Made in the High Country 2016

[ Global Manufacturing ]

[ AEV ]

[ Hospitality Mints ]

[ Elephant Structures ] I N D U ST RY • CRA FTS ME N • INNO VA TO RS • E NTRE PRE NE U RS

A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF

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Made in the High Country

Sept. 28, 2016

PHOTO SUBMITTED Some of High Country Timberframe’s most popular work includes timber frame design and construction, which can be seen all over this home’s ceiling.

Boone-based timber frame company leaves national footprint

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igh Country Timberframe and Gallery Woodworking is a company specializing in timber frame design and construction based in Boone since 1995. The company is a licensed general contractor in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, but has work throughout the U.S., including at The New York Botanical Gardens, Dawes Arboretum and others.

The company is co-owned by Tom Owens and Peter Jankowski. Owens said he moved to Boone to get away from the high cost of living of Northern California, where he worked as a carpenter, and found in Boone just what he was looking for — a quiet, rural place to work.

Owens met Jankowski in 1994 while working for another builder, and they often found themselves working on challenging projects together. They thought that by starting a business they would continue to get challenging work, which proved to be true, Owens said.

Along with general timber frame work, the company

provides a variety of services, including custom designed and crafted furniture, heavy timber construction and traditional Japanese and Western European timber framing design and construction. Each project can take an average of nine-12 months to complete.

Although more traditional and Western European timber framing are some of the most popular styles in the area, Owens said he is passionate about Japanese timber framing because it is a very old, elegant and unique craft.

“What attracts me most about Japanese timber framing is its elegance, humility and intimacy,” Owens said.

“It’s very warm emotionally and it requires a lot of hard work and soul in its construction since it is all handmade.”

Unfortunately, Japanese timber framing is a craft that is being lost in Japan. High Country Timberframe is one of 30 companies in the U.S. that does Japanese timber framing, Owens said.

High Country Timberframe 689 George Wilson Road Boone, NC 28607 (828) 264-8971 timberinfo@highcountrytimberframe.com Together, Owens and Jankowski have spread their passion for well-designed timber frames, not only through their work, but also by serving in the community.

In the past, Owens said they have donated to Special Olympics North Carolina and OASIS, a nonprofit organization that serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“We like to support the causes that we believe in,” Owens said. “With OASIS, for example, we believe everyone should have a safe place to go that’s both healthy and emotionally safe.”

Made in the High Country

Sept. 28, 2016

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Hospitality Mints 40 Years in Boone and on top of its game

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ospitality Mints is celebrating 40 years as a business in Boone, and it is doing so while leaning forward, leading the way in a very competitive industry.

Hospitality Mints is a company that combines branding, innovation and efficiency to provide a product that pleases the public, while helping businesses advertise themselves in a unique way.

Four decades ago, the folks at Hospitality Mints began to produce candies encased in wrappers that were printed with the logo of businesses that were giving out the delicious treats to established and potential customers alike. Today, with 153 High Country employees onboard, Hospitality Mints has taken things to a new level.

In 2016, Hospitality Mints routinely produces 7 million to 8 million wrapped candies a day. Not 8 million wrapped candies in a week or a month, but in a single two-shift workday.

Hospitality Mints also makes its own candy, shipping in 40,000 pounds of sugar daily and using state of the art machinery to make everything from hard peppermint swirls and fancy chocolates, to their trademark butter mints and much more.

There are other reasons why Hospitality Mints is the leader in its field, however, and that is due to their penchant for amazing customer service. Due to proprietary technology and the innovation and talent of the company’s employees, they can take an idea, create a logo, make the candies and wrap them and ship them to the client in impressive time.

If you are a new customer, Hospitality Mints can start from scratch and ship your company-branded candies in seven to 10 days. If you are a regular customer, they can turn around a new branded candy shipment in as little as four days.

On top of that, they have mastered the concept of scale. Big companies making big orders are the bulk of Hospitality Mints’ trade. Yet, if you are a small business, group or individual who would like to buy just one case of branded mints with your logo on them, Hospitality Mints will gladly fill your order.

Many of the employees at Hospitality Mints are either from the Boone area or went to Appalachian State University and found a reason to stay in the High Country. Others come from other parts of the country.

Bill Wacaster, vice president of the Printing

Hospitality Mints 213 Candy Lane Boone, NC 28607 (828) 264-3045 hospitalitymints.com Division, has been with Hospitality Mints for 25 years.

“The one thing that makes our company so valuable is that other companies that have been in existence that are still struggling to stay in existence do not have in-house printers,” says Wacaster. “We are the company with in-house printers, so we can turn the product around quickly. Other people farm out their printing to other companies, who then have to send the printed wrappers back.

That takes time. Because of that, they have to go for the larger sales because you can’t do the little orders that way. They won’t do one case. We will do one case and we will print for you whatever you want on the wrapper.

We ship our products from South America to Canada.”

Wacaster enjoys his job, which makes for a positive, though hectic, day.

“I love it,” says Wacaster. “It is always changing. When I started working here, I never would have imagined that I would be here 25 years later. But it is a well-oiled machine and it is fun. The people that work here are great. It is always entertaining and everyone wants to help everybody out. It is not like any other place that I have worked at before.”

Richard Townsend, a Boone native, has also worked for Hospitality Mints for more than two decades. When he began as an employee years ago, everybody wore different hats as far as their duties. Townsend worked his way up through the ranks to head of production the old-fashioned way, step by step.

