//Carolina adventure business shifts to producing PPE, adds jobs

Carolina adventure business shifts to producing PPE, adds jobs

WNC recreational equipment business shifts to producing PPE, adds jobs

SylvanSport producing PPE during coronavirus pandemic

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GABRIELLE: NOW TO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, FROM CAMPERS AND SLEEPING BAGS, TO FACE MASKS AND COUNTER SHIELDS. SYLVAN SPORTS, IN BREVARD, MADE A QUICK TRANSITION, FROM PRODUCING OUTDOOR GEAR, TO MAKING PPE. WYFF NEWS 4 PHOTOJOURNALIST CHIP BAYSDEN INTRODUCES US TO CEO TOM DEMPSEY. >> THE AHA MOMENT WAS NOT THAT THE VIRUS WAS COMING BUT THAT WE COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WE ARE DESIGNERS. ENGINEERS. AND WE ARE PROBLEM SOLVERS. IF WE CANNOT CONTRIBUTE DURING THIS DIRE TIME, WE CANNOT EXPECT OTHERS TO DO IT FOR US. >> I HAVE BEEN THE OUTDOOR RECREATION INDUSTRY FOR 30 YEARS. ♪ THE SYLVAN SPORT GO I CONCEIVED IN 2004, THE OPEN NATURE OF IT ALLOWS YOU CAN TO CONNECT WITH THE OUTDOORS. WE MAKE SLEEPING BAGS, BACKPACKS, CAP COOKING DEVICES. IN MARCH WE WERE GETTING READY TO HEAD OFF TO THE FIRST OF MANY EVENTS TO SHOW OUR PRODUCTS. ALL EVENTS WERE CANCELED AND WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SURVIVE AND KEEP THESE PEOPLE EMPLOYED. AND HOW CAN WE MEET THE NEEDS OF THE HEALTH CARE AND FIRST RESPONDER COMMUNITIES? HOW DECISION TO MAKE THE SWITCH TO MANUFACTURING FACE SHIELDS, COUNTER GUARDS AND FOOT OPERATED DOOR OPENERS WAS NOT A DECISION. RECENTLY SAID WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS. >> THERE WAS UNITY FROM THE BEGINNING. >> EVERYBODY SPRUNG INTO ACTION. >> WE HAD TO CONTRIBUTE IN >> A SIGNIFICANT WAY. >> WE HAVE TO MOBILIZE A SUPPLY CHAIN. >> WE STARTED GOING A MILLION MILES AN HOUR. WE CALIBRATE IN THE FACTORIES. >> WE HAVE A TEAM IN THAILAND TO SOURCE FROM. >> IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT THAT GAVE US PURPOSE. >> GETTING THOSE INTO PLACE IN LESS THAN A WEEK WAS INTENSE, DEMANDING. >> BY UNIFYING AROUND THAT, IT MOTIVATED US TO KEEP GOING. >> WE ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY DEEPER. >> EDDA SO EMOTIONAL THAT I WOULD GO HOME EVERY NIGHT EXHAUSTED PARTLY FROM THE VOLUME OF WORK AND FROM THE EMOTION OF WATCHING THE WHOLE TEAM REALLY RALLY AND CARE SO MUCH. — IT IS SO EMOTIONAL. WE SET EVERYTHING WE ARE DOING IN THE PPA WORLD IS GOING TO BE TRANSPARENT PRICING BECAUSE WE ARE NOT IN THIS TO MAKE MONEY, WE JUST WANTED TO COVER COSTS AND GET NEEDS MET AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. — PPE WORLD. WE WERE NOT SURE HOW LONG WE WOULD BE IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING PPE. THAT WILL BE A LONG-TERM THING. >> THOMAS SOMEONE WHO HAS SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE AND USUALLY AT US FROM AN ANGLE THAT HAS NOT BEEN CONSIDERED. >> I WENT INTO OUR FACTORY SUNDAY TO OPTIMIZE THE FACILITY FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE SMALL TEAM THAT WOULD REMAIN WORKING. SO I PROPPED OPEN THE DOORS AND ANYTHING PEOPLE MIGHT TOUCH. I SKETCHED OUT A DEVICE THAT WOULD ALLOW YOU TO OPEN A RESTROOM DOOR WITH YOUR FOOT. AMAZON DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO IT THAT BECAUSE THEY HAD NO CATEGORY. IT TOOK THEM TWO WEEKS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT IT ON THEIR SITE AND WE MADE 4000 LAST WEEK ALONE. WE HAVE GROWN RPP MANUFACTURING TEAMS AND ADDED EMPLOYEES. — OUR PPE MANUFACTURING TEAM. WE ARE TRANSFERRING FROM PPE BACK TO CAMPING GEAR WHEN THE WELLNESS OPENING UP TO OUTDOOR SPACES AND THAT IS BEAUTIFUL. >> THE WAY TO HEAL IS TO GET OUTSIDE. THIS IS WHERE I COME AND WHERE MY HEALING STARTS. KNOWING THAT WE ARE ENABLING THIS HEALING FOR OTHERS IS THE PURPOSE OF SYLVAN SPORTS. GABRIELLE: SYLVAN SPORTS HIRED MORE PEOPLE OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, BECAUSE PPE PRODUCTION HAS BEEN SUCCESS

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WNC recreational equipment business shifts to producing PPE, adds jobs

SylvanSport producing PPE during coronavirus pandemic

WYFF News 4 Photojournalist Chip Baysden introduces us to Tom Dempsey and shows us operations at SylvanSport in Brevard.

WYFF News 4 Photojournalist Chip Baysden introduces us to Tom Dempsey and shows us operations at SylvanSport in Brevard.

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