In partnership with S.D. roots, Tommy John, Lincoln Kienholz launch endorsement deal
Aug. 16, 2023
Shortly after Tom Patterson moved back to his native South Dakota in 2020, the founder of apparel company Tommy John began following the football career of a high school sophomore.
Fast-forward a few years and the Pierre T.F. Riggs High School all-state athlete and Ohio State University football player Lincoln Kienholz now is a new face and voice for Patterson’s company.
Kienholz made the inaugural post in a new name, image and likeness, or NIL, deal with Tommy John today.
“I was just so impressed not only by what he’s done as an athlete but more just his demeanor and the way he carries himself and how he leads as a team player,” Patterson said.
“He’s a super humble kid, and I don’t think his success is a surprise. Sometimes, I think talent in South Dakota are underestimated. People say he came out of nowhere, but I’ve been following him and always felt bigger things were ahead of him.”
Patterson can relate to being a bit underestimated.
A medical device salesman in the early 2000s, his personal quest for a better-fitting undershirt led him to design and then manufacture a garment that ultimately launched his business.
About 15 years later, the Milbank native and his wife, Erin Fujimoto, have grown Tommy John to a nationwide brand carried in 3,000 locations, including major retailers such as Scheels, Nordstrom and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
A partnership with Target in 2022 further exposed new consumers to the brand. There now are seven direct retail Tommy John stores in markets from Dallas to Charlotte, North Carolina, with more planned in the coming year.
Patterson and Fujimoto marked three years living in Sioux Falls this spring, after moving here from New York City during the pandemic.
“We’re loving Sioux Falls,” he said. “It’s just been a great move for our family, for sure.”
Ninety-five percent of the company’s 115-person corporate team is still based in New York, meaning travel every few weeks, but “we’ve been able to make it work,” he said.
Values he’s used to build the business — “hard work, determination, grit” — are ones he saw in Kienholz, who was named the 2022-23 USA Today Overall Boys Athlete of the Year, in recognition of how he excelled at basketball and baseball in addition to football — a sport he didn’t begin playing until eighth grade.
“He’s arguably the best athlete to come out of the state in a long time,” said Patterson, who himself played quarterback in high school.
“I think he’s a really unique, once-in-a-lifetime athlete, and on top of that, he’s just a great kid in general. Even if he doesn’t play pro sports, I’m confident he’s going to be successful in whatever he does.”
Tommy John sent Kienholz some products to try from the company’s line of undergarments and T-shirts.
“We don’t want anyone to promote products they don’t use, wear or believe in,” Patterson said.
Kienholz will post about the brand on his social media account, as he did today with a post that read: “I’m starting my partnership with @tommyjohnwear today!! The most comfortable underwear on the planet. I am blessed for the opportunity and shout out to @iamtompatterson for taking a chance on a fellow South Dakotan.”
For the Ohio State University freshman, the South Dakota connection with Patterson also made the relationship feel like a “natural fit,” Kienholz said.
“I’m so excited to partner with Tommy John, not only because the product is next level, but also because of what the brand represents: delivering confidence through comfort,” he said.
“Without any experience in the industry, Tom and Erin went out and overcame every obstacle to build an amazing brand and business. I’m inspired by that, by them and honored to partner with such an incredible brand like Tommy John and them believing in me and what I can do.”
The plan is to learn in the coming months to help frame and shape what the NIL relationship will look like in terms of future content, Patterson said.
“It’ really just a long-term partnership where we’re not expecting things to happen overnight,” he said. “It’s more wanting to invest in athletes we believe in earlier.”
For Tommy John, online sales are still the biggest part of the business. Its niche continues to be in providing “the basics” — underwear, bras and undershirts, which have rebounded nicely post-pandemic as more men are back to wearing dress shirts to work, Patterson said.
“Our approach is to stay in the lane where we’re best, staying in these products where there’s a lot of loyalty and high repurchase rates.”
Women’s products represent 30 percent of the business after just five years in the market, “and it’s exciting about what that means long term to the overall opportunity for us,” Patterson said, adding there are further additions planned for the company next year.
“Just trying to evolve and innovate and keep growing,” he said. “We really want to be where the customer is and where they prefer to shop.”
Tommy John founders made pandemic move to Sioux Falls – and might be here to stay