“When we were a smaller company, I worked in shipping and also worked in one of the rooms where we wrapped our candy,” said Townsend. “I worked here probably a year before they realized I had a degree from Appalachian State. It never came up. Then, there was an opportunity that became available, so I put in for the job and was recommended for the job. When they asked me if I could handle the position, I said, ‘Well, I have a degree in business management, so I think I could do it.’ They said, ‘So you’ve had a degree here the whole time and we didn’t know it?’ Anyway, that was my first break.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED Hospitality Mints is celebrating 40 years as a business in Boone.

As Hospitality Mints grew, Townsend began to climb the ladder, and that meant dealing with changing technology.

“It is a lot more technical process now than it was in those days,” says Townsend. “A lot of our equipment is specialized, and a lot of our employees are highly trained candy makers. It is not like you can pull anybody off the street who can do it. The key for us, just like any other successful business, is having good people. My job is to take the wrappers and make the candy and put it all together and fill the orders and get them out of here in a time frame that most people think is crazy. Our

goal is to be 99 percent on time and complete with our orders, and we hit that every month.

At some point our regular customers will expect that and we want them to say, ‘Hospitality Mints will do what they say they will do.’

And, that is a big deal for us.”

To celebrate their 40th year in business, the folks at Hospitality Mints have rebranded themselves with a more modern logo, offered specials to their regular customers and treated their employees with a special picnic in September. They are a shining example of a High Country organization that has only gotten better with time.

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Made in the High Country

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Sept. 28, 2016

American Emergency Vehicles Creating jobs and saving lives American Emergency Vehicles 165 American Way Jefferson, NC 28640 (336) 982-9824 www.aev.com

S

ince 1991, American Emergency Vehicles has been a pillar in Ashe County, providing the country with quality emergency vehicles while providing nearly 500 jobs in the county.

“AEV is one of the largest ambulance manufacturers in the country,” said Jeff Dreyer, AEV’s director of manufacturing.

“We build more domestic ambulances than anybody else in the country. We’re quite proud of that fact. We’re expanding like crazy. We’ve put on about 100 people in the last year because of our expansion, both here and over at the new facility, the Gates Facility, that we’ve spent several million dollars on refurbishing.”

The new Gates Facility houses AEV’s refurbishing plant, where 50 employees take in vehicles needing a bit of a facelift.

“They do all the reconditioning and all

PHOTO SUBMITTED American Emergency Vehicles cabinetmakers Mike Bare, left, and Ivan Lambert get started on their next project.

the remounting of the older vehicles,” added Dreyer. “In other words, an old ambulance will come in and the chasse will be worn out and we’ll take it off and put a new chasse underneath it, repaint in, refurbish it and send it right back to the customer.”

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Since the refurbishing plant opened, AEV has reconditioned an average of two vehicles a week with hopes of doubling that number by 2017. The company’s headquarter facility produces about 26 new ambulances a week.

“We sell our vehicles through a dealer network,” Dreyer explained. “They’re their own privately owned, independently held businesses that market our vehicles all across the country and a couple of export dealers. They will take an order on any platform; Ford, Chevrolet, Mercedes Benz, Freight Liner, Navistar up to Kenworth, all platforms and they will take the initial order of what the customer wants, and or the requirements. We will then take it from that point and put it on a platform, model it, make sure it’s safe, make sure it’s feasible and then we’ll start the process.”

After more than 25 years in business, AEV is the only ambulance manufacturer that operates in a partnership with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a model safe work environment.

AEV is also considered an OSHA Star Company.

As well as making safety a top concern for their clients, AEV puts its employees and their community as their No. 1 priority.

“We actually participate in many things, some seen and some unseen,” added Dreyer. “We sponsor ball clubs of all types. Our employees, their kids play ball and they need sponsorship, so we sponsor them. We support our community civic center through the Blue Ridge Brutal bike ride sponsorship. We man one of the rest stops. We’ve done that for the last four years in a row. Our folks who man those rest stops have an absolute ball out there feeding those riders and handing

the drinks off. We sponsor the education endowment tournament, the Shriners golf tournament; most everything that’s out there, we are a part of.”

“Something else unique to us is we have an employee/payroll deduction for charity that the company matches,” he continued. “We have good participation. It’s a voluntary program where employees can donate as little or as much they want with a dollar minimum per week pay period. I think last year, cumulatively, the company does a match of whatever the employees donate and I think we donated $35,000 last year to five local charities, which the employees vote on as well. Charities are submitted to us, they’ll take the 10 that we’ve got and vote on the top five who will receive a nice little check at Christmas time.”

Dreyer added he is happy with the longevity of AEV and looks forward to the company’s future.

“I wish we had that crystal ball, but I think you will see a well-rounded, wellrouted company that is at least the size that we are, if not a little bit stronger and a little bit bigger,” Dreyer said. “I think this entire operation will move over to that other facility under one roof, which will be nice because right now we’re spread apart in two buildings. Plus, who knows, some of the things we currently farm out, we may bring back in house and do ourselves. That’s more people in Ashe County at work. I like to think there is no better place in the world to do what we do than right here in Ashe County. I like to think that Ashe County and AEV have matured together in concert with each other.

This is a wonderful place with a wonderful workforce. I just can’t imagine doing this anywhere else.”

Sept. 28, 2016

Made in the High Country

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Made in the High Country

Sept. 28, 2016

Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farm

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PHOTOS SUBMITTED Clint Cornett poses with a massive wreath made at Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farm.

Finely Crafted Timber Frames Since 1979

828-264-2314 • 800-968-9663 • www.harmonytimber works.com

here is something irreplaceable about a real Christmas tree.

