in the outdoor industry and in Idaho. But this tariff burden is a death sentence — because we’re succeeding in an economy rigged against small businesses.

In our nine-year history, we’ve weathered a lot: COVID, inflation, supply chain breakdowns. We’ve always adapted and come back stronger. But these tariffs are different, forcing us to freeze salary increases, halt all hiring, stop discretionary spending, raise prices, and drastically lower our sales forecast. We even opened up ownership opportunities to our community via Wefunder to keep moving forward.

Personally, my house is on the line. The debt we’re taking on to cover tariffs will be nearly impossible to pay off under these new conditions. I’ve put everything I have into this company because I believe in Wild Rye, and I believe in the future of Idaho’s outdoor economy. But right now, that future is being undermined by federal policies that are out of touch with the realities on the ground.

Here’s what’s most frustrating: we had a functioning trade system. Small businesses could thrive. But now, we’re saddled with tariffs that punish small manufacturers without achieving their intended goal. The promise to bring apparel manufacturing back to the U.S. simply isn’t being fulfilled. I tried to build a Made-in-the-USA brand when I started Wild Rye in 2016. But a broken domestic supply chain — flawed manufacturing, repeated delays, sky-high costs, and no accountability — nearly ended the business before it began.

I still believe that more U.S. manufacturing is possible. But the answer is not to punish small businesses who have no viable domestic alternatives. The only players who can absorb these costs are multinational corporations, while small business — the true engine of the outdoor economy — are being taxed into extinction.

The outdoor industry supports 5 million jobs nationwide and small businesses like mine are its backbone. Our stories must be included in trade policy decisions.

Idaho’s outdoor economy depends on pragmatic, pro-business leadership. I want to thank U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, for their past support of small businesses like mine, and I urge them — along with the Trump administration — to take action now.

My ask is simple: Stand up for Idaho’s outdoor economy. Fix this broken tariff system. Restore the exclusion process. Create a pathway to domestic manufacturing before forcing small businesses to depend on a supply chain that doesn’t exist. Our livelihoods depend on it.

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[1] Url: https://idahocapitalsun.com/2025/07/11/tariffs-are-set-to-undermine-the-heart-of-idahos-economy/

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