InsideOutdoor | WINTER 2022 15 This summer Appalachian Gear Company, an outdoor lifestyle company specializing in American-made performance apparel and gear, announced its expansion into a new manufacturing facility in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The company said the investment was made to “significantly increase” production of its All-Paca line of hoodies, crews and accessories made with 100 percent alpaca fibers. During the past 30 years, Appalachian Gear founders said they watched as apparel manufacturing left the United States. Since getting started in Charlotte in 2018, App Gear Co has manufactured 100 percent of its fabric in its own facility, with product assembly taking place at various factories across the Southeastern U.S. When the time came to find a larger space that could accommodate the pace of manufacturing needed, App Gear Co founders returned to their roots and relocated to historic Kings Mountain, where they started their first-ever manufacturing operation. The executives believe that by staying in North Carolina, the company gains better oversight of the manufacturing process, ensures the production of higher quality product and guarantees employees have a safe working environment. “App Gear Co really started growing two years ago as more people began to find out about us, and then COVID struck,” said John Gage, co-founder. “Ironically, 2020 was the year that our brand’s public awareness exploded, and we really struggled to keep up with demand in the face of global supply chain issues that impacted our flow of raw material from Peru. I know to a lot of folks, the decision to find a bigger, better space to grow our business in the midst of all that was unthinkable, but we just see it as staying true to the entrepreneurial spirit that helped us start the brand in the first place.” Production commenced at the new facility in June of 2021. Sterling Rope Company of Biddeford, Maine, a manufacturer of life-safety rope, cord and hardware made in the USA, has taken the next step to becoming better stewards of the Earth by going through the complete Climate Neutral audit and becoming Climate Neutral Certified. “We took a hard look at where we produce emissions,” remarked Tripp Wyckoff, CEO of Vertical Supply Group, which owns Sterling. “As a life-safety rope manufacturer, it’s no secret we use and produce plastic products. By becoming Climate Neutral Certified, our consumers and employees can quickly see the steps we are taking to minimize our environmental footprint and to reduce the greenhouse gasses we produce through the manufacturing and distribution of our products.” Earlier this summer, Sterling announced its partnership with Arbor Day Foundation to help the reforestation in the Econfina Creek Watershed and joined its carbon offset project in the Mississippi Alleuvial Valley. m Appalachian Gear Co. Ramps Up Carolina Production Sterling Rope Becomes Carbon Neutral Certified Workers install machinery in new Kings Mountain facility
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