Nothing brings the season home quite like bundling up the family, trudging through a field in the sharp winter air and picking out the perfect tree.

While there are plenty of places to find a Fraser fir in the High Country, The Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farm stands out from the crowd.

Located off the appropriately named Tannenbaum Lane in Vilas, the farm is a long established institution in the High Country’s expansive Christmas tree industry.

Beginning operation in 1986, the Cornett Deal farm has been a family affair from the start. Following in their father’s footsteps, Diane Cornett Deal and her brother, Dale, planted the first trees at the farm on land that had once belonged to their ancestors.

Now, 30 years later, the farm is staffed by four generations of the Cornett and Deal families.

Since its inception, the farm has specialized in growing Fraser fir Christmas trees, a hearty breed of evergreen that flourishes in the high elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains. According to the its website, a six-to seven-foot tree on the farm has grown for approximately seven years and is about 12 years old from seed.

The farm’s website said that the Fraser fir was the perfect species for the quintessential Christmas tree.

“Their fast growth and strong branches that typically reach upward give them a compact form, with hardly any ‘holes’ in between branches and needles. This, combined with their fantastic fragrance, strong limbs and ability to retain their needles after being cut, with proper watering, are the main reason why the Fraser fir tree has long been used as a Christmas tree.”

But a visit to the Cornett Deal farm can send visitors home with more than just a

Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farm (828) 964-6322 142 Tannenbaum Lane, Vilas, NC 28692 www.cdtreefarm.com tree, what the Vilas farm really offers is a family experience that resonates through the generations.

The reason we keep doing this is for the families that keep coming to our farm year after year,” Deal said. “They brought their children and now those children are bringing their own children.”

As well as trees, the farm also offers guests a selection of local crafts, including handmade pottery and glass ornaments created by Cornett Deal. Also available are homemade wreaths, centerpieces and bows.

In addition to a fully stocked gift shop, the farm also plays host to a hayride that can carry visitors to the different fields to choose the perfect tree. A bluegrass music show is put on by the High Country Bloomers and you can find the date of their appearance by visiting cdtreefarm.com Cornett Deal said one of the things that makes her farm special is the small, family feel it extends to visitors.

“One of the things that separates Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farms is that it is off the beaten path,” Cornett Deal said. “You have to go to the western line of Watauga County, close to the Tennessee state line. I don’t have large crowds of people coming, so when you come to the farm, you’re treated as family, not just a customer.

Through the years, many of the people have become great friends of mine. It’s become family tradition.”

For more information on The Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farm, visit cdtreefarm.com.

The farm hauls their perfect Fraser Fir Christmas trees out by the truckload over the holiday season.

Made in the High Country

Sept. 28, 2016

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At Goodnight

Brothers Country Ham it’s always been all about family

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t Goodnight Brothers Country Ham, it’s always been all about family.

Founded as a produce company by five brothers in the late 1940s, and incorporated in 1952, Goodnight Brothers remains family owned and family operated, with employees treated like family as well.

Goodnight Brothers’ products have changed — the produce business transformed into one of the nation’s largest country ham producers, a supplier to major food distributors, supermarket chains and restaurants.

The people? Not so much. President Jim Goodnight and vice president Bill Goodnight, sons of two of the founders, are running a company with 125 full-time employees. About 25 of the employees have been with the company for at least 10 years.

Another 15 or so have been there for at least five.

Bill Goodnight said the company offers “above-average” pay, as well as health insurance and a 401k program.

On rare occasions when business slows, the company avoids layoffs by finding other tasks around the facility for employees to do.

“I’ve been here 31 years and it’s been great because of the people I work for,” said curing manager Mike McGinnis.

Goodnight Brothers (828) 246-8892 P.O. Box 287 Boone, NC 28607 www.goodnightbrothers.com It was the concern of the five founding brothers for their workers that led to the company’s thriving country ham business.

Running a produce company — first out of the basement of their grandmother’s Perkinsville home, and then out of a downtown Boone location — the brothers had no work for employees during the offseason.

The brothers bought Boone Supermarket around 1956, and began selling produce and food items — including some country ham — at the store. It was the meat manager, remembered affectionately as “Mr. York,” who came up with the idea to expand country ham sales into a business of its own in 1971.

Around that time, Jim Goodnight left a teaching job in South Carolina to run the country ham business. Bill joined the company in 1985 after graduating from Appalachian State.

“Dad was looking for something to keep the employees working during the winter,” Jim said. “We started to cure hams, and that

Employees use a variety of cutting instruments to debone, slice and cut hams.

PHOTO SUBMITTED Bill Goodnight holds up his company’s All-Natural Thin Sliced Ham, its version of ‘Southern Prosciutto.’

took nine or 10 months. They were pretty well received and we just kept increasing them.”

In 1994, Goodnight moved its curing operation to its current facility on Industrial Park Drive in Boone. The offices moved there in 1999. The facility was expanded in 2004.

Most of Goodnight’s current 40,000square-foot facility is used for its curing process.

McGinnis and his assistant manager, Scott Deiters, oversee the curing of six or seven loads of 40,000 pounds each of ham each week. It takes about three months to prepare each traditional ham for the market.

During the curing, salt and other seasonings and preservatives are applied twice in a five-day period. Then, hams are rotated through three temperature phases, beginning with a 50-day winter phase followed by shorter spring and summer phases where the room temperatures rise from 38 to 94 degrees.

The unique smell of curing ham wafts throughout the facility.

