Outdoor Industry and Gear Production in Western NC
Mapping the Outdoor Industry Assets and Opportunities in the Region
Western North Carolina is a world class destination for a range of outdoor activities. Everyone from anglers to white water paddlers, from weekend hikers to 5.12 climbers can find places here for their favorite adventures. More than just a hub for travelers, the region serves as headquarters to the makers and manufacturers that bring to life the tools needed for all manner of outdoor adventure.
Hiking
Appalachian Trail
With some of the highest peaks in the Eastern U.S., more than 60 waterfalls and nearly 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail, Western North Carolina is an irresistible destination for hikers interested in easy loops or all day adventures.
Local Industry Leaders: Triple Aught Design, American Backcountry, Harmony House Foods
Climbing
Looking Glass
Whether the multi-pitch quartzite of Linville Gorge, the Whitesides granite of Looking Glass, or the fields of gneiss boulders in Rumbling Bald, Western North Carolina offers a variety of climbing to challenge and enchant all levels.
Local Industry Leaders: Misty Mountain, Armbury, Alpine Towers International
Paddling
North Toe River
The sheer number of calm water lakes and rushing mountain rivers mean there are countless destinations across Western NC just waiting to be paddled.
Local Industry Leaders: Astral, Liquidlogic, Bellyak
Mountain Biking
Pisgah National Forest
With gravel roads winding through forested valleys and steep climbs - and descents - up and down Blue Ridge mountainsides, Western North Carolina is a great place to experience all mountain biking has to offer.
Local Industry Leaders: Cane Creek, Cognative MTB, Kitsbow
Outdoor Gear Manufacturing Sites
Of the 32 select industries in the region's outdoor economy, seven are focused on manufacturing.
- Textile Bag and Canvas Mills
- Other Apparel Knitting Mills
- Lawn and Garden Tractor and Home Lawn and Garden Equipment Manufacturing
- Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing
- Boat Building
- Motorcycle, Bicycle and Parts Manufacturing
- Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing
The cluster of outdoor gear makers specializing in this manufacturing activity creates a strong local supply chain. Of the $122 million in industry-to-industry purchases made in 2020, 34% - or $42 million - were made within the region mapped below. Opportunities may exist to close gaps on imported purchases that these industries require.
Explore the map and click on the green location markers to find the outdoor industry names making products in Western North Carolina.
Outdoor Gear Manufacturers in WNC
Aerial Adventure Tech Alpine Towers International American Backcountry Appalachian Riverboard Company Apple Hill Farm Armbury Astral Avery Knife Works Axe and Awl Leatherworks Bellyak BIG Adventures Big Weekend BlackMTN Adventure Apparel Block by Block Blue Ridge Chair Works Blyss Running BoatGirl Bonafide Kayaks Boondocks Camper Manufacturing Cane Creek Carolina Mountain Trout Cognative MTB Confluence Outdoor Cross Canvas Cunningham Knives DeFeet Diamond Brand Outdoors Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) Echoview Fiber Mill Farm to Feet Fifth Element Camping FOX Factory French Broad Boatworks Glen Raven/Sunbrella Gnarcissist Sunglasses Greene Precision Products Gulo Composites H&T Chair Co/Anywhere Chairs H20 Rescue Harmony House Foods Industry Nine Kitsbow Cycling Apparel Leisure Craft Lightheart Gear Liquid Logic Kayaks Lucky Sheep LuRay Textiles M2S Bikes Mills Manufacturing Misty Mountain Threadworks Mount Inspiration Apparel Nivo Chairs OGRE Öhlins Suspension Oowee Products Outrider USA PerryCraft Recover Brands Rightline Gear Rockgeist Shira Forge Simple Shot Shooting Sports SkirtWorks Smart Bottle Smoky Mountain Jetboat Builder Stahlsac Swaygo Gear SylvanSport The Milk & Honey Co. The TARPestry Co. Triple Aught Design Tsuga LLC Watershed Drybags Winkler Knives
Workforce Development Programs
Western North Carolina offers a wide variety of vocational and academic programs to produce a skilled workforce capable of supporting the outdoor industry's growth. The region's strong manufacturing base means companies building outdoor gear can attract the talent needed to produce the best possible products.
From 2015-2020, the seven manufacturing industries supporting outdoor gear builders saw job growth of 79%. Education and workforce development programs help ensure the region can meet this demand for skilled workers.
Explore the map below to see the educational institutions training the outdoor industry's labor force with the skills needed to succeed at all levels.
