Made in the High Country 2017

INDUSTRY • CRAFTSMEN • INNOVATORS • ENTREPRENEURS A S P ECI A L P U BL I C A TI O N O F

Harmony Timberworks

AEV

Cornett-Deal Christmas Tree Farm

GE Aviation

Goodnight Brothers

Mountain Construction

Appalachian Evergreens

High Country Timberframe

Global Manufacturing Services, Inc.

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MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

Thursday, September 28, 2017

GE Aviation continues to soar E

BY COLIN TATE

very two seconds, an airplane powered by GE Technology is taking off somewhere in the world, according to GE Aviation. In other words, at any given moment, more than 300,000 people are depending on GE’s engines.

GE Aviation in West Jefferson employs 275 skilled team members who produce high pressure turbine disks and high pressure compressor spools used in commercial jets around the world. GE Aviation places a high value on the workforce that it has.

According to GE, their competitive advantage is the people who they employ. They believe success stems from a collaborative work environment, which leads to a more efficient and more effective business.

Recently, the West Jefferson facility expanded by 90,000 square feet, nearly doubling the plant size at 196,000 square feet. A $153 million investment, the expansion broke ground in June 2014, and the new building was officially opened in July 2015.

Due to the expansion, GE Aviation was able to add 126 new employees and 34 new processes. According to Plant Leader John Lyons, the recent hiring process has gone very well.

Lyons said that GE Aviation has partnered with Wilkes Community College to funnel students from the community college to GE. Of the 126 new employees, the attrition rate is less than 4 percent. Both Lyons and Travis Ritchie, who works in GE’s human resources department, are pleased with the results of the partnership so far, and the company plans to continue it moving forward.

“Our partnership with Wilkes Community College has been extremely beneficial, because we’re hiring (people that have) machine experience and people that have little-to-no machine experience,” Ritchie said. “That attrition rate being low, a lot of it is attributed to Wilkes for getting them ready to come here and work. It’s been a great partnership.”

Lyons said that the plant’s goal for 2017 is to get more employees hired and ready for the increase in parts delivered by the end of the year. GE Aviation is targeting 500 pieces by the end of 2017 and 1,200 more in 2018.

In the aviation industry, unlike the automotive industry, production increase is not done in high volume.

PHOTO SUBMITTED GE Aviation in West Jefferson employs 275 skilled team members who produce high pressure turbine disks and high pressure compressor spools used in commercial jets around the world.

The parts made by GE Aviation are high-tech, high-dollar items made in low volume.

According to Lyons, a typical rate increase in the aviation industry is zero-to-one, one-to-three or threeto-four. GE Aviation will be producing their newest design, called the LEAP engine. Lyons said the plan for the West Jefferson plant is to go from producing zero a week to 20 a week in two years.

Statewide, GE has provided economic and philanthropic benefits.

In 2016, GE contributed a total of $7.189 billion in direct, indirect and induced total production output in North Carolina. GE’s economic presence in the state supports 17,770 direct, indirect and induced fulltime equivalent jobs. Consequently, GE’s economic presence in the state has contributed to the generation of $1.71 billion in total direct, indirect and induced compensation in 2016, and its employees and foundation contributed $3.46 million in total charitable contributions.

Moving forward, Ritchie said the company is planning to bring in

GE Aviation 400 The Professional Drive West Jefferson, NC 28694 (336) 246-1721 www.geaviation.com

another 30 employees in 2018. He added that a common misconception has been that new workers have to have a certain experience to work at GE Aviation. Ritchie disa vowed that notion.

“As long as they have a strong work ethic and the ability to work within a team-based environment, then we’ll put them through the training to give them the tools to be successful,” Ritchie said.

Lyons agreed and said that the company was looking for more attitude and drive than past experience.

He also said that many of the current salary workers at GE Aviation started as hourly workers and worked their way up.

“It’s not just a job,” Ritchie said.

“They can be here for the rest of their career.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED The West Jefferson GE Aviation plant recently added a 90,000-square-foot expansion to its facility and continues to add to its workforce.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

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Mountain Construction building on nature

BY THOMAS SHERRILL

D

riving around the High Country. you’ll see many buildings and houses that blend into the High Country. These custom-designed structures combine mountain beauty and elegant design features that draw the eye of house hunters and casual onlookers alike.

Chances are, one or more of thsse houses is the work is Mountain Construction, a High Country business since 1985.

Mountain Construction owners Mark Kirkpatrick and his wife, Debbie Arnold, have seen their vision of building mountain-style homes and buildings become a reality.

“It’s what we’re most known for,” said Arnold of the mountain style. “We’re known for our quality.”

