Tom Patterson (entrepreneur)

Tom Patterson (born February 12, 1979) is an American entrepreneur, who founded the Tommy John company in 2008.

Tom Patterson
Tom Patterson accepting an EY Entrepreneur of the Year award
BornFebruary 12, 1979
Alma materArizona State University
OccupationBusinessperson
Years active2008–present
Known forFounder and CEO of Tommy John
Spouse(s)Erin Fujimoto (Co-founder of Tommy John)
Children2

Early life

Patterson was raised in South Dakota. He graduated from Milbank High School in 1998 and went on to attend Arizona State University, where he graduated with a degree in business communications.[1][2][3]

Career

Patterson began his career as a medical device salesman, a position from which he was released in wake of the Great Recession. Frequently wearing business attire as part of his position, Patterson became irritated with the fit of his undershirts, which led him to design a new undershirt for himself.[1][2][3]

After being let go from his sales job, Patterson began selling his undershirts from his apartment in San Diego.[1] He founded Tommy John with his wife, Erin Fujimoto, in 2008. Lacking a background in fashion, Patterson used his sales skills from his previous position to expand the company. Under his leadership, Tommy John expanded their product range to include socks, sportswear, and underwear,[2][3][4] The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in New York.[5]

Accolades

Patterson was included in Crain's New York Business magazine's "Forty under 40" list in 2016,[6] and he was named EY's Entrepreneur of the Year New York for Retail and Consumer Goods in 2017.[7]

References
  1. Burke, Adrienne. "He Makes a Living Making Howard Stern's Underwear". Yahoo!. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  2. Schwan, Jodi (3 December 2016). "Maker makes it big in men's clothing". Argus Leader. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  3. "How entrepreneurs and comedian Kevin Hart are revolutionizing men's underwear". CBS News. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  4. DiChristopher, Tom (4 November 2015). "Tommy John's new underwear: 'No wedgie' guarantee". CNBC. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  5. "Tommy John, Inc.: Private Company Information". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  6. Messina, Judith. "Tom Patterson". Crain Communications. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  7. "The Entrepreneur of the Year New York". Ernst & Young. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
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