One of Georgia’s biggest companies is getting into outdoor recreation
One of the largest privately held companies in the U.S. is expanding into outdoor recreation, launching a new division that leaders hope will develop not only into a thriving business but will also help promote conservation.
Cox Enterprises, which has its headquarters in Sandy Springs, on Tuesday announced the launch of Cox Outdoors that will bring together two recent investments as well as future ones.
On Monday, Cox announced it is part of a group that has invested in premium outdoor brand KUIU, a maker of high-performance apparel and ultra-lightweight outdoor equipment. This follows its investment in Loop Tackle, a high-end maker of fly-fishing gear.
Cox, founded more than 125 years ago, reporting $23 billion in annual revenue. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is one of Cox’s media holdings.
Long known for its ownership in media, broadband and automotive services, Cox has spent the past several years diversifying its holdings, investing billions into clean technology, electric vehicles, indoor farming, health care and other sectors.
“Cox Outdoors is a way for us to continue diversifying into new industries that let us make a meaningful difference on the world around us,” Alex Taylor, Cox chairman and CEO, said in a news release. “This new business segment is rooted in something I care deeply about: conservation. Protecting the wild places that make life richer for all of us and caring for our planet has never mattered more.”
Will Thorburn, president of Cox Outdoors, said in an interview that outdoor recreation is a nearly $40 billion industry and Cox plans to grow both brands and is eyeing other potential investments.
“There’s absolutely an intention to do more. The outdoor market creates a big opportunity for us,” he said.
Thorburn said it is vital for the public’s health and that of the planet for people to get outside.
“We live on screens so much and it’s not good for us,” he said.
KUIU, founded in 2011 and based in California, is a direct-to-consumer seller of performance apparel, outdoor equipment and hunting gear. It has an online store and five retail locations, something Thorburn said will grow with future stores.
The management team of KUIU (pronounced KYOO-you) will remain with the company.
“Everybody is in the deal because they love the company and what they stand for,” Thorburn said. “The team is incredible and we want to empower them to go and execute on their vision.”
Loop Tackle is also a direct-to-consumer business. Thorburn said he would like to see more of its high-end rods and reels sold in specialty stores in the West and Southeast.
Both businesses are centered around protecting wildlands and exploration, an ethos they share with Cox and the James M. Cox Foundation, Thorburn said.
“If we can get people outside and build their own passions, you protect what you love,” Thorburn said, hoping it will inspire customers to promote conservation efforts.
The Cox Foundation and Cox Enterprises have provided more than $325 million to conservation and environmental stewardship causes, according to the news release. Taylor and former Cox Chairman and CEO Jim Kennedy are both avid outdoorsmen and conservationists.
In 2025, the Cox Foundation was part of a coalition of private philanthropies that provided financial backing for the purchase of thousands of acres near the Okefenokee Swamp where a mine was planned that many experts and residents feared would harm the fragile ecosystem. The foundation also has joined The Nature Conservancy and other nonprofits to help restore the Kennebec River in Maine, a critical watershed and salmon spawning habitat.
In May 2024, Cox Enterprises donated $100 million in Kennedy’s name to the wetland and waterfowl conservation nonprofit Ducks Unlimited to help protect the threatened Prairie Pothole Region, a network of wetlands that spans parts of the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana and southern Canada.
— AJC staff writer Drew Kann contributed to this report.
About the Author
J. Scott Trubey is the senior editor over business, climate and environment coverage at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He previously served as a business reporter for the AJC covering banking, real estate and economic development. He joined the AJC in 2010.
