NEWS
See what’s happening in the MADE X MTNS Partnership. Check out our latest news!
MARCH 11, 2024 - MADE X MTNS Launches “Made by Mountains, Loved By Locals” Campaign to Highlight Western North Carolina Outdoor Gear Companies and Retailers
The MADE X MTNS (Made By Mountains) Partnership is excited to launch a groundbreaking outdoor retail campaign, “Made by Mountains, Loved by Locals,” to highlight the multitude of local gear brands born in Western North Carolina. This campaign will encourage customers to seek out local products on area retail shelves and in visitor hubs, and to put their gear to use in the many scenic outdoor recreation locations that shape the stunning landscape across the region.
Featuring local outdoor businesses and organizations, including Outdoor Business Alliance of WNC members, the guide directly connects shoppers witn the outdoor brands born in Western North Carolina, making it easy to find the perfect gifts for family and friends, and access special holiday promotions and sales. The Outdoor Gift Guide helps support the local outdoor economy in these mountains at a time when community is more important than ever, as the WNC region begins a long road to rebuilding and recovery after the disastrous impacts of Hurricane Helene.
February 28, 2024 - MADE X MTNS Publishes Western North Carolina Outdoor Recreation participation survey and Regional Economic Impacts Report
The MADE X MTNS (Made By Mountains) Partnership is proud to release the results of the Western North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Participation Survey, conducted in partnership with the Center for Economic Research & Policy Analysis at Appalachian State University and the Institute of Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana, to establish a foundational dataset supporting the economic impact of outdoor recreation participation in the region.
February 13, 2024 - MADE X MTNS Announces Second Round Awardees of the Building Outdoor Communities Planning and Capacity Building Grants
The MADE X MTNS (Made By Mountains) Partnership is thrