By Chad Neal
Pat Morgan is a familiar face locally, and has been for quite some time, even though he took a ten-year hiatus to go check out another place very similar to Ellicottville. Morgan came to Ellicottville to ride on the slopes as a young’un on the ski bus just as many of us have, and enjoyed immersing himself in the snow & shop community. He is from just down the road, originally as he graduated from Pioneer High School in 2000, and he went to Genesee Community College for sports management. And if you know him, he is very vocal about professional sporting events especially NASCAR and The Buffalo Bills. His knowledge is apparent in a short conversation with him as he knows quite a bit about many things that make him ruthless at trivia nights, or just in the exchanging of wit. The Villager caught up with Morgan when we learned he had started making a clothing brand called EAST, in which he sells articles of stylish clothes and hats with his signature logo applied.
The Villager(V): Where have you worked before?
Pat Morgan(PM): So, I guess it all started as a snowboard instructor at HoliMont (shout out Fritz the Kat & Mark Marino!) I had a lot of opportunities there, developed their freestyle team etc. Simultaneously, as a young buck I worked at the Valley, starting as a hydro ceramic engineer in The Hearth, graduating through the kitchens, and somehow wound up doing marketing, group sales, freestyle terrain & events. For a number of years, I lived out west – worked for Forum/ Foursquare/ Special Blend in San Clemente, California. Also was the Director of Freestyle Terrain at Big Boulder PARK, in the Poconos where we were one of the top-rated parks in the East. I’ve also done project management for Red Bull for 20+ years at this point, which is crazy to think about. Lastly, I worked for SNOW Partners doing marketing & brand management for Mountain Creek and Big SNOW, which is an indoor ski area in the American Dream Mall, just outside of NYC.
V: What made you want to live in Ellicottville?
PM: Ellicottville has always been special to me, from the people, to the businesses, and there’s nothing like the hum of those snow guns, and those inversion layers throughout the Valley. I was away for ten years and there’s something to be said about being back home.
V: What was the idea that led you to making the EAST brand? What exactly is it you are branding?
PM: EAST was originally a snowboard magazine we all contributed to. Then we all got real jobs and it sort of went away. Due to its strong brand icon, I just one day asked the others if they were down with me running with it as a brand that gives back to events/ culture/ community and here we are. EAST – made to be worn often.
V: When did you first start reeling the idea?
PM: It’s really been this past year. I’ve been meticulous/ thoughtful/ careful about bringing it to the market. The time is now.
V: Where did the brand name come from?
PM: From a love of all things East Coast snowboarding, and again from a magazine we all contributed to.
V: You had a set up at Ellicottville’s Fall Festival, did you start selling before that?
PM: Fall Fest was the beta test. It went extremely well, which I’m grateful for everyone’s support. I have essentially one big event every month throughout the East Coast. It’s going to be exciting to see this grow, and the support from near & far has been overwhelming.
V: Was it a grand opening?
PM: I guess it was kind of a hard launch, the heck with it let’s see how it goes type of thing. Time well spent!
V: Where do you have the stuff being sold?
PM: Currently selling via DM & eastinc.co
V: Your website? Tell us about how it will aid in your plan?
PM: Fortunate to have Justin Whalen help me build out my site. He’s truly an expert at all things digital and couldn’t do it without him. The site is aesthetically pleasing, functional and it’s going to be fun to have people visit it.
V: What are your future plans?
PM: I’ve got some movie premieres and most notably bringing back Hell Track to the East Coast with Flour City Distribution at Montage Mountain February 27. My goal is to get involved with as many grassroots events as I can, all with the hope of giving back to the community. There’s no shortage of local events in WNY as well to get involved with, from small brand activations, to full blown productions.
V: Anything else you want to share?
PM: I’m just happy to be here – the gas pedal is on the right!
This brand and his devotion to the community it involves is something that is inspiring and will most likely be a well-known product throughout. EAST will be seen everywhere. Check out Pat Morgan’s website eastinc.co.