Menswear maker Paul Fredrick relocating headquarters to Baltimore County

Menswear brand Paul Fredrick will relocate its headquarters to Baltimore County from Pennsylvania later this year, the county announced.

The relocation will bring 70 jobs to the county over five years — a mix of existing positions and new hires, Baltimore County Executive Don Mohler said, adding that he was coincidentally sporting a Paul Fredrick shirt Thursday.

“As these companies look to relocate, they look to identify a jurisdiction that has a really strong workforce,” said Mohler, adding that that’s what Baltimore County offers.

It’s unclear where the company’s new headquarters will be, but Paul Fredrick will lease up to 10,000 square feet of space in the county.

The deal to lure the company to Baltimore County from its headquarters in Fleetwood, Pa., northwest of Philadelphia near Reading, has been in the works since late spring.

Paul Fredrick sells dress shirts, sport coats, pants, ties and other men’s accessories.

Founded in 1986, it’s now led by former executives of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, including CEO Neal Black and CFO David Ullman. The company is owned by Newport Beach, Calif.-based ClearLight Partners, which brought in Black and Ullman to run Paul Fredrick in January.

Jos. A Bank was headquartered in Hampstead until it was acquired by Men’s Wearhouse in 2014 after a fierce takeover tussle.

“We are pleased to be moving our office to Baltimore County,” Black said in a statement. “Our team is looking forward to being in the greater Baltimore area, which has a long history in the apparel manufacturing business, and where we have the ability to hire from the area’s rich talent pool and terrific local colleges and universities.”

Mohler said the marketing, merchandising and other creative positions at Paul Fredrick will add to the vibrancy of the county’s workforce. He pointed to the county’s portfolio of white- and blue-collar jobs in sectors from health care to manufacturing.

“This will just contribute to that mix,” he said.