Four friends sitting around a table laughing at each others wisecracks is how we started. Doesn't look like much of a business meeting; but what you don't see are four distinct driven personalities setting out to achieve a common goal, to create one of the most successful clothing lines ever. A lofty goal, but for this group there is no other kind. They truly believe with their creativity and uniqueness the sky is the limit. But what is even more unique than their ideas is the way in which this band of friends, who refer to themselves as the HIGH COUNCIL, came together.
The story starts first with a local businessman Michael Shellhart, a.k.a. Big Mike. Big Mike a graduate of South Eugene High School started his first company out of a barn when he was merely 15. For him there was never any question that business was his niche. After successfully running FPSI an inventory management/repacking company at the age of 16 he went into business with his father, Roger Shellhart, to start one of the most successful automotive wholesale companies in the world, Global Industries Inc. This is where the next piece of the puzzle came into place in the form of Terry Patten, a.k.a. Da Slaya.
Terry is a graduate of Stadium High School in Tacoma, WA where he grew up. Terry is the father of three wonderful daughters ages 19, 17 and 11 and one son 9 years of age. Terry managed four different companies and is the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. After numerous years in the workforce Terry was looking for a different avenue and that avenue led him to Big Mike. The two first met when Terry was running Oak Harbor Freight out of Eugene and was handling a big portion of Global Industries shipping needs. Terry personally came to Mike one day with a proposition about cheaper freight costs, which Mike rudely turned down. In response the elder Patten snapped back at Mike in an equally harsh tone, and began to storm out of Mike's office. Instantly Mike knew this was someone he could not only respect but that he could become friends with, soon after Terry moved in with Mike.
Fast forward six years and this is when the next component comes into place. The two compadres were known to spend a "little" time on the town hanging out at drinking establishments which is where they befriended a bouncer at a local club named Tory Jenkins, a.k.a. the Rev. Stunna. Rev. Stunna comes from the small town of Gilchrist located in Central Oregon, where he also graduated from the local high school. Rev. Stunna who has done a myriad of jobs ranging from High School Girls Basketball coach, to drug and alcohol counselor to bouncer to bartender, as well as being a current graduate from the University of Oregon. He was searching for that dare to be great situation. Needless to say the aforementioned duo's pension for the nightlife immediately gave them a connection and after not to long they found out that the three of them had quite a bit in common. It was not long after meeting them that the Rev. Stunna moved in and transformed the duo into a trio.
It wasn't long after that the final part came into place in the form of ex cab driver Josh Blomquist, a.k.a. Munson Fagberri. Josh is a graduate from Astoria High School and a very avid Rugby player and fan. Also a graduate from the University of Oregon, Josh is a self proclaimed rugged hippie. The trio met Josh through their ever-present need for a cab driver. In fact after meeting him they would take no other cab driver than Josh. It wasn't long until they figured out that Josh just might be one of them. Not long after they started getting rides from Josh, Mike saw some real potential in this young upstart and offered him a job as a salesman at Global Industries. Soon after Josh was looking for a new place to reside and it just made sense that he move into the house now known as HIGH COUNCIL MANNER.
After a couple of months of the foursome living together they decided that with a collaboration of their one of a kind minds that they should start a company together and the industry they decided on was that of the clothing industry. They decided to start off with quirky novelty T-shirts and thus HIGH COUNCIL GEAR was born. However success is not their only passion, they want to give back also. And that giving comes in the form of another bond they share; they have all suffered a loss in their family due to cancer which is why a percentage of all sales go to the American Cancer Society. So now this eclectic group of friends armed with a plethora of ideas and a worthy cause are poised to make a huge splash in not only the clothing industry but in life itself.
WWW.HIGHCOUNCILGEAR.COM