In this episode of Culture Uncovered, Jena Dunay sits down with Jessica Stonebraker, Head of People and Culture at MUNICIPAL APPAREL to explore what it's like to build culture at a fast-scaling, celebrity-backed apparel brand co-founded by Mark Wahlberg.
Jessica shares how she joined Municipal as a consultant on the recruitment side when the company had just 12-13 employees, and how that role grew into building the people and culture function from the ground up. The conversation dives into the company's "builder mentality" culture — where employees act as "mini founders" within their own departments — and what separates team members who thrive in that ambiguity from those who struggle with it.
The episode also covers Municipal's generous product stipends and employee discounts, its evolving approach to quarterly professional development workshops, and an honest look at the growing pains of scaling past the "pressure cooker" stage, including reworking a non-traditional org chart as roles and responsibilities shift.
What You'll Learn
How Municipal Apparel was founded on a golf course by Mark Wahlberg and his business partners
What "builder mentality" and being a "mini founder" actually looks like day to day
How Municipal approaches employee benefits by digging into underused existing offerings, not just adding new ones
What generous product stipends and employee discounts look like for new hires and their families
How Municipal structures quarterly workshops around financial planning, career discovery, and leadership
Why the company is currently re-evaluating its non-traditional org chart as it scales past early-stage chaos
Company Highlights
Industry: Active lifestyle apparel and footwear ("sport utility gear")
Customer Base: People who move fluidly between fitness, work, family, and travel rather than fitting one lifestyle category
Company Stage: Founded in 2019, launched in 2020, ~31 employees (about a third hired this year), omnichannel with HQ/retail in Oceanside, CA and a store in West Hollywood
Culture: Builder-minded, mission-connected, growth-oriented, and intentionally non-traditional in structure
Focus Areas: Brand storytelling, community events, employee wellness, and scaling from startup to a more structured organization
Unique Perks & Programs
Generous Onboarding Product Stipend: New hires are kitted out in the brand from day one, with ongoing perks extended to family members
Employee & Friends-and-Family Discounts: Substantial ongoing discounts plus seasonal stipends for retail team members
Free Professional Coaching: One-on-one coaching access for all employees, led by Jessica, a certified coach herself
Quarterly Growth Workshops: Rotating topics like financial planning, career discovery, and leadership communication
Municipal Gyms Partnership: A new luxury gym concept launching with EOS, opening first in Las Vegas
Community Events Program: Frequent in-office and community gatherings, including a weekly entrepreneur meetup
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