JOG Athletics origins date back to 2004 when it debuted as Jamcomb Sports after its co-founders Dave Cote, Jamie Marriott and Scott Whitcomb. At the time, the three were colleagues teaching at an International School in Bangkok, Thailand. They had begun collaborating on organizing ice hockey tournaments and building a local ice hockey league: Thai World Hockey League (TWHL). While they initially outsourced the hockey jerseys for the TWHL, an ice hockey teammate Vanchalerm “Top” Rattapong encouraged them to consider the opportunity to design and create their own custom team jerseys.
Top became the company’s first full-time employee and played an integral role in sourcing high-quality materials. Identifying and locating material specifically geared toward ice hockey player’s performance and comfort became an obsession for the team and the bedrock of JOG’s drive for quality.
In 2007, Scott made the big step to rent a home office about 20 minutes from downtown Bangkok, running the company from the downstairs area. In 2008, he renamed the company to JOG (Join Our Game) Sports.
JOG Sports continued to grow quickly, and the team began to realize there was a real market for quality, value-priced, customizable hockey jerseys. In 2009, they moved the office to Sukhumvit Road, one of Bangkok’s main thoroughfares, and engaged a small sewing team while continuing to outsource the material for their jerseys. In the following year in 2010, they made the gutsy decision to rent a factory down the street.
Little by little JOG Sports began to take greater control of the production process: employing approximately 15 sewers, purchasing their own stock material, controlling the cutting and even the production of appliques.
JOG Sports was not an overnight success. Scott and his wife made countless trips between the home office and Nakhon Pathom; over ninety minutes each way. In the rainy season, they white-knuckled through torrential downpours to get shipments out on time.
Then in 2012, Scott hired Pittsburgh native Maureen “Mo” Kachachiva who had previously worked for a company called Wechwiwat Co., Ltd., a supplier to several other major brands. The new connection with Wechwiwat paid dividends as JOG began outsourcing production to Wechwiwat the following year to keep up with demand.
2014 was a pivotal year for JOG Sports and growth began to center around the North American market. Wanting to capitalize on a hotbed of ice hockey, the core team made several decisions to create a more permanent base in the United States. The company became legally incorporated in Delaware and also picked up several sales associates. With an eye to American culture it was also decided to officially rebrand as JOG Athletics.
However as the operation continued to grow, they realized they couldn’t rely on another company’s production facilities anymore – it became apparent they needed to own the production.
As the owner of Wechwiwat neared retirement, JOG made a pivotal decision to rent the factory and purchase all of the assets. Wechwiwat became a turn-key operation allowing JOG to immediately own all the sewing machines and other essential equipment. JOG then further invested in 4 sublimation printers, two heat transfer machines, two laser cut machines and a program for pattern development.
Many other developments soon followed, continuing to give JOG products additional polish. For example, Scott made the decision to change from the Italian ink JOG was using to new Japanese inks which are manufactured in state of the art factories that adhere to strict environmental controls.
Over time the team has carefully cultivated all of the latest technology and moving parts necessary for bringing a team’s custom hockey jersey and / or activewear to life.
At JOG Athletics we are working toward better accountability of our environmental impact. Sustainability has become increasingly important to us and you can read more about our work here. We also make mindful decisions about partnering with suppliers and factories that make building sustainability into their operations and products a priority.
Despite being over 125 employees strong and additional investment in the latest technologies and machinery – we have still maintained our ‘underdog’ mentality. With over fifty sewers plus a cutting team, pattern making team, design team, merchandisers, sales, marketing and an accounting/logistics function, we have all the tools and resources to provide an elite customization experience to our customers. Customer service is everything to us and you’ll even still see Scott occasionally driving through the night to ensure a shipment makes it out on time!
JOG’s CEO Scott Whitcomb and his team share a deep passion for excellence and sports. Our vision is simple: to be the best custom-made jersey company on the market. The team’s attention to detail and intense work ethic have made JOG Athletics a force in the global custom apparel industry. Our success speaks for itself and we welcome you to #JoinOurGame too!