“When I walk through here, I’m like, ‘Where’s some bacon and eggs? I’m ready to eat,” said Deiters, who’s been with the company 15 years.

Busy hanging hams as they rotate them through the three-phase hanging process, curing employees start work at 6:15 a.m. Lifting hams, normally weighing 17-24 pounds, might not seem overly strenuous. But, at the rate of a half-dozen truckloads per week, it can take a toll.

“It takes two or three weeks to get used to it,” Deiters said. “You use muscles in this place you never knew you had.”

When the curing is finished, the boning, cutting and slicing begins with a collection of knives and cutting tools.

Bill said about 90 percent of the hams are deboned and sliced to the specification of customers. Many of the remaining whole hams are sold with the label of the Dan’l

Boone Inn, the Boone landmark whose name helped them get their products in grocery stores.

Goodnight Brothers produces 40 cuts of ham products. Although most of the meat is sliced for stores or restaurant use, most of the hams are used — right down to ham hocks and soup bones. The company does all of its packaging in-house.

One of Goodnight’s newest products is its All Natural Thin Sliced Ham. Containing no nitrites, only pork, sea salt, cane sugar, brown sugar and celery powder, it’s fondly referred to as “Southern Prosciutto” by Bill.

As one of the nation’s largest country ham producers, Goodnight Brothers produces 12 million pounds of its prime product each year.

Goodnight is quickly expanding its production of natural (made from free-range pork cured with sea salt and celery powder and no nitrates) uncured ham, which it sells at outlets such as Earth Fare and Whole Foods.

The Goodnights take pride in their products. Their cured ham has significantly more salt and less moisture than the government standards.

The company is recognized as one of the industry leaders. Bill is the president of the National Country Ham Association, a group of about 25-30 commercial producers throughout the country.

Goodnight Brothers ham won first place in the NCHA’s unsmoked division in 2013.

The original donor of Appalachian State University’s Goodnight Sustainable Development Program, the company provides several four-year scholarships to ASU. It is also a financial backer of Johnson & Wales University and its prominent culinary arts program.

“I try to promote the industry,” Bill Goodnight said. “Nobody’s getting into this business.

“We’re keeping methods of our forefathers but using technology to improve them.”

Made in the High Country

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Sept. 28, 2016

H&TChair We are factory direct manufacturers of the highest quality oak wood beach furniture, including wood beach chairs, beach umbrellas and cabanas since 1969.

Our furniture is handcrafted by the renowned North Carolina Furniture Tradesmen.

H & T Chair Co., Inc. H&T Chairs are made in the USA with oak, brass hardware, two coats of spar vanish, and covered with Sunbrella® and Outdura material. All of our wood beach furniture and oak wood beach chairs can be used everywhere in the most adverse beach weather. Storage is easy wooden beach chairs fold to allow easy handling. Home, hotel and concession owners know our beach furniture worldwide.

Rick Todd, President 1598 Meat Camp Rd. Boone, NC 828-264-7742 rctodd@charter.net htchair.net

FROM UCC’S LANSING FACTORY

TO SUPPORT OF OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY,

UCC PRIDE IS MOUNTAIN GROWN!

Strategic acquisitions and alliances

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eviton has evolved from an old-line, United States-based manufacturer of electrical products, primarily for the building industry, to a global provider of electrical wiring devices, data connectivity solutions, security and automation controls, and lighting and energy management systems for a variety of end-use markets.

With a focus on diversifying its business and accelerating growth areas, Leviton has grown through strategic acquisitions and partnerships that allow the company to deliver best-in-class, innovative solutions to the marketplace.

• 2015: Leviton acquired Intense Lighting, LLC, a leading solutions-based manufacturer of LED luminaries based in Anaheim, Calif., in May 2015. The acquisition enhances Leviton’s current product offerings with a wide variety of specification grade LED lighting solutions for the commercial, hospitality, supermarket, retail and residential markets.

• 2013: Leviton acquired JCC Advanced Lighting, a United Kingdom-based leader in LED lighting suitable for a wide variety of residential and commercial applications, in October 2013. The acquisition established Leviton in the UK market and affords the company growth opportunities internationally.

• 2013: Leviton formed a long-term strategic agreement with Berk-Tek, a Nexans company, to create the Berk-Tek Leviton Technologies alliance in April 2013. The new alliance establishes the industry’s premier copper and fiber solution providing customers with a best-of-breed option for reliable and highperformance networks.

• 2012: Through the acquisition of Home Automation, Inc. (now Leviton Security & Automation) in August 2012, Leviton enhanced its current automation offerings — for residential and commercial applications — by providing solutions that combine security, energy management and entertainment controls, in user-friendly applications.

Made in the High Country

Sept. 28, 2016

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H&T: Beach chairs born in the mountains

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n the High Country, you don’t have to travel far to imagine the ocean breeze, crashing waves and sand beneath your feet — from the reclined comfort of a solid oak, handcrafted beach chair.

Tucked away in the valley of Meat Camp Creek is the headquarters for H&T Chair Company, a factory-direct manufacturer of quality wooden beach chairs, beach umbrellas and beach cabanas.

The company was founded in Florida in the late 1960s by Ed Hickey and Harrison Todd, who operated beach chair and umbrella concessions in the Sunshine State.

“They were using a different chair that didn’t meet their needs, (so) … they started building a better beach chair,” said Rick Todd, president of the company and nephew of Harrison Todd.

H&T Chair Co.’s pieces are constructed from white oak, stainless steel nails, brass hardware and synthetic canvas to withstand the elements and the rigors of daily use.

