IRVINE — La Jolla Group, the action sports licensing company, will officially open its new corporate headquarters today during a private party. The massive site, some 200,000 square feet, houses four of the most prominent brands in the industry, O’Neill, Lost, Metal Mulisha and Rusty.
I got a tour yesterday from Toby Bost, La Jolla CEO and chairman of the board. He told me that the company planned the $4 million in improvements to the facility before the recession hit, but that the company decided to stick with the goal of moving from its former campus-style site on Pasteur in Irvine. La Jolla is looking beyond the current bad economy, he said, and is working to attract “the 21st Century executive,” a 20- or 30-something employee who is dedicated to the surf and skating lifestyle.
“We definitely embrace the social aspect of the age group,” he said. “We wear what we make.”
Among the 13 conference rooms, four showrooms, photo studio and two warehouses was a room dedicated to marketing by social networks, which Bost said he believes will be a major business consideration for the future. There’s also a fitness room, basketball court, model retail store and indoor skate park with quarter pipes and rail hits.
