A maker of baseball and other caps is moving a division here to be part of the county’s surf and skate hub.
Buffalo, N.Y.-based New Era Cap Co. is opening a 5,000-square-foot office in Irvine next month, according to Wayne Best, the company’s action sports business unit director.
New Era’s been hiring workers for the local unit since the summer.
The company is moving its action sports division to Orange County from New York. It has 15 workers here with plans to add more, Best said.
“Eighty percent of our clients are within an hour and a half drive from our new location, making it easier and more convenient for them to do business with us,” Best said.
New Era already counts several OC surf and skate brands as clients, including Irvine-based Billabong USA, Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. and its Vista-based DC Shoes Inc., Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc. and Cypress-based Vans Inc.
The privately held company, which makes more than 30 million caps per year under different brands, makes “on-field” hats for every Major League Baseball team, including the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and their minor league affiliates.
Schools and kids sports teams also are clients.
Then there are musicians and movie stars. Celebs such as Denzel Washington and hip-hop singer Jay-Z are fans. That’s brought in more business from the “lifestyle” and entertainment sectors, Best said.
“The baseball cap isn’t specific to just baseball anymore,” Best said. “It’s found its way into other markets and, especially with the New Era brand, into the fashion and entertainment world.”
New Era’s caps range from a traditional baseball hat to “fitted” caps, which are sized to fit your head. Fitted caps sport different trappings, such as fabric with argyle diamonds or gold foiled graphics. Brands include 59Fifty Fitted, 49Forty, 39Thirty and 29Twenty.
The company also makes trucker caps, which typically have a foam front, wide brims and mesh sides. Trucker hats have been big with surfers and skaters for the past few years.
Two of the 15 workers at New Era’s OC office made moves from New York and Canada. Others were hired here, including in marketing, sales, customer service, production, sourcing and design, Best said.
The company plans to hire three to five more people, he said.
“We’re really excited about the location,” Best said. “The action sports market is growing and New Era is not only recognizing it as relevant but creating an opportunity to grow.”
For now, the company’s “main goal” is to “provide a greater service to our existing brand partners,” Best said.
“We absolutely do not want to saturate the market,” he said.
Family owned New Era, which was founded in 1920, employs about 1,700 people worldwide. It has several plants, with one in Buffalo, three in Alabama and a few overseas.