“Our chair was designed for use in the beach environment,” says Rick Todd. “We’re proud to put out a product that is needed and wanted.”

Todd’s uncle bought a farm property in Watauga County in the 1960s, and in 1970 H&T incorporated in Boone.

“It seemed to be a perfect match for the business — resources, labor, everything was at our fingertips. Furniture was at its peak in North Carolina,” explained Todd. “It was just a good match to do the business here and not somewhere else.”

Rick Todd spent summers in the High Country as a child and moved to the area full time in 1975: “I think I always had my feet here even though I had some sand in my shoes — I still had some clay in there, too.”

H&T Chair Co. 1598 Meat Camp Road • Boone, NC 28607 (828) 264-7742

PHOTO SUBMITTED H&T Chair Company President Rick Todd, left, displays a recently assembled beach chair frame.

He bought the family business in 1980 and says the High Country continues to meet his business needs. All components of the chairs and cabanas are cut, sanded, drilled, coated and assembled at H&T’s Watauga County factory, and common carrier freight ships H&T’s product all over the country. The chairs are also exported internationally, including the Asian market.

“It’s such a good place to live, and quality of life, access to everything, to nature, to resources that we may need — can you beat it?” he said.

H&T employs between 10 and 16 full- and part-time employees, including Mike Miller, who has worked there 36 years, and Jay Woodring, a 29-year employee. Appalachian State and Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute students sometimes land jobs at the company via job placement programs.

The local shop produces in excess of 5,000 to 6,000 chairs a year, with about 80 percent produced for commercial con-

cessionaires at hotels and resorts at locations such as Hilton Head and Galveston.

In the 1990s, Todd’s late wife, Mary Jane, expanded the business to provide resort-style chairs, umbrellas and cabanas to the public for individual use. The operation began with a booth at Blowing Rock’s Art in the Park event, and after success there, “Anywhere Chair and Friends” opened its doors at a storefront on N.C. 105 in Foscoe.

The Todds’ daughter, Elizabeth, now manages AnywhereChair.com, which has expanded its offerings to include not only H&T’s products, but also beach furniture and accessories from other suppliers — including companies based in North Carolina.

Of course, H&T’s sensational seats aren’t just confined to beachfronts and poolsides. Their chairs also lend themselves to other uses, such as director-style chairs made by H&T for Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants in Boone.

Todd says the company’s products have been knocked off by imitators, and about 12 years ago, H&T began stamping its logo underneath the chair armrest so that customers know they are buying — or renting — a quality-made chair.

On your next beach trip, look for the stamp — your chair on a sandy ocean shore could have been created in, as Todd puts it, H&T’s “nice little quiet manufacturing store up in the woods.”

For more information about H&T Chair Company, visit www.htchair.net or anywherechair.com.

For more Information, visit us at www.naturalham.com or call us at 800-828-4934

Made in the High Country

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Sept. 28, 2016

High Country Tactical Offering handcrafted firearms, preparedness items High Country Tactical 1320 Highway 105 Boone, N.C. hctac.com

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hen High Country Tactical moved from Foscoe to Boone, owner Tim Fox found a building that is bigger and hopefully more profitable.

His new shop, located on Highway 105 next to Casa Rustica restaurant, is stocked with different types of firearms, including handguns, rifles and highpowered rifles.

HCTAC also sells supplies, such as bulletproof vests, ammunition, survival gear, storage equipment, clothing, including boots, and survival food.

HCTAC also offers patches, gear, optics, knives, night vision goggles, sunglasses and shooting glasses.

HCTAC also offers custom-made Kydex holsters for small arms.

“We’re firearms dealers and we’re actually manufacturers,” Fox said. “And we’re not just your basic manufacturer. We’re Class 3, too, so we can manufacture full auto sharp L rifles, suppressors and those things in the firearms area. We deal in all brands. We have all different law enforcement contracts with different manufacturers. We give special pricing to first responders, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and things like that for their personal weapons. We have a special program with them — the manufactures do — so we deal with all of the manufacturers who offer those programs.”

Fox moved the business to Boone to a bigger building in the hopes that the business can grow. He’s hoping that the new location will draw more customers without losing the customer base he built in Foscoe.

“It was OK there, it just wasn’t doing it,” Fox said. “It was either make a jump or figure out what you’re going to do, so we took a leap and came here.”

Fox was in law enforcement for many years when he decided to go into the private sector.

A Florida native, he made the move to the High Country after selling his store, which included a shooting range, in Florida.

He was looking for a place to settle and

PHOTO SUBMITTED HCT has branched nationwide in the gun production business, but also offers many additional products, including clothing, patches, gear, optics, knives, equipment accessories, food, bags, night vision goggles, sunglasses, shooting glasses, boots and shirts.

possibly open a business in firearms sales and chose Watauga County.

He would eventually like to hand over

the business to his son, Logan, who is 20 and one of three employees who works with him.

Both he and his son have an interest in the business.

“My son is 20 years old now and I wanted to build something for him,” Fox said. “Since we live up here in the mountains, I figures that, OK, it’s something that he enjoys doing. He loves building these. He loves shooting. He trains. He teaches and all that.”

Fox said business has its seasons, just like other businesses. He will see a spike in business at the start of fall and at the start of winter.

His customers include anybody from law enforcement officers, other emergency personnel, those who have ties to the military, to citizens, including women, who are looking for personal protection.

