Michael Steinberg, founder and CEO of the Port Chester-based Trail Network, is the name behind some of the nation’s most accomplished brands.
Greenwich Polo Club; Hoodoo Brown Barbeque in Ridgefield; Sally’s Apizza in Fairfield, Stamford, New Haven (and soon) Norwalk; Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Papatui men’s fragrance; an NBA internal youth event with Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry: Trail Network @TrailNetworkUSA has created merchandising programs for them all as a business that concentrates on private label apparel.
Other clients include The Abaco Club Bahamas, Cisco Brewers Nantucket and Filoli, the landmarked 1915-17 estate in the San Francisco Bay area that made headlines last November as it hosted the summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Steinberg has a particularly close business relationship with Greenwich Polo Club, co-founded in 1981 by Greenwich businessman,
philanthropist and art collector Peter M. Brant. Steinberg calls working with the club, which plays high-goal polo on Sundays through Sept. 15, “a labor of love.” For many of its clients, Trail Network designs their merchandise, ships it out and that’s the end of it. For Greenwich Polo, “we’re a partner,” Steinberg said. “We build the merchandise, provide staff for the retail store at The Barn, do inventory and ship out online orders.”
Speaking of the elegantly rustic Barn, where you can separately order food, Steinberg said: “People come in and are blown away. They say, ‘Wow, it’s so cool.’”
For Steinberg, Greenwich Polo Official Shop at The Barn is a passion that grew out of 30-plus years in the apparel industry. The Rye Brook-reared Steinberg, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said he always loved apparel.
“When I graduated, I started making clothing for (former New York Knicks power forward) Charles Oakley’s car wash (then) in the Bronx.”
That led to working with different brands of streetwear – which Steinberg described as a hybrid of urban, skateboarding and high-end clothing – including Diesel, 555 Soul and Lifted Research Group (LRG). His rise brought him into contact with such retailers as Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, Fred Segal and the now defunct Louis Boston.
Over time, however, Steinberg said the relationship between the wholesaler and the retailer changed, as did the one between stores and shoppers as the latter became less brand-loyal and moved to fast fashion. That’s when Steinberg decided – in 2021 – to create Trail Network, with a production facility in West Boylston, Massachusetts. Today, the company has 15 employees and has seen a 40% increase in sales from the first half of 2023 to the first half of this year. He anticipates a 45% year-to-year increase.
At the end of the day, he said, merchandise is a marketing tool. But not every business is focused on that aspect of its brand. For Steinberg, it’s about quality materials and a personal touch that puts the clients’ names out there.
The proof is not in the pudding but in the hoodie or baseball cap.
“Once clients get a taste, they see better results from their customers.”
