SPORTS

Delbarton brothers launch "lifestyle brand"

Jane Havsy
@dailyrecordspts

Trying to figure out where to store his keys and cellphone when out for a run is an almost daily struggle. Finding an answer turned Terry White into an entrepreneur.

Staying with a friend near Gramercy Park in New York City after Superstorm Sandy, White was flummoxed by this basic question. Unable to find compression shorts with pockets, he decided to design his own – and WOLA Co. was born.

The acronym stands for "Way of Life Athletic Co." Terry and his younger brother Alex White, both Delbarton and Harvard alumni, hope it will become a lifestyle brand for "every other guy like me who graduates and needs an outlet for his active lifestyle."

The North Moore short, their first product, has two waterproof pockets and is designed to fit snugly against the body under other workout gear.

"It's addressing little market needs," said Terry White, who played lacrosse and football at Delbarton, and four years of lacrosse at Harvard.

"If you want to get exercise, you have to leave your apartment. If you don't want to go all the way to the gym, you have to come up with something, whether it's hiding the keys under a plant or the mat. It's a higher-efficiency lifestyle people tend to live these days."

When White pitched the idea to a Delbarton friend, Tony Ubertaccio, he didn't believe a product like that didn't already exist. Ubertaccio, a chief strategist for Semper Avanti, helped the Whites package their dream into a sellable story.

White had done a few test sales through his website – about 2,000 pairs of shorts – then left his job with Advanced Realty to become a full-time entrepreneur. Alex White, who recently took the MCAT, is the "behind the scenes type," handling operations and logistics.

Said Terry White, "I'm the vision. He's the brains."

The Whites and Ubertaccio launched a Kickstarter campaign in November, hoping to raise $28,000 for a higher-capacity production order. The brothers' final total was $122,079, including a team package for Harvard men's lacrosse.

Kickstarter orders are scheduled for delivery this week.

They are also accepting preorders through the WOLACO website, which is supposed to relaunch later this month "able to sell, drop, and ship items on demand through my website, from my fulfillment center to customers," White said.

Next up is a longer version of the shorts for colder weather, followed by T-shirts – and, eventually, products for women. Everything is manufactured in Red Hook, not far from the brothers' adopted home in Manhattan, but they're considering a move to a more advanced facility on the west coast.

"The way this thing grew is very much organic," said Ubertaccio, who grew up in Green Village. "There's dozens or hundreds going out, and we want those people to be happy."

Staff Writer Jane Havsy: 973-428-6682; jhavsy@dailyrecord.com; www.dailyrecord.com/writerjane/