“Bring us your ideas and we’ll turn them into reality,” a quote from Kirkpartrick on the company’s website says.

Thirty-two years later, the couple’s passion for building homes is stronger than ever as Mountain Construction is one of the High Country’s staples.

“We provide full custom home design build services of any kind,” Mountain Construction’s website says. “We build conventional-framed new homes, log and timber-frame homes and structural insulated panel homes as well as remodeling and restorations and additions.”

The attention to detail and thoroughness that Mountain Construction is known for has led to a strong customer base.

“If someone calls 10 years later and they need some work done, we’ll do it and not charge a fee,” Arnold said. “We have great relationships with our customers.”

While known for its mountain-style buildings, Mountain Construction also builds contemporary buildings and is always looking at what the customer wants.

Arnold noted that some of the more recent trends are smaller-but-more-efficient houses, stone-work exteriors and even barn-like houses.

In keeping with the local roots, Mountain Construction recommends local artists, metal workers and other talented

Mountain Construction 1345 Poplar Grove Road Boone, NC 28607 (828) 963-8090 www.mountainconstruction.com

individuals to create custom details, from one-of-a-kind handrails to decorative roof vents and other works of art to make a house into a home.

In helping their customers stay eco-friendly, Mountain Construction offers structural insulated panel homes as well as green homes, as the company is certified green building professionals by the National Association of Home Builders.

Along with working with solar panels, Arnold highlighted the work done with SIPs, which are a rigid insulation technology. If installed well, SIPs can keep the occupants oblivious to the weather conditions outside.

“It could be (blowing) 70 mph outside and you wouldn’t feel a thing,” Arnold said of the SIPs. “We have them on our house and I wouldn’t know it’s windy until I actually go outside.”

Another popular eco-friendly option is poplar wood, which Arnold explained is harvested off trees with minimal petroleum used, saving the tree and allowing it to be reused.

Along with actual building, the couple also owns Hearthstone of Boone, a division of Mountain Construction that specializes in log and timber-frame homes, which are made, disassembled and shipped to anywhere in the world.

“In actual building, we’ve gone as far south as Lake James and east as Wilkesboro,” Arnold said. “Hearthstone allows us to ship anywhere in the world. When it gets there, the customers can assemble it like a jigsaw puzzle.”

While Kirkpatrick and Arnold have built their business into what it is today, Kirkpatrick recalled his greatest accomplishment since moving to the area.

“In 1979, I moved up here to build homes and while I did that, I didn’t expect to find her,” Kirkpatrick said of his wife.

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PROVIDED BY MOUNTAIN CONSTRUCTION Looking like a scene out of a painting, Mountain Construction can create plush mountainesque interiors such as this Grandfather Mountain home pictured here.

MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

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Thursday, September 28, 2017

American Emergency Vehicles continues to grow

BY LEE SANDERLIN

American Emergency Vehicles 165 American Way Jefferson, NC 28640 (336) 846-8010 www.aev.com

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merican Emergency Vehicles has been producing quality emergency vehicles in Jefferson since 1991 — and business has been driving forward ever since.

“The future is very, very bright for us. We have plans to double our current output in the coming years using our new facilities,” Jeff Williamson, assistant controller at AEV, said.

Currently AEV produces, on average, 26 new vehicles per week, or one every four hours. The company recently acquired new property and has plans to move its operation into a new facility in the coming years.

“Right now we only have our remount/refit center at our new facility, but the move has started to begin,” Jeff Dreyer, AEV’s director of manufacturing said.

AEV’s remount center allows it to take in old emergency vehicles and completely refit them so that they may return to service.

“Currently we do about four of those a week, but we plan to get the number up to 4 1/2 by the end of the month,” Dreyer said.

The new facility, at the former site of Gates manufacturing, underwent a $2.5 million renovation before it opened. With such strong ties to the county, AEV used primarily local contractors in its renovation of the facility into its new refurbishing plant.

PHOTO BY LEE SANDERLIN AEV’s Keith Norris stands by a graphics printing machine. The graphics will be applied to a completed ambulance.

“Other than really specialized contractors, we tried to keep everything as in-county as possible as another way of giving back to the community,” Williamson said.

AEV doesn’t just hire local contractors, they have more than 500 employees, with a majority from Ashe County.

Cornett Deal Bring your family to choose and cut your very own Fraser Fir at our delightful Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farm.

2015

2016

2017

“Being from such a small place, we have had two to three generations of family working for us. Some of them have been here for 20 years,” Williamson said.

AEV seeks to be an employer that the community can count on to have jobs. The company also works with local high schools and vocational teachers to teach students and to let them know that they have choices when they graduate, “We want the kids to know that we are an option, that they don’t necessarily have to leave the county or leave home to find work,” Dreyer said.

Both AEV and its employees are involved with local charities as well. AEV has a charity payroll deduction that allows employees to designate an amount of money to come out of their check to be donated to charity. At the end of the year, AEV matches the total amount of money donated by employees and

then lets the employees vote on five charities that will receive the donations.

In 2016, the company raised $35,000 through the program. Dreyer said he expects the company to raise “at least as much, if not more, this year.”

AEV is just as dedicated to its products as they are the community and employees.

More than 1/4 of all ambulances on the road today were made by AEV, according to Williamson.

“This is a lifesaving business that we’re in,” Dreyer said. “There is so much passion for the work we do here.”

AEV’s parent company, REV Group, became a publicly traded stock on the NASDAQ in March 2017.

“Being publicly traded just shows how much of a good job we are able to do here,” said Williamson. “Being publicly traded, it gives us leverage in negotiating with our vendors.”

AEV is also one of four companies owned

by REV group to have an after-market parts distribution center. That center services the entire Eastern U.S., according to Williamson.

The distribution center is in the old Leviton building, down the hill from AEV’s Gates facility. The company spent nearly $2 million renovating the building, once again using local contractors for nearly all of it. The facility opened in January 2017.

“The parts distribution center, the new facility, our current facility, all of this shows just how much we can accomplish and just how much potential for growth we have,” Williamson said. “When customers come, or other businesses come, they might think this is just a little backwoods country town, but there is so much opportunity for growth here.”

Family owned & operated Christmas Tree farm -specializing & selling both choose & cut and wholesale Christmas Trees Featuring top quality Fraser Fir trees & wreaths.

Open for choose and cut on: 10/18 • 10/19 • 10/24 • 10/25 • 10/26 • 12/2 • 12/3 • 12/9 • 12/10

Hours: 10am to 5pm 142 Tannenbaum Lane, Vilas, NC 28692 • 828-964-6322

www.cdtreefarm.com

PHOTO BY LEE SANDERLIN Refitted ambulances waiting to be painted at AEV’s Gates facility.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

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Goodnight Brothers has been producing quality ham for generations

BY KAYLA LASURE

Goodnight Brothers Country Ham P.O. Box 287 Boone, NC 28607 (828) 264-8892 www.goodnightbrothers.com

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n a day and age where most companies use machines for production, Goodnight Brothers Country Ham prides itself on still curing its meats by hand.

According to Operations Manager Rodney Farthing, Goodnight Brothers obtains six loads of 40,000 pounds of pork a week.

So far this year, the company has received more than 176 loads of meat.

Each one of the hams brought off the truck are cured in a salt mix by hand to ensure customers receive consistent quality products, Farthing said. This consistent taste is what customers expect from Goodnight Brothers.

“Customers will make comments — especially the older people that had country hams when they were raised on a farm — it reminds them more of what their grandma and grandpa raised,” Farthing said.

Goodnight Brothers is family owned and operated and has always been owned by a member of the Goodnight family.

Out of seven siblings, five Goodnight brothers — Howard, Joe, Neil, Olan and JC — came together to organize the meat distribution company known as the Goodnight Brothers Country Ham production company.

The brothers started out by buying produce in Watauga County and selling it to stores and restaurants down the mountain in the 1930s. Goodnight Brothers — originally run out of the basement of their grandmother’s home — was founded as a produce company in the late 1940s and incorporated in 1952. The operation eventually moved its located to downtown Boone, known to locals as the “Goodnight Brothers Feed and Seed” store, according to Farthing.

Farthing has been employed with Goodnight Brothers for 41 years and said he started out working in the feed and seed store. It was in this store where the brothers started selling country ham out of the basement.

“They started out doing the country hams as a way to keep their employees that were working in the farm department busy during the winter time when there wasn’t much going on,” Farthing said.

While the other brothers moved to Charlotte to build a food distribution warehouse, JC stayed in Boone, running the produce and county ham operation, and where he built a new country ham facility in 1967. According to Farthing, the company moved to its current location in Boone in the mid-1990s. It expanded in 2004 and is potentially looking at expanding once more, Farthing said.

PHOTOS BY KAYLA LASURE Antonio Menchu uses tools to debone a ham which will then be sent to the slicing department at Goodnight Brothers Country Ham.

Goodnight Brothers Country Ham is bagged up and ready to ship out to one of its many distributors, Dan’l Boone Inn.

