This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Pate Brothers Chart Own Courses as Sports Entrepreneurs

An interview with Coronado sons Bryan and Doug Pate.

Brothers Bryan and Doug Pate grew up in Coronado, attending local schools and playing competitive sports all along the way. Bryan, the older sibling, attended Stanford University before joining the military and eventually attending law school. Doug went to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. After graduating, Doug worked in business before he decided to chart his own course as an entrepreneur. A few years later, Bryan got the bug, too, and started his own firm with partner Brent Teal.

Both their businesses are focused on athletics. But if you knew these two growing up, you wouldn't be surprised. All four of the Pate brothers (Bill, Bryan, Dave and Doug, respectively) were known for their love of sports and great skills on the field.

What makes their respective stories even more compelling is that they are part of something bigger, a region-wide growth in what is now being called, by influential economic development groups, “San Diego's sports innovation cluster.” This cluster is deriving its momentum from San Diego's bread and butter: surf and sun.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Calloway golf in Carlsbad has served as a catalyst for related spin-off companies, and Bryan's ElliptiGO and Doug's Isle Surf are all part of this spurt. 

Recently, the brothers and Coronado Patch’s Whitney Benzian sat down at the for some fish tacos and an update on the Pate businesses.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Coronado Patch: I know most of the Pate boys were great sports competitors growing up, but where does the entrepreneurial spirit come from?

Bryan Pate: I’d have to say peewee soccer. 

Doug Pate: You’re right, peewee soccer!

Bryan: In fifth grade Jack Bowen and I started a peewee soccer camp that we ran for years. We started the idea and would create our posters at the Central Elementary School library. The camp was for 5- to 8-year-olds. We charged $33 for an eight-hour day and conducted them at Bradley Field. Jack is still running camps around the country, but for water polo.

Doug: That’s right! I recall you had campers like Cinda and Robbie McClelland and David Klinker.

Bryan: Doug and Jack’s younger brother Matt Bowen were our assistants. Eventually they took over the camps.

Doug: We ran them for almost six years. So, I guess you could say we set our entrepreneurial footing back then.

Patch: Where did the ideas for Isle Surf and ElliptiGO come from and what did it take to get started?

Doug: My first goal was to build a business around a brand. As a surfer and snowboarder, I wanted to establish a business in one of those industries. While researching a variety business options, I talked with friend and Coronado local Marc Miller. He was selling surfboards on e-bay and doing well. We decided to join forces and expand what Marc was doing. Before we knew it, we were in China manufacturing surfboards and importing them to our warehouse in National City. Also, [at Isle Surf] we were able to find success early, because we were first to market. When we got to China, nobody was doing what we were doing. It was incredible.

Bryan: I wasn’t looking to start a business. I had just finished law school and was considering law as a career. ElliptiGO sprouted from a personal need. Following years of wear and tear on my body from contact sports, I needed to find something that had low impact on my body. So, in my mind I conceived of something like ElliptiGO [an outdoor elliptical bicycle].

I assumed it was already a product on the market, so I went home and googled it. To my surprise, there was nothing. I couldn’t believe it. That’s how I got pulled into this whole thing.

We went through a series of test models that took a few years, thanks to my partner’s patience and engineering skills. He is the one who built the many versions of ElliptiGO in his garage. While he was building, I was researching. Along the way, I realized there was actually a patent for our concept.  The owner of the patent was the same guy who invented the ElliptiGO, as you might expect. So, we sublicensed the patent from him. Had we realized this early on, we likely wouldn’t have continued on, but we had come so far we knew we couldn’t go back.

Patch: Where are your products made and stored?

Doug: We make both our surfboard and stand up paddle boards in China. We store them in National City and in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa also has a retail store for Isle Surf. 

Bryan: We import from Taiwan. We have an all-in-one shop in Solana Beach that serves as our warehouse, office, retail store, and research and development operation. 

Patch: How many employees do you guys have?

Doug: Five.

Bryan: Ten.

Patch:  You guys are creating jobs right here in San Diego.  That’s great. 

Both of your parents are well-respected judges in San Diego. [Judge William Pate has ruled on the well-known La Jolla Shores seals case.] That is a pretty structured career path.

Were your parents wary of their boys pursuing the high-risk path of an entrepreneur? Did they want you to become a practicing lawyer, Bryan? 

