made in wnc

business.” He said he and his team will help create a business model and plan, as well as discuss necessary items like fuel, insurance, and navigating Coast Guard regulations.

Before the pandemic, cruise ship companies were some of the company’s biggest clients. Williams said they use these boats at the ships’ destination ports and offer rides as excursions for passengers. These and other clients have brought Smoky Mountain Jet Boats all over the world including India, Korea, Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska. “I even sold a boat to the King of Bhutan,” Williams said. “I’m a royal boat purveyor.”

A recent project included constructing two Albemarle Class Catamarans — asymmetrical foil-assisted Coast Guard-inspected passenger vessels continued on next page that will provide a smoother and faster ride between small towns around the Albemarle Sound.

“These boats are 45 feet long and have to go 28 knots with 32 passengers at an 80% engine load,” Williams said. “The Sound is really shallow, and it’s hard to go fast over a short fetch. The client needed the catamaran style for stability and efficiency — it will ride on top of the waves instead of struggling and bumping along through them, allowing a smooth ride between towns for the passengers.”

Needmore Trailers, a subsidiary of Smoky Mountain Jet Boats, is one way that Williams is branching out to reach more customers. “It will take a while for people to realize aluminum boats are amazing in the recreational market,” he said. “It seems more industrial and ‘less blingy’ than fiberglass, and the jet boat market is a fairly small one. Trailer-making offers a much larger market.”

Williams’ trailers are also custom-built, offering a lightweight and strong product allowing customers to easily haul kayaks, motorcycles, side-by-sides, bicycles, construction project materials, or a combination of those and more.

Williams said the future looks amazing for business growth in Bryson City. Despite the focus on boats, he will always keep his company here in Western North Carolina. “I’ve been in Bryson City for a while now, and my business is well-established here,” he said. “There are great quality people here, and the cost of living and operating my business is affordable. Plus, the coast is too hot and flat. I just love living in the mountains.”

Tom Dempsey SylvanSport

Tom Dempsey, Founder and CEO of SylvanSport, said he and his wife used to frequently visit Western North Carolina, and he has always loved Brevard.

“I had been circling around the area with my career from early on when I started Perception Kayaks in Upstate South Carolina,” Dempsey said. “I remember looking out of my windows toward the mountains, and later I started another kayak company, Liquid Logic, here in 2004. That was the same year the paper mill closed. I saw an opportunity to be the third wave of economic success in the county.”

Dempsey described these waves of economy-supporting industries as the first being ‘extractors’ like loggers and miners, the second being businesses like the paper mill who came here to use the water and other natural resources, and the third being outdoor gear manufacturing. “There is no place I’d rather be,” Dempsey said, “for my personal and family life as well as for my business. SylvanSport customers are located in all 50 states and all the Canadian provinces, and many will happily drive here to pick up their products. We even have a whole section on our website to help customers plan their travels to our area.”

Located in Brevard, SylvanSport manufactures a variety of camping gear including the GO trailer, tents, sleeping bags, camp kitchens, and more. Despite the focus on trailers, Dempsey said he considers his company a gear company, not an RV company.

“Our roots are in kayaks and bikes, not campers,” Dempsey said. “We are making technical gear that just happens to be on wheels. The focus is on effectively hauling and storing your toys. That’s the priority for us, and for most RV companies, that is an afterthought.”

Dempsey said the company’s product ethos is that the gear can’t be onedimensional. “Our camp kitchens can also be used for tailgating, soccer tournaments, and backyard entertaining,” he said. “We are designing multiple layers of functionality in our products. Pairing that with the quality and unique design and engineering as well as being made in the US, our loyal customers are respectful of the price points of our products.”

The WNC region, according to Dempsey, has the perfect blend of manufacturing, retail, and tourism, and he said the environment in which it all takes place is so important. He said the quality of life offered by the area also attracts great talent, an aspect he appreciates as an employer. SylvanSport’s team consists of just under 30 employees, and Dempsey said many of them are also driven by the outdoors. “We even had a mandatory company rafting day at Nantahala Outdoor Center once,” he said.

The company operates on a ‘four 10s’ schedule through the winter, which Dempsey said helps his staff focus on being diligent and efficient, and provides the incentive of a three-day weekend. He said there is also a company social platform on which employees can communicate with each other, and there are often outdoor gatherings at trails or in parks on days off, and bike rides during lunch hours.

“This all helps with retention,” Dempsey said. “We have had zero turnover since 2019.”

Dempsey said his company’s economic impact on the region extends beyond his own staff. With 40 of his suppliers within a 100-mile radius of Brevard, he said his business easily keeps over 100 jobs going. “Trucks come in every day,” he said. “This helps our assembly line function like a mini auto plant. We keep a good flow going.” The lifeblood of the company’s future, according to Dempsey, is new products. He said they will expand gear products, and SylvanSports’ new Vast Travel Trailer is just the start of the company’s travel trailer models. He also said his vision for the future of the region is to be the hub of outdoor gear research and development.