Jim Goodnight, son of JC, was hired as company president in 1970. His cousin and son of Neil — Bill Goodnight — was brought on in 1985 as vice president.

“It’s a bigger company than people realize,” Farthing said. “But you can still go in and have a meeting with the man that runs it. You’re not just another person on the totem pole.”

Today, Goodnight Brothers has approximately 120 to 125 full-time employees, Farthing said. These employees take the meat through processes of curing, aging, deboning, slicing and packaging.

Meat is brought into the plant from slaughter partners — such as Hatfield

Quality Meats in Pennsylvania or JH Routh Packing in Ohio. The meat is brought to them at exactly 44.6 degrees, Farthing said.

Workers will then salt the hams by hand with a mixture of cure, let them sit for five to six days and then reapply the mixture again.

The meat is then taken through three temperature phases: winter, spring and summer. Farthing said each of the temperature rooms represent a different time of year because in older times the outside temperate on a farm determined what stage the ham needed to be in.

Hams enter the winter phase from 47 to 52 days in a cooler ranging in 38 to 40

degrees. Hams are then placed on racks with 104 to 108 hams on each. The meat is then put into the spring room for about 14 days at no more than 60 degrees. This stage allows the cure to equalize throughout the ham creating consistent color, odor and flavor. The third phase is the summer room, where the meat will sit for 11 days in 90 degree temperate to dry it out and give it a brown color.

Once fully cured, the meat travels to the deboning room where the product is carved into three different cuts: hock, center block and butt end. Products are then sliced and put into packaging, which is all done in house. From start to finish, the meat is at the facility for roughly 80 days, Farthing said.

Companies such as Dan’l Boone Inn, Bojangles and Hardees use Goodnight Brothers cured ham in their restaurants and distribution. Company products are also used in approximately 70 other restaurants.

The Goodnight Brothers website lists 40 different cuts it can offer to customers.

Products are able to be shipped all over the United States. Fall and winter seasons, especially during the holidays, is the company’s peak season, Farthing said.

Country ham is known as a “Southern thing,” according to Farthing. Goodnight Brothers distributes to locations in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and Georgia. Products can be found in stores such as Ingles, IGA, Food City, Dollar Tree, Wholesale Food Outlet and about 20 other locations.

Goodnight is quickly expanding its production of natural, Animal Welfare Approved products. Products are made from free range pork cured with sea salt and celery powder and no nitrates, which it sells at outlets such as Earth Fare and Whole Foods.

Goodnight Brothers is USDA regulated and British Retail Consortium certified, with inspections done almost daily. To Goodnight Brothers, keeping with sanitation regulations is important to produce a safe, clean product, Farthing said.

Farthing said he’s been happy to watch the company grow from getting one load of meat a week and using hand slicers to the production company it is today.

“We’ve been in it for a long time,” Farthing said. “It’s a good place to work and it’s dedicated to customer service.”

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MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Building timber frames ‘The Harmony Way’

BY BRIAN MILLER

Harmony Timberworks 645 Roby Green Road Boone, NC 28607 (828) 264-2314 www.harmonytimberworks.com

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uality framework is the foundation to any reliable structure, so it’s best to leave it to the experts.

With nearly 40 years experience since its inception in 1979, Harmony Timberworks of Boone knows what it takes to create strong, custom timber frame systems and structures, as proven by its consistency in building commercial and residential projects that are unique, functional and creative.

As an industry pioneer and innovator, Harmony has successfully evolved from a small specialty materials supplier to one of the leading custom timber framers in the industry, thanks to a combination of cutting-edge technology and traditional craftsmanship that makes the team well equipped to tackle projects of any shape and size.

A dedicated six-step process known as “The Harmony Way,” which includes initial project planning, 3-D modeling, timber frame system design, timber cutting, test fitting and delivery and installation, promises customers they are getting only the highest quality of work.

“We are a leader in the industry, and we want every one of our customers to have that ‘wow’ factor they would expect in a beautiful home or building,” said General Manager Craig Pariso. “We intend for our buildings to last many lifetimes.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED Harmony Timberworks creates projects big and small including barns, pool enclosures, worship spaces, pavilions and more.

Clients begin the building process with an initial plan review in which important elements are discussed such as wood species, joinery styles, frame complexity and decorative elements. Then, Harmony project estimators review the plans to determine the project scope and estimated costs.

Once the proposal is approved, the designer will produce a 3-D model of the structure.

This gives the client, the architect and builder the ability to view the timber frame from different vantage points and see how it will integrate with final building plans.

After the 3-D model is approved, the design team will develop the entire timber frame system including individual joinery details for all frame sections. Final design sign-off and frame engineering review are completed at

this point.

