As CEO of Innov8 Partners in Modesto California, Dan Costa has a 40-year track record of acquiring and building successful companies from the ground up. Dan’s companies typically focus on niche markets, including restaurants, natural food products, and high performance apparel. Current companies include Kevin’s Natural Foods, First Tactical, Noble Outfitters, and Noble Equestrian. Previous companies include Mallard’s Restaurant, Royal Robbins, 5.11 Tactical, and Sherpa Outdoor Gear.
Dan, a seasoned entrepreneur who has become one of the Central Valley’s business leaders despite never having graduated from high school, started work as a dishwasher in a Modesto restaurant as a teenager so that he could bring food home to his hungry family. He eventually became head chef of that restaurant and went on to found his own restaurant at the age of 22.
Dan has not forgotten his roots and the words “humble and hungry” describe the culture of his businesses which provide opportunity and reward hard work at every level from janitor to CEO. Every employee in Dan’s companies own stock in those companies and have shared in the success over the years as the companies have grown and prospered and eventually been sold. Dan’s businesses are a family affair. His wife Denise has played a key role, and Dan calls his daughter, Kelsie Costa, President and co-founder of Innov8 Partners, a force in marketing and branding.
As a longtime client of OW&E, Dan is a strong believer in the role of intellectual property in building and protecting the value of a business. “IP is serious business and an important part of the DNA of a company. Protecting the brand of your company is strategic,” says Dan. In the recent sale of a minority stake in Kevin’s Natural Foods – a company currently valued $600 to $700 million — to a private equity firm, Dan notes that it was essential that the company’s intellectual property portfolio was rock solid to obtain maximum value for the transaction.
“I got a wake-up call to the importance of intellectual property at an early age,” continues Dan. “After my first restaurant was on its feet, I purchased a local ice cream company and began to build what became a 30-restaurant chain called Velvet Creamery. We were making our own ice cream and I had the bright idea of creating a flavor named after my favorite candy bar called Almond Joy that we packaged and sold in local grocery stores. It wasn’t long until I received a cease and desist letter from a national candy company. So much for Almond Joy ice cream.” Dan realized that he too was going to need to protect his brands as his business grew and that he’d need a trademark lawyer to help.
Based on a referral from his local lawyer, Dan went to OW&E for advice in the 1980’s. “I drove into San Francisco to meet with Greg Owen and went up in the elevator in the big high rise feeling very out of my element. But Greg was just Greg. He made it simple. He educated me on IP in business and what we should be doing as a company to protect our brands. He explained the issues and the lay of the land for trademarks in a simple and straightforward way that I could understand and act on. It’s been that way for company after company in the years since.”
Greg says that Dan is a wonderful friend and client and relates how the Owens and Costas have come to know each other over the years both through work and play, including cruises on the Owen family classic motor vessel, Pat Pending. “Dan knows to call me early in the branding process, before his companies get too invested in a mark and branding campaign. Dan is smart, savvy, and decisive – the perfect client. I’ve learned a lot about creative business solutions working with Dan and am fortunate and grateful to have been part of his team for so many years.”
The relationship between Dan and OW&E has included 10 to 12 different businesses and countless names, designs and images. Dan speaks about Greg, saying “It’s a simple thing, but incredibly important, that Greg picks up the phone when I call or gets back to me within a few hours. He offers quick answers that allow me to move ahead with the business at hand.” But it’s not all about speed, Dan notes that “Greg is incredibly patient and strategic in the way he goes about securing the strongest IP protection possible for our companies. He keeps chipping away until we have a brand that is going to stand up to the competition over time.”
Dan concludes by echoing Greg’s appreciation for the strong relationship that has been created between his companies and OW&E, “What could be better? We all have to work to earn a living, but if you can do something you like, do it with people you like, and be good at it, you’re going to be happy at home. Owen Wickersham rings the bell for the ultimate business relationship and friendship.”