American-made outdoor gear store launches locally

From Wild American Gear:

ASHEVILLE, NC, Aug. 24, 2015 – Stevin Westcott, former spokesman for the four national forests in North Carolina, today unveiled a new online store that features only American made outdoor recreation products. WILD AMERICAN GEAR TM , found online at www.wildamericangear.com, offers quality clothing and gear for hikers, bikers, joggers, anglers, golfers and other outdoor recreationists.

“This was a project I expected to kick-off a dozen years from now when I retired,” said Westcott. “But last year’s diagnosis of a neurological disease and complications associated with the affliction left me with no choice but to retire from federal service this year.”

In recent years, Westcott had been developing the concept for WILD AMERICAN GEAR in his spare time when he was off duty from the forest service. Then last year, Westcott was diagnosed with dystonia, the third most common movement disorder (behind Parkinson’s and essential tremor). The dystonia left Westcott unable to perform many duties of his job at the federal agency. Dystonia can include head tremors, severe neck pain, depression and other symptoms. Stress aggravates the condition. Westcott has worked part-time on the business since leaving federal service.

The idea for WILD AMERICAN GEAR came in 2011 after Westcott visited a major sporting goods retailer. That day, he was looking for a fishing rod for his three-year-old son and noticed that most of the fishing products were made in a foreign country. He looked at other products in the store and realized the majority were made in foreign countries. While there are quality products that come from many foreign countries, Westcott felt there must be American companies that manufacture sporting goods that could have shelf space.

“If more retailers sold American made, recreational products, then maybe more Americans would have jobs and the economy would improve,” he thought.

This idea grew into a passion for establishing an online store dedicated to selling American made products and boosting the U.S economy. Now that the dream has become a reality, Westcott’s hope is that the online store will some day serve as the primary source for American made outdoor gear and clothing and make an economic difference in the country.

The website sells products with and without the WILD AMERICAN GEAR logo. Screen printing and embroidery services are provided by businesses in Asheville, helping to retain local jobs. Westcott hopes to feature more Asheville- and North Carolina-based businesses on the website in the future. Current suppliers range from California to New York.