Next, Harmony will craft the individual timber joinery using a combination of modern CNC timber cutting technology and old-world hand cutting methods of master craftsmen.

Once this is complete, test fitting ensures accuracy and quality standards of all joints and timber pieces are met prior to on-site installation. Timbers are then identified and tagged to identify their position in the timber frame layout.

Finally, the ready product will be delivered for installation and assembled on site.

This complex process is part of Harmony’s mission to provide valuable customer service and top quality work.

“We strive to build amazing products,” said Pariso. “We’re big on family here, and we want to extend that family mentality to our customers by building positive relationships and delivering the best possible outcomes.”

With a portfolio that includes barns, pool enclosures, worship spaces, pavilions and more, the team at Harmony Timberworks has crafted countless structures throughout the United States.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

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MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

Thursday, September 28, 2017

A family tradition: Going to the Cornett-Deal Christmas Tree Farm Cornett-Deal Christmas Tree Farm 142 Tannenbaym Lane, Vilas, only a short drive from Boone. From N.C. 321 North, guests will travel on Bethel Road for four miles before reaching Mountain Dale Road.

Tannenbaum Lane is 2.5 miles up the road on the right.

(828) 964-6322 www.cornettcarolinatrees.com

BY MATT DEBNAM

O

f all of the many creations made in the High Country, there is nothing more close to the land than the products brought up by hand from the earth. Through two generations and nearly four decades, the men and women of Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farm have been raising Fraser Fir Christmas trees.

“We want to teach our children to appreciate the land and preserve it for future generations,” Dianne Cornett-Deal said.

Under the vision of family patriarch Clint Cornett, the family entered the tree business in 1979, when he planted his first field of Fraser firs. The business as it is known today

PHOTO SUBMITTED Rows upon rows of trees line the hill at Cornett Deal Christmas Tree Farm in Vilas.

was established in 1986 when Cornett-Deal purchased a farm originally owned by her great-great-grandfather, Jack Cornett, who first settled with his sons in the early 20th century.

Finely Crafted Timber Frames Since 1979

Cornett’s legacy is carried on today by Cornett-Deal and Clint’s son, Dale Cornett, who was recognized in 2008 for environmental stewardship and was named Christmas Tree Grower of the Year by Watauga County Christmas Tree Association in 2009. While Dale’s farms operate as a wholesale tree business, Dianne’s farm operates as a chooseand-cut operation that attracts hundreds of visitors each year.

Children and adults alike have enjoyed annual trips to Cornett-Deal for decades.

For many families, the trip has become an annual tradition and at Cornett-Deal, they are always greeted like family.

“We’ve been coming here for over 20 years,” one guest said in a review. “Visiting here is like going home. Dianne remembers us by name and always greets us with a big hug. Even though we now live in Eastern Virginia, we make the trip each year and would never dream of getting our tree anywhere else. The ride out is amazing and she even shared her cider recipe with us. This is where you make lifelong memories and we are so thrilled now to share this with our daughter.”

Just as the customers appreciate the

hospitality of the farm’s owners, the staff at Cornett-Deal cares a great deal for its customers, especially the ones who return year after year.

“They are the reason we keep doing this — the families that keep doing this year after year,” Cornett-Deal said. “They brought their children and now their children are bringing their children.”

Adding to the charm of the traditional choose-and-cut experience, guests to the farm can also enjoy adventurous hayrides to any of the farm’s five tree fields, as well as a visit to the farm’s gift shop, which is stocked with handmade wreaths, jewelry, pottery and knitted scarves and hats to keep the chill of winter at bay.

Directly adjacent to the North Carolina-Tennessee state line, Cornett-Deal Christmas Tree Farm is located in Vilas, a short drive from Boone.

Soon the fields of Cornett Deal will be alive with friendly employees and happy guests, with opening day slated for Nov. 18.

The farm operates from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season.

PHOTO SUBMITTED One of Cornett Deal’s specialties, its handmade wreaths are the perfect addition to any home’s holiday decor.

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

MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

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Global Manufacturing Services Inc. looks to the future

BY LEE SANDERLIN

Global Manufacturing Services, Inc. 140 Industrial Park Way West Jefferson, NC 28694 (336) 246-5143 www.gblms.com

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lobal Manufacturing Services Inc. of West Jefferson has one foot in the present and one toward the future.

Founded by Arlie Keith in 1987, Global Manufacturing Services Inc. produces printed circuit boards and LED boards on a contract basis. The company employs more than 20 full-time employees.

Keith came to West Jefferson due to his love for the people and the culture in the area.