Bachelor and Associate Degree Institutions
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (AB Tech) Appalachian State University Western Carolina University McDowell Technical Community College Southwestern Community College Blue Ridge Community College Mayland Community College Tri-County Community College University Of North Carolina - Asheville Wilkes Community College Haywood Community College Mars Hill University Montreat College Lees-McRae College Brevard College Warren Wilson College Blue Ridge Community College - Brevard Campus South College Asheville WCU Biltmore Park AB Tech - Madison Campus Wingate University - Hendersonville Lenoir-Rhyne University
Outdoor Gear and Medical Technologies
A handful of outdoor industry manufacturers pivoted operations during the pandemic, with apparel manufacturers utilizing their textile experience to make masks and boat makers applying their skills shaping plastics to produce face shields and other PPE.
In the early days of the pandemic, cycling apparel manufacturer Kitsbow shifted from making high-end outerwear to producing cloth masks. With an in-house team comprised of a pattern maker, materials sourcing expert, clothing construction expert and a production designer, Kitsbow developed an original cloth mask design over four days that earned recognition from The New York Times and others as among the best reusable face mask on the market.
"We had 20,000 orders within 20 hours. I have never experienced anything like that in my business life," said David Billstrom, Kitsbow CEO.
To meet the initial spike in demand for PPE, Kitsbow added a second shift and ramped up its workforce of experienced sewers, doubling its workforce of skilled sewers from 27 to 60 in just six days. All Kitsbow products, including the cloth masks, are produced inside their factory in Old Fort.
"We survived the pandemic in part because we were doing this work. I'm fond of saying many of our best employees today joined during the pandemic," Billstrom added.
Media coverage of Kitsbow's PPE work led to contracts with healthcare providers and relationships with new suppliers in the region. Two years later, Kitsbow ended new mask orders after producing over 143,000 cloth masks, contributing to over $3 million in sales.
"The pandemic illustrated the advantages of doing everything here as opposed to going around the world to try to save a little on cost," Billstrom said. "The supply chain within the region allowed us do to this."
SylvanSport, makers of unique trailers for camping, paddling, cycling and mountain biking, began rolling out a couple thousand face shields a day in the early stages of the pandemic.
"We knew what materials were needed and we had those suppliers in our supply chain already," Tom Dempsey, SylvanSport's CEO said. "Our objective was to keep our whole team employed. In the end, we didn't lose a single payroll hour."
In addition to continued production on their pop-up trailers with screened in tents – which were used as rapid deployable shelters and triage stations outside medical offices – SylvanSport made about 100,000 face shields during the first year of the pandemic.
"Having those similar aligner materials and processes allowed us to make that shift," Dempsey said.
To Dempsey, the experience of shifting production during the disruption caused by the pandemic highlighted the collaboration across the region's outdoor gear industries.
“A whole group of companies, large and small, all came together and did what they could. It truly was a collaboration with everyone working together to do what their skillsets allowed," Dempsey said.
These shifts made by outdoor industries during the pandemic highlighted the sector's resilience. By building a connection with the region's healthcare sector, outdoor gear manufacturers showed how creativity, collaboration, and problem solving can weather economic disruptions.
Explore the map below to view details of the region's medical technology companies and their proximity to outdoor gear manufacturers.
Medical Technology Manufacturers
Adhezion Biomedical LLC Albemarle U.S. Inc. Alliance Precision Plastics Corp. Avadim Health Inc. Baxter Healthcare Corp. BioVendor LLC Crane Resistoflex Earth Renewable Technologies Inc. Enplas Life Tech Exela Pharma Sciences LLC Fillauer North Carolina Inc. Giles Chemical Haywood Vocational Opportunities Inc. Jabil Packaging Solutions (Asheville) King Bio Inc. Medical Action Industries Inc. Micro Audiometrics Corp. Printpack Inc. RAUMEDIC Inc. Relion Manufacturing Inc. Smart Products Inc. Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) Thermo Fisher Scientific (Weaverville)
Locations for Growth in the Region
Economic developers in Western North Carolina maintain a database mapping sites for industrial and commercial development. This tool, embedded below, offers both information on land available for development and details on existing properties that are more move-in ready. To research available sites in a separate window, click on the square/arrow icon in the upper right hand corner of the map.
North Carolina Prospector: Economic Development Available sites, buildings, demographics, businesses and GIS mapping
With established businesses in place, strong workforce development programs preparing new workers, and connections to other key sectors offering opportunities in the region, Western North Carolina's outdoor industries are ready for continued growth.