“It’s cyclical,” Fox said. “Like any other business around here, there will be a slow time. Summer’s over, fall hasn’t started yet, so when fall picks up, we’ll have more traffic. When winter picks up, we’ll have a lot more traffic. Then comes March and April, we’ll be dead. We’ll still have our locals who will want what they want.”

Fox sells AR platform rifles, but also makes a brand that is specifically unique to HCTAC. He said he’s building 20 versions of the AR platform rifle, and they’ll be sold by the time they’re finished.

“We have regular sized rifles and we have SBRs, which are short-barreled rifles, so it’s a Class 3 item, which we have to get a special license to buy it.”

Fox said some customers buy such a high-powered weapon for hunting. Others buy it for just shooting, and others buy it for protection.

Fox said his company can take an average AR-15 and customize it to what any of his customers would like.

“The AR-15 is kind of like a Jeep Wrangler,” Fox said. “There are more aftermarket parts. There are more things you can do to customize it to make it what you want.”

Fox said that the AR-15 is like “any other rifle. It’s just a semi-automatic rifle and it shoots a very small bullet.”

Fox also offers training on how to use a gun safely, and helps advise new customers on which weapon would suit them best.

High Country Tactical is located at 1320 Highway 105 between Casa Rustica and Troy’s Diner.

Sept. 28, 2016

Made in the High Country

Page 11

Global Manufacturing Growing through technological advances

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lthough it hasn’t always been easy, Global Manufacturing Services Inc., a small but agile company in West Jefferson, continues to succeed, building and selling sophisticated circuit boards.

According to owner Andria Keith Robbins, business has changed a lot since the company began in 1987, mostly due to technological advances.

“Things keep getting smaller and small.

You now carry around in your pocket, a computer, what used to be put in a huge room,” Robbins said. “Everything had to shrink and get smaller, and you have to put more and more on the smallest amount.”

In the early days of circuit board production, pieces would literally be driven through the board itself.

Today, because more and more pieces are needed to be placed on smaller boards, the pieces are fitted on the top and bottom of boards.

According to Robbins, Global Manufacturing currently has 20 employees. The company operates year-round, typically running one shift.

One of the major products that Global Manufacturing’s circuit boards are used in is LED lights, such as the kind used to light parking lots. Circuit boards made

by Global Manufacturing also end up in soundboards for musical instruments, electronic door openers and heating and air controls.

The circuit boards made by Global Manufacturing range from 1 by ½ inch, to 4 feet by ½ inch, and everything in between.

“We don’t make the board, we make the assembly that goes on the board; so we order the boards, and then put the stuff on the boards,” Robbins said. “Then our customers do cool stuff with them.”

Global Manufacturing Services Inc. was founded in 1987 by Arlie Keith, Robbins’ father, in West Jefferson, under the name “General Assembly Corporation Inc.” At that time, the company built capacitors for a sole customer — United Chemi-Con. “In ’88, the year I came home from college, that summer my dad said, ‘We need to do something besides just having one customer.’ I sent a bunch of letters and we found another customer, but they didn’t

Global Manufacturing Services 140 Industrial Park Way West Jefferson, NC 28694 (336) 246-5143 www.gblms.com/ need what we were doing, they did circuit board stuff,” Robbins said. “So, we hired seven people, and started doing about 5,000 boards a week.”

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the father-daughter team slowly built the business, focusing more and more on circuit boards. At its peak, the company recorded $8 million in sales annually. Last year, the business moved away from selling to United Chemi-Con, moving totally to circuit boards.

In 2005, the family-owned business was sold to an individual investor with a lot of experience in the industry. By the recession of 2008 though, the business, under the new management, had failed, and sales had fallen by about half.

“It’s not that he wasn’t a good guy or a good businessman, he just didn’t always do the best job handling our customers,” Robbins said. “It shows that your relationship with people is really what makes things work.”

Not willing to see their creation fail, Keith and Robbins bought their company back, undertaking the daunting task of restoring the business to its former level of business.

With their minds set on a fresh start, the business was renamed Global Manufacturing Services Inc. However, the first couple of years weren’t easy.

The changeover happened at the onset of the near catastrophic economic meltdown of 2008. The High Country was hit the hardest in 2009-10, and according to Robbins, those were the toughest years.

“Those first two years were really hard.

Our vendors would talk to us, and we had to really work hard to build it back,” Robbins said. “Right now, we don’t owe anyone anything, and we’re not at the $8 million mark, but we’re doing great.”

Recently, Global Manufacturing became a female-owned business, when Robbins took over as primary owner from her retiring father.

PHOTO SUBMITTED Global Manufacturing Services is located in West Jefferson.

As Global Manufacturing continues to grow in the industry under Robbins’ leadership, the business is constantly looking for innovative ways to improve.

With a “never settle” attitude and hard work methodology, they strive to give their customers the best experience, quality products and reliability they can provide.

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Made in the High Country

Page 12

Sept. 28, 2016

UCC places emphasis on community United Chemi-Con contributes thousands to local causes United Chemi-Con 185 McNeil Road Lansing, NC 28643 (336) 384-2551

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or more than 60 years, the capacitor manufacturing facility located along New River’s gently flowing North Fork in northwestern Ashe County has been an anchor for the area’s economy.

Identified for the past 20 of those years as United Chemi-Con (UCC), the local plant began in 1953 as Sprague Electric Company and has employed several thousand High Country residents during the years.

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are not readily identifiable by most Ashe County citizens, but they play an important role in our everyday lives. Capacitors provide essential technology in such recognizable products as TVs, radios, computers, automobiles, HVAC and white goods, along with industrial uses such as wind/solar, GPS, welding, flash lighting and electronic control systems.