The company is now run and owned

by Keith’s daughter, Andria Robbins, the new president and CEO of Global.

Arlie Keith, semi-retired, now serves as a consultant and advisor to Andria as she continues her family’s legacy.

Global Manufacturing Services Inc. produces a wide range of printed circuit boards and LED boards, ranging from “48 inches long to the size of a dime,” according to Bobby Caddell, business development manager. “In the early days of printed circuit board production, components would literally be soldered through the board itself. Today, because more and more components need to be placed on smaller boards, the devices are placed on the top and bottom of boards, maximizing space.”

PHOTO BY LEE SANDERLIN Sarah Greer poses with the machine that places components onto a circuit board.

“Electronic devices keep getting smaller and smaller. You now carry around in your pocket, a computer that used to fill a huge room,” Robbins said.” Global Manufacturing Services Inc. is able to mass produce their printed circuit and LED boards using state-of-the-art technology.

“We have equipment that is capable of placing 28,000 surface mount devices per hour,” Caddell said. “We haven’t had to run the equipment at top capacity, but we can should a contract require it.”

The company, which has been growing every year since the recession of 2008, has seen a large part of its sales come out

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828.264.8971 www.highcountrytimberframe.com Licensed General Contractor - NC, SC, VA

of its ability to produce the LED boards.

“I estimate it’s 40-50 percent of our business and it’s growing fast,” Caddell said.

Printed circuit boards produced by Global Manufacturing end up in products such as soundboards for musical instruments, electronic door openers, heating and air controls and LED lights, such as the ones used to light parking lots.

The company also has “hundreds of accounts” with customers “as local as North Carolina or as far away as Malaysia,” according to Caddell.

With business steady, Global Manufacturing Services Inc. is looking for more ways to be sustainable and green-minded in the future.

“We are always looking for new technologies that can help push us in a more sustainable or green direction,” Caddell said.

With a focus on sustainability and a constant stream of new customers, the future for Global Manufacturing Services Inc. is looking “pretty bright,” Caddell said.

MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

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Thursday, September 28, 2017

Nationally successful timber frame company has roots in Boone

BY BRIAN MILLER

High Country Timberframe & Gallery Woodworking Co. 689 George Wilson Road Boone, NC 28607 (828) 264-8971 www.highcountrytimberframe.com

B

oone is a small town, so for a local business to leave a national footprint is an impressive accomplishment.

High Country Timberframe & Gallery Woodworking Co. has done just that by becoming experts in the craft of timber frame design and construction.

The company was established in Boone in 1995, and is a licensed general contractor in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, but has work throughout the United States including at the New York Botanical Gardens, The Dawes Arboretum and Japanese Garden in Newark, Ohio and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on the campus of Duke University, just to name a few.

High Country Timberframe is co-owned

by Tom Owens and Peter Jankowski, who met in 1994 while working for other carpenters in the area. Constantly striving for challenging projects, the duo thought that starting their own business would let them continue seeking the thrill on a more permanent basis. “(Peter) and I always preferred the more intricate aspects to your more standard construction,” said Owens. “We enjoy the challenge and we’ll continue doing this as long as there’s a demand for it.”

Along with timber frame work, the com-

PHOTO SUBMITTED High Country Timberframe has work throughout the U.S., from North Carolina to New York.

pany provides a variety of services, including general contractor services, custom home design, traditional Japanese post and beam, architect, builder and homeowner collaborations, additions and remodeling, structural insulated panels and studio furniture by commission.

It’s the company’s mission to design and incorporate elements that fit into individual lifestyles while providing maximum value with each finished product.

“Our projects are not inexpensive, so

those that hire us know the quality of work they’re going to get,” said Owens. “It’s our moral responsibility as carpenters to dedicate our efforts to achieving the highest quality work possible. For our company, the High Country has been an incredible source of talented, artistic, creative and capable craftspeople.”

Whether a client has a clear picture of what they’d like, or they are just beginning to consider possibilities, High Country Timberframe helps bring ideas to life.

And those ideas are always fresh. ...

“We are currently finishing up a design/ build project that we believe will be the only Energy Star 3 and NC Green Built certified home in Watauga, Avery and Ashe Counties,” said Owens. “These third-party certifications ensure that our home owners are getting the very best quality methods and materials in the building industry today. Our clients expect their homes to last for generations. We build to these high standards because it is our job to provide the best product for each client — a home that is worthy of the investment.”

Aside from the business side of High Country Timberframe, the company is very much involved in the community, particularly the Watauga County Special Olympics, OASIS and the Watauga County Farmers Market.