Bryan: At first they were disappointed I wasn’t going to be a lawyer. I had just spent a lot of time and my own money going to law school. Once they got over that part, they became supportive, though it took a few years. [He says with a smile.]

Doug: They were supportive from the start, but I don’t think they thought I would do it for long. I was just a couple years out of college when I started Isle Surf and I had a regular 9-to-5 job at the time.

But to answer your question, yes, they encouraged a more traditional work path.

Bryan: All that said, our dad has a creative and entrepreneurial mind, so he was comfortable with the risks. It’s easy to understand their hesitation. Their career paths were straight. They were lawyers for a long time before becoming judges. No meandering. Our generation is different. All my peers bounce around to different jobs and careers. Very few stay put like our parents’ generation. 

Patch: San Diego is becoming increasingly known for its growing sports innovation cluster. Along with defense, tourism, life sciences and other local industries, some economic development groups are pointing to burgeoning businesses like yours as evidence of this cluster. Calloway up in Carlsbad has served as a catalyst for spin-off sporting companies. Do you feel like you’re a part of that category? 

Doug: Not at all. We haven’t reached out to these organizations and vice versa. That's not to say it wouldn't be valuable to form those relationships. It just hasn't happened.

Bryan: ElliptiGO is trying to found an industry, unlike Doug, who has built a strong business on his own.  He didn’t necessarily need the help of economic development organizations. We do. Being a part of groups like CONNECT is priceless. We want to meet business people and network. It helps us.

Doug: What has helped us both is San Diego. The lifestyle and image of San Diego is perfect to help sell our products. People want to be in San Diego and live a healthy lifestyle. Both our businesses target that.

Patch: Lifestyle and San Diego weather are the classic clichés for why people live here. Both your companies cater to that message. How do you plan to expand your companies outside of San Diego successfully?    

Bryan: Retail and the Internet. ElliptiGO can go anywhere in the world. It integrates seamlessly into the biking infrastructure—bike racks, bike paths. There are bike shops, like , everywhere. 

Doug: The Internet is our bread and butter. At this point, we don’t anticipate investing much in brick and mortar. Down the road I could envision Isle Surf retail shops, but not in the near term. We are content with our one retail shop.  

Patch: Doug, Isle Surf appears to have broken into the stand up paddling craze. Do you see this as a fad or is this the way forward? Do you sell more paddleboard or surfboards, and what’s the trend?

Doug: It’s definitely growing. It is just a much larger potential market. You can do it on lakes, rivers, wherever there is water. Also, any age group can pick up the sport. It’s definitely not a fad. We’ve been selling them for three years. There are lots of competitive paddling competitions. 

Bryan: We have compared ElliptiGO to other industries, one of which was stand up paddling. We concluded that stand up paddling is popular in part because it is a better workout then surfing and more comfortable. As a workout, both ElliptiGO and stand up paddling are better for your core than biking or surfing. Biking can be painful for your rear, those seats just aren’t very comfortable. With ElliptiGO you don’t have to worry about that.

Doug: It’s also easier to learn than surfing. 

Patch: Which one of you is the better businessman? 

Doug laughs.

Bryan: Doug is, because he makes a profit. He makes more than he spends. [Bryan's business is much newer.]

Patch: Vetter Park was named after your grandfather, a former mayor of Coronado. Are any of the Pate brothers going to follow in his footsteps and run for office in town? 

Bryan: We need to be able to afford a home in town first!

Patch: Can you credit Coronado with any of your success?  

Bryan: Coronado has been a great test market. Coronado likely has the densest population of ElliptiGO owners in the world.

Doug: Obviously, Coronado was a great place to grow up and learn. I developed my appreciation for water sports here. I also met my business partner here. So, yes, I can easily credit Coronado with some of my success.  

Patch: Who’s your target customer for the ElliptiGO and Isle Surf market?  

Doug: For surfboards, I would say mostly people first entering the sport, but we have all skill levels riding our boards. The stand up paddleboards are for anyone interested in the sport.

Bryan: 50-year-old current and former runners, but it appeals to serious athletes and folks just trying to have some fun outside.

Patch: What is going to give me the highest impact, 30-minute workout—a good paddle at Pit or a ride down the Strand on the ElliptiGO?

Bryan: What’s the wind factor?

Doug: It’s a draw.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?