Virtually every segment of the electronics and electrical industry is served with products from United Chemi-Con. UCC’s parent company, Nippon ChemiCon, is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and is the largest aluminum capacitor manufacturer in the world, with manufacturing and sales locations in the U.S., Europe and Southeast Asia.

With 130 dedicated and highly skilled employees, the Ashe County facility designs, manufactures and distributes its premium capacitors all over the world.

But UCC is not only about remarkable products, it is about local people and the High Country. Its philosophy is to support the local community through donations of time and money to a wide range of organizations in which its employees participate and from which they and their families benefit.

Both the company and its employees actively participate in many worthy projects, as evidenced by twice being awarded the Ashe County Business/Industry Volunteer of the Year Award, as well as the Governor’s Community and Economic Development Award.

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• Nearly $139,000 has been raised to help fellow employees and family members experiencing difficult circumstances.

• The “Chemi-Con Chargers,” Relay For Life team has raised more than $83,000 since 2004 to help fight cancer.

• More than $24,000 has been raised through the American Heart Association Heart Walk since 2001.

• A couple of years ago, employees enthusiastically accepted a new challenge to support the Buddy Walk for the National Down Syndrome Society and donated more than $1,700 in 2016.

• Brand new support was provided for the Lansing Creeper Trail Park and Stars for Troops.

• Many hours and dollars have been donated to annual coat and shoe drives, food drives, school supply drives, blood drives, the Children’s Christmas Project and Camp New Hope.

The company fosters a spirit of giving back by offering an annual company scholarship to an employee’s graduating senior, worth $8,000, and being a proud sponsor of the Brutal 100 Bike Race, Frank James Memorial/Ashe County Schools/Ashe Free Medical Clinic/Shriners golf tournaments,

the Middle School TSA Student competition, as well as contributions to many county agencies and organizations. Company employees participate in a variety of community support organizations through local churches, the Ashe Chamber of Commerce and BREMCO Community Leaders Council.

Through its committed employees, United Chemi-Con has maintained progressive quality certifications since 1994, most recently the prominent TS16949 International Automotive Certification.

In 1999, the Lansing facility became the first North Carolina company to achieve the International Environmental Management Certification known as ISO 14001. In 2010, UCC earned certification in the prestigious N.C. Department of Labor OSHA STAR Program for exemplary workplace safety through training and dedication to safety awareness. Employee commitment to these certifications for safety, quality and environmental systems provide the cornerstones for its successful manufacturing operation.

United Chemi-Con wishes to sincerely thank its outstanding employees for their dedication and excellent service for these many years. Their exceptional effort and performance demonstrates the awesome capabilities of the High Country workforce.

Made in the High Country

Sept. 28, 2016

Page 13

Elephant Structures sets the bar for quality built, durable structures

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lephant Structures, found online at carport.com, drives to engineer and manufacture the best steel buildings in the business.

Local owned and operated in Boone, the company manufactures residential and commercial steel buildings here in the heart of the High Country. With more than 30 years of manufacturing experience behind its buildings, Elephant Structures has set the bar for durable, quality built carports, garages, barns, storage buildings and large commercial facilities.

The company’s services go above and beyond the design and fabrication of steel buildings. Delivery and installation are

Elephant Structures 355 Industrial Park Drive Boone, NC 28607 (828) 355-7120 (828) CAR-PORT included in the purchase of a building. All customers need to do is ensure that they have a level installation site.

The buildings are designed to install on any surface from raw ground to concrete footings or a full slab. Experienced building advisers will help you customize your structure to fit your needs, and give you a

Custom Homebuilding

PHOTO SUBMITTED Whether you live locally or across the country, Elephant Structures delivers.

free consultation if you are unsure of what size or accessories you may need for your project.

Take advantage of the metal building designer at carport.com for instant local pricing of any design you choose. This easy to use design tool helps you see the building you’re interested in purchasing before it’s constructed on your property. It will walk you through nearly all available options and pricing with just a few clicks, select from multiple style roofs, colors, sizes and more.

Whether you live locally or across the country, Elephant Structures delivers. Our buildings are designed and engineered to meet your local building codes and load-

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ings, including certification where building permits are required, officials stated.

The company has introduced a new line of safe rooms and tornado shelters this year.

Elephant Safe Rooms, found at elephantsaferoom.com, ensures safety is available in any home. Designed to retrofit existing spaces, install in a garage, design in a new construction or even bury underground, an Elephant Safe Room provides industry leading protection for your family’s safety.

If you’re in search of a quality product and prompt delivery, look no further.

Elephant Structure works to help make the process of purchasing a building quick and convenient.

Made in the High Country

Page 14

Sept. 28, 2016

Harmony Timberworks Building quality frames and lasting relationships

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rom full houses to individual archways, every structure depends on a solid foundation and a strong frame.

Harmony Timberworks has been crafting such dependable structures since 1979, through experts in the field who can create custom timber frames for just about anything imaginable. With a combination of cutting-edge technology and traditional craftsmanship, the team at Harmony is well equipped to tackle projects of any shape and size.

With in-house design and engineering teams, the company can make recommendations based on cost, rot resistance, strength, indoor and outdoor use and aesthetic factors. When it comes to wood, Harmony knows which options are best, as well.

With options of Douglas fir, western red cedar, cypress, eastern white pine, southern yellow pine and white oak, the company has a wide-selection to choose from to satisfy anyone’s needs.

For general manager Craig Pariso, Harmony Timberworks has been a valuable experience in his life for more than a decade, and he believes customers consistently experience Harmony Timberworks the value and quality ser(828) 264-2314 vice the company brings 645 Roby Green Road, to the table as well.

Boone, NC 28607 “It has been wonderwww.harmonytimberworks.com ful working here,” said Pariso. “I started here 14 years ago on a field trip, and started as a machine operator.

I eventually worked my way up to my current position. It has been a very rewarding experience.”

Clients come to Harmony with an idea or a particular set of plans, and the company helps them finish developing those ideas. Harmony has an in-house design team that works to develop these specified timber frames, which are then sent out for engineer review.

While Harmony Timberworks depends on the talents of its craftsmen, the automated process the company uses to shape the pieces of the puzzle plays a key role in the creation of the product.

After collaborating with clients, builders and architects to develop a blueprint, specifications for each piece are fed into a computer-aided design and drafting program. This software creates a 3-D model for the machines to follow.

Once the computer knows the dimensions and intricacies of each piece, timber is passed through a computerized numerical control machine, which precisely shapes each piece to perfection.

Once everything is cut on the CNC machine, everything is still hand-fit by the team of craftsmen. After it is fit in-house, it is taken apart, labeled and shipped out to be reassembled on the job site. The craftsmen are responsible for following everything the CNC machine cuts, getting pieces fit on-site and doing all the final touch-up work. The craftsmen then travel to the building site to assemble the frames, ensuring each client receives quality service through every step of the process.

“Customer service is crucial to us,” said Pariso. “Leaving every customer beyond pleased is our primary goal here at Harmony.”

With a portfolio that includes both residential and commercial structures including barns, pool enclosures, worship spaces and pavilions, the team at Harmony Timberworks has crafted countless structures throughout the United States. Each image on their website speaks to the sophistication of their craftsmanship and the state of the art nature of their technology.

Harmony Timberworks took their expertise as far as New Jersey with this residential bar room, constructed of reclaimed, hand-hewn and stained Douglas Fir.

“We care a lot about this region, but have worked all over the country,” said Pariso. “The beauty of being up here and away from bigger cities makes it a great place to live and work.”

Harmony Timberworks is located at 645 Roby

Greene Road in Boone, just before the former fairgrounds.

For more information, visit www.harmonytimberworks.com, email info@harmonytimberworks.com or call (828) 264-2314.

Sept. 28, 2016

Made in the High Country

Page 15

Mountain Construction combining artistic craftsmanship and natural products to create beautiful homes

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ince 1985, Mountain Construction has created buildings and homes that look like they are part of the Appalachian Mountain landscape.

With creative use of natural construction materials, including locally sourced timber and stone, Mountain Construction is known far and wide for building one-of-a kind structures that fit into their surroundings.

After working for a number of builders, both commercial and residential, for many years, Mountain Construction owner Mark Kirkpatrick became a licensed contractor in North Carolina in 1985 and, when building opportunities developed in Tennessee, he acquired a Tennessee license.

In 1985, Kirkpatrick founded Mountain Construction in Banner Elk with the intent to build the best, most creative homes, and to build a market for fine, well-designed, super-sealed and insulated timber frame homes that manifest the feel of the Southern mountains and the big woods we live in.

Building on Kirkpatrick’s construction talents, Mountain Construction was the first timber frame company in the High Country.

With his talented crew, Kirkpatrick sitecut a half a dozen timber frames, including the first timber frames in Banner Elk, Boone and Blowing Rock.

Mountain Construction consists of two businesses, one that specializes in general custom home building and one that specializes in local and regional heavy timber subcontracting.

A former Blowing Rock building inspector said, “Your framing is nicer than most builders’ trim.”

In 1992, after educating himself with the timber frame and hybrid home design skills of Hearthstone Homes, while building a comfort margin with their staff, their broad ranging skills and vision, Kirkpatrick became a regional distributor for Hearthstone.

Many clients select Kirkpatrick and Mountain Construction because of the skills he exhibits in interpreting their needs

Mountain Construction 1345 Poplar Grove Road Boone, NC 28607 (828) 963-8090 www.mountainconstruction.com for custom design work, interpreting their wishes and utilizing their building site in the most creative manner.

“We combine artistic craftsmanship and natural products to create a beautiful home, while making every effort to be environmentally friendly and sustainable,” said a spokesman for Mountain Construction.

“As National Association of Home Builders ‘Certified Green Professionals,’ we have the experience, knowledge and resources to advise our clients on how to make their homes environmentally friendly and energy efficient using the latest in resources and technologies.

“Mountain Construction has a variety of plans that we can provide, or we can start from scratch with fully customized plans based on your specific building needs. The options are only limited by your imagination. Bring us your unique vision and let us help you with your home plans.

“We can use your existing plan or work with your architect. We can also refer you to a qualified home designer or offer in-house design options. We will be happy to meet with you to discuss your building plans and assess your personal needs to help you create your special home.

“We have had the opportunity to participate in many unique projects, such as site development of multi-home properties, bridges and entries for development projects and individual homeowners, and coordination of energy-efficient plans for grid-tied homes that are able to function off the grid in an emergency.”

Mountain Construction is located at 1345 Poplar Grove Road in Boone.

For more information, contact them at (828) 963-8090, or visit www.mountainconstruction.com.

PHOTO SUBMITTED Mountain Construction can help you visualize and plan the home of your dreams.

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Made in the High Country

Sept. 28, 2016