“This is just a wonderful community. The quality of life here is hard to beat,” said Owens.

High Country Timberframe is located in a 25,000-square-foot facility in Boone.

U.S. Buildings adds bunkers, safe rooms to available structures

BY STEVE BEHR

Let L et A Appalachian ppallach hian Evergreens Evergree help with your Christmas shopping this year. Visit our website and give us a list of your hard-to-shop-for relatives and friends. We’ll UPS them one of our 24” Fraser Fir Wreaths decorated with red berries, pine cones and a gold-backed red velvet bow. It arrives at their front door with a gift card indicating it is from yyou!

www.appevergreens.com

EVERG EVERGREENS

I

f there is a need involving a steel frame or structure, chances are U.S. Buildings can build it.

The Boone business, located in the Industrial Park on the east side of town, specializes in making steel framing and steel siding straight wall structures for business, agricultural and business needs.

U.S. Buildings, which has been in business for more than 30 years, has factories in Boone and in Wilkesboro. A carport division was started in 2011.

They are a factory-direct business, so there is no middle retailer. The buildings are self-supporting without beams or trusses, leaving the customer with 100 percent usable space.

The uses for the structures depends on what a customer may want. U.S. Buildings can make steel for carports, decks, shelters, covers and patio shelters.

“The 40-by-60 wide is the newer addition to that product category,” marketing

U.S. Buildings 355 Industrial Park Drive Boone, NC 28607 (828) 264-6198 www.carport.com, www.us-steel-garage-building.com or www.steelarchbuildings.com. manager David Davis said of the carports.

“The product division that is newer than that is the bunker and safe room. Those are the newer venture for the manufacturing division.”

Davis said the company has developed underground bunker and safe rooms that can shield people both from inclement weather, such as hurricanes and even tornadoes, to intruders.

“They are above and below ground,” Davis said. “It will allow you to pressurize any of it without any extra construction.”

Davis said the bunker and safe rooms SEE BUILDINGS ON PAGE 11

Thursday, September 28, 2017

MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

Mountain Times Publications -

11

Appalachian Evergreens the one-stop shop for holiday essentials

BY JAMIE SHELL

I

n the High Country, there are numerous locations for a person to locate a common Christmas tree. Whether it’s a blue spruce or Fraser Fir, tree farms dot the landscape across Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties. But what sets apart the best of the area’s evergreen offerers are qualities like customer service, the excellence of its product and the proprietor’s rich history.

A location that checks off all the boxes and provides the ultimate in customer satisfaction is Appalachian Evergreens, Inc. As both a wholesale and retail distributor based out of its warehouse located off Hwy. 194 in Boone, Appalachian Evergreens offers gorgeous and fresh Fraser Fir products, including trees, handcrafted wreaths, gift items and garlands to decorate every mantel, business or home.

Appalachian Evergreens is a one-stop shop for that perfect holiday gift for loved ones, or simply to find the necessary items to spruce up the office or home with all things festive. Ordering online or over the phone is simple, as the friendly staff assembles wreaths and additional items in-warehouse beginning in October and through the height of the season, and the business ships its products virtually anywhere around the country, ensuring prompt delivery and quality products.

According to Amy Thompson, controller with Appalachian Evergreens, business has been so strong that it had to temporarily suspend its choose-and-cut availability after the past three booming seasons to allow for replant and growth to take place. The company still boasts strong retail and wholesale business, however, especially with its

BUILDINGS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

are certified to protect against hurricane-strength winds.

“Basically they’ve been certified up to 250mile per hour wind impact, which is an F5 tornado,” Davis said. “That’s for the above ground units. The below ground, being underground they don’t need to be wind-tested.

They are outside the scope of wind.”

U.S. Buildings also can provide materials for garages, picnic shelters and Quonset huts. They can provide materials to manufacture shelters for boats, cars RVs and storage.

The company can also generate metals for commercial structures, such as warehouses, distribution centers, retail space and offices.

U.S. Buildings materials are used for gymnasiums, sports facilities, aircraft hangers, mini-storage and for public works storage.

Farmers and ranchers can use the difference style of structures for equipment storage, for horse barns and stalls and for

PHOTO COURTESY AMY THOMPSON The table top tree that Appalachian Evergreen offers customers is the perfect size for those living in tight spaces, including dorm rooms and apartments.

hand-produced wreaths, garlands and table top tree products.

One offering, its candle centerpieces, brings the spirit of Christmas around any table. Complete with center candle, the holiday centerpiece features a real Frasier Fir 13-inch Christmas wreath with a 3-inch by 6-inch ivory candle (or a flameless LED ivory candle for a small additional fee). The greenery brightens any room and offers the fragrance of the holidays. The centerpieces make excellent gifts for friends and family, teachers and co-workers. In addition to its

riding arenas. They can house cattle and other livestock, such as for dairy barns.

