Making It Work in the Time of COVID-19

Employees at pop-up camper company Sylvansport are now making personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. Photo Courtesy of Sylvansport

The country’s economic climate is frighteningly uncertain. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted businesses to shutter their doors indefinitely, forced millions of Americans to file for unemployment, and mandated millions more to stay at home. Locally and nationally, the outdoor industry, like so many others, is taking a hit. About 90 percent of the industry is built on the backbones of small businesses, many of which are grappling with how to keep their employees paid and their businesses alive. Yet in these scary and unprecedented times, some businesses are getting creative and meeting new challenges head on.

Production Pivot

When Kitsbow CEO David Billstrom cut the ribbon at the cycling apparel manufacturer’s new factory in Old Fort, N.C., he could have never anticipated what