Modern banking for a brand that doesn’t slow down

About Portland Gear

Portland Gear is what happens when a hometown brand hits its stride. Founded by a true Portland native, the company has grown from a local apparel idea into a full-on movement — with three retail stores, a 17-person full-time team, and a product roadmap that’s scaling fast.

They’re known for stylish gear and water-resistant bags, but behind the scenes, they’ve built a serious business. Last year, they grew 106%. This year, they’re tracking at 270%. And they’re just getting started.

The problem: Banking that felt stuck in 1999

While the brand was racing ahead, their banking setup felt like it was dragging behind.

“Archaic systems. Backends that looked like they hadn’t been updated since the 90s. And business bankers who didn’t understand DTC or the speed we operate at.” - Marcus Harvey, Founder, Portland Gear

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Instead of real-time insights, the team was stuck exporting spreadsheets. Instead of helpful guidance, they got silence. Their bank didn’t get ecommerce — and it showed.

The switch: A platform that gets how brands operate

They found Highbeam  and made the switch. Right away, things felt different.

For the first time, the dashboard actually made sense. It gave them daily visibility into their cash, and it worked seamlessly with their remote accounting team. Everything felt built for how modern brands actually operate — not how banks think they should.

And when they had questions, the support team showed up with answers — not ticket numbers.

“Everything’s easier to manage now. It’s clean, it’s intuitive, and it works the way we work.”

The results

With Highbeam in place, Portland Gear saved hours every week on manual financial work and finally got the clarity they needed. The team earned thousands of dollars in yield on idle cash through automated treasury management and had a single place to see everything happening across the business.

Their financial ops just started working — and kept up with the pace of growth.

What’s next

Next up? Travel. The Portland Gear team is going all in on hard luggage, new bag designs, and a stacked product roadmap launching throughout the year. With their ops and financial infrastructure finally clicking, they’re ready to keep the momentum going — and then some.

Advice to other founders

“Don’t stay stuck in what’s familiar. Just because it’s what you’ve always done doesn’t mean it’s what your business needs now. If something isn’t working — change it.”