And, all of the structures are built to withstand hurricanes and other weather disasters.

U.S. Buildings makes sheet metals that customers can put together themselves. The company pre-drills holes that customers can utilize for easier construction. The meal is also pre-shaped for what the customers need, which cuts down on construction costs.

U.S. Buildings provides an instruction manual and tool-free assistance to answer any questions or concerns that may come along during construction. The company also has workers who can construct some of the structures if the customer needs assistance.

The structures are “made of reliable Galvalume Steel, and are backed by a 35year steel mill warranty,” according to the company’s website.

U.S. Buildings’ customer list, which is on their website, includes 20th Century Fox, Allstate Insurance, General Electric and DuPont.

centerpieces, as is the case with most every one of AE’s its offerings, affords customers the option to include a customized gift card or a personalized gift card to let that special person know who has sent them such a tremendous gift.

Gift packages are also available that include Appalachian Evergreens’ famous mouth-watering, mountain-cured country ham, a holiday delicacy sure to delight the taste buds. The ham is produced through Boone-based Goodnight Bros., and has proven to be a hit among retail purchasers.

“We were trying to come up with different things we could offer. We tried the idea of music discs for a couple of years. Then Chris spoke with someone at Goodnight Brothers and worked out an arrangement to try selling ham, offering it to go into some of our wreath boxes, and it just took off,” Thompson explained.

No holiday is complete without a wreath to adorn a loved one’s door. Appalachian Evergreens takes pride in every handmade item it produces, including its popular garland and signature large Christmas wreaths.

Measuring 24 inches in diameter, every Christmas wreath is made from hand-picked Fraser Fir from Christmas trees located in the High Country, and is sure to make the holiday warm and special. Upon completion, the wreaths are wrapped in red tissue and shipped in a designer box, making it impos-

Appalachian Evergreens 1371 NC 194 Boone, NC 28607 (828) 264-1609 www.appevergreens.com sible not to recognize the sender’s distinct origin and quality craftsmanship.

“The 24-inch decorated wreath is definitely our bread-and-butter,” Thompson said.

“The wreaths are our most popular seller every year.”

For the person with limited space or perhaps seeking a Christmas tree of a more diminutive variety, Appalachian Evergreens offers its Fraser Fir table top Christmas tree.

Measuring in at anywhere from 30 to 40 inches in height, the table top tree works well for those who want the feel and look of Christmas without having the space for the conventional-sized evergreen.

“A lot of people who order our table top trees include customers such as those whose parents are in nursing homes, as they want their parents to have a real tree for the small space available there,” Thompson added.

“We sell many of our trees to people living in New York or other areas where they have limited space, or we have parents who send them to their children in college for their dorm rooms. We also ship a lot of the trees on the wholesale level.”

Call and visit our website today!

(828) 963-8090-Office info@mountainconstruction.com

www.hearthstoneofboone.com

12 - Mountain Times Publications

MADE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

GE Aviation

Thursday, September 28, 2017

GE Aviation is proud p oud to be partt of the High Country pa Industrial Community

GE Aviation employs 275 skilled, hardworking team members who produce high pressure turbine disks and high pressure compressor spools used in commercial jet engines around the world. Every 2 seconds, an airplane powered by GE technology is taking off somewhere in the world. That means, at any given moment, more than 300,000 people are depending on our engines.

GE Aviation places a high value on our workforce. As a business, we can overcome a lot of different obstacles, but top notch talent is something that we cannot survive without.

Our competitive advantage is our people. We believe our success stems from a collaborative work environment. We refer to this as “teaming” ― the notion that with an empowered workforce, teams become more efficient and more effective at a lower cost.

High Pressure Turbine

High Pressure Compressor

The GE Aviation plant at West Jefferson continues to expand. Our facility has nearly doubled in size to 196,000 square feet, and we have added 125 employees with plans to continue to hire into 2018.

GE Aviation’s West Jefferson team is always looking for talented team members. Candidates should have at least 1 year manufacturing experience in set-up and operations of any of the following machining processes: drilling, milling, grinding, turning, or broaching OR 1 year education in a relevant field such as machining and engineering.

Interested candidates can apply at www.gecareers.com using keyword: “West Jefferson Machinist”.

GE Aviation

400 The Professional P ofessional D Dr,, West Jefferson, NC 28694 | (336) 246-1721 | www.geaviation.com ww geaviation.com