Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Medici.
Hi Jeff, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Growing up in Massachusetts, my passion and love for sports was evident very early on in my life. From the first time I took the field in a Little League game at 9 years old, I knew my future would include athletics in some meaningful way. Rarely did a day go by where I was not playing baseball, golf, or any number of other sports. Ultimately, I was recruited as a preferred walk-on to play golf at Clemson University. Almost immediately after arriving on campus, I found my second passion – serving in Clemson’s Air Force ROTC program. Four years later, I received my B.A. in political science and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. The time spent at Clemson included some of the most impactful years of my life. I learned the importance of commitment, integrity, loyalty, and attention-to-detail – qualities I still hold near and dear to my heart almost 30 years later. My love for Clemson continues today as I am a frequent visitor on campus serving as a board member for the Clemson University Advancement Board for Real Estate Development. I am also blessed my love for Clemson was passed down to my oldest daughter who is a Junior in Clemson’s Civil Engineering program.
Upon receiving my commission, I served 6 years as an active-duty Intelligence Officer with assignments in Texas, Nevada, and The Pentagon. After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the service in 1999, I began my civilian career at PricewaterhouseCoopers managing a team of audit support consultants for the world’s largest accounting firm. In 2002, I transitioned to Fidelity Investments where, over the course of nearly 10 years, I served as Vice President, leading teams in information technology, operations, channel management, and sales. Midway through my time at Fidelity, I was able to attend graduate school where I earned an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. After graduation, I was selected for a senior role in Fidelity’s Institutional Sales division which resulted in a transfer to Westlake, Texas. Once settled in Texas, it didn’t take us long to fall in love with all things Texas and realize we were never moving back to New England. In 2012, I left Fidelity and founded my current company, Medici Development Partners, LLC, a commercial real estate development and investment company focused on developing and investing in the office, hospitality, and mixed-use sectors. Over the years, I have become extremely involved in the Southlake community serving as a board member for Southlake’s Program for the Involvement of Neighborhoods (2010-2013), Southlake’s Parks and Recreation Board (2013-2015), and as Chairman of Southlake’s Zoning Board of Adjustment (2015-present). For my most recent development project, I wanted to do something truly unique, so, in tribute to Southlake’s local school mascot, I commissioned the design and construction of “Fury”, an eight-ton, 28-foot-tall, stainless-steel dragon with the largest wingspan of its type in the world. As the idea for Fury began to take shape in my mind, I started to think about another passion of mine – athletic headwear. As I researched the marketplace, it became evident to me there was a need for ultra-high quality athletic headwear. While countless apparel companies included hats in their product lineup, few – if any – focused exclusively on providing athletic headwear with both great style and high performance. This led me to found Fury Athletix, an athletic headwear company focused exclusively on designing and producing athletic headwear for individuals who strive to unleash their best self each and every day. In addition to our online shop (furyathletix.com), we purchased and, ultimately, converted a 28’ Airstream to serve as our not-so-traditional brick-and-mortar storefront. The Fury Airstream is open 6 days a week and is located adjacent to the Fury dragon at 2102 East State Highway 114. As a Southlake community partner, we regularly support the Carroll Education Foundation. In fact, we donate $1 from each sale to the Carroll Independent School District (CISD). While we are thrilled with the progress, we have achieved in such a short time, all of us at Fury Athletix know the future will be even brighter. While we are driven by every athlete who is fueled by the Fury Athletix brand, there will always be a special place in our hearts for the Southlake Dragon community who helped inspire our brand.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the times of greatest change in my life came when I was 40 years old. I quit my corporate job and started my commercial real estate development and investment company, Medici Development Partners, LLC. While leaving corporate life was a huge transition, leaving the comfort of a stable and successful career was the toughest decision of my life. Thankfully, it all worked out! Since that time, I have developed hotels and office buildings in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. What I learned is that risks are worth taking and that it is never too late to start fresh, make a change, and follow your passion. Since childhood, my parents encouraged me to take the time to find my passion and, once I did, follow through with it. Their guidance inspired me to start both Medici Development Partners and Fury Athletix.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Fury makes high-performance headwear designed for athletes who aim to push the limits of their potential. We carry hats specifically designed for each type of athletic activity, such as running, golf, tennis, biking, hunting, and HIIT exercises. A few things that set our hats apart are that all Fury hats are made with light and breathable materials; they all offer deep fit and low-profile options to suit every size and style, and each hat is custom designed for each sport. For example, our “Sprinter”, is made with a lightweight taffeta, moisture-wicking sweatband, and an adjustable Velcro closure, all aimed at making the perfect machine-washable running hat. This hat also features our signature “X” in a reflecting tape, making it ideal for early morning or nighttime runners. In fact, athletes are such believers in the product that we have partnered with several pro-athlete brand ambassadors including Mark Knowles, a 5-time Olympian who was ranked #1 doubles champion in the world and won all four Grand Slam tournaments in men’s/mixed doubles, and Brent Jones, 3x NFL All-Pro and 3x Super Bowl Champion. We value the experience and knowledge this pro-athletes lend to our brand because they know how to make a hat that helps accelerate performance. Not many people know that we spent about two and a half years working on the Fury products before we ever launched. With most hats, it is difficult to quickly discern what brand someone is wearing. So, we challenged ourselves to come up with a unique design feature that ensured our brand would be easily identifiable with just a quick glance. Ultimately, we decided on stitching two intersecting stripes forming a perfect “X’ on the top and sides of our hats. We love that the “X” marks the spot – and also that it is an international symbol for multiplying one’s impact – in this case, in the athletic realm. The brand has been so successful that we are already private labeling with high-end resorts and hotels across the globe, with more partnerships to come.
Pricing:
- Our headwear, including X-bands and hats, ranges from $18-$45 and may be viewed at https://furyathletix.com/collections/headwear
- Visit our customized Airstream for accessories and exclusive Fury gear at 2102 E State Hwy 114 in Southlake, TX, next to Fury the Dragon.
- We’re open Sunday – Friday from 12:00 (noon) – 5:00 pm and on Saturdays from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.
- You can also purchase our high-performance athletic headwear and accessories anytime online at www.furyathletix.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://furyathletix.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/furyathletix/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FuryAthletix
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FuryAthletix
Image Credits
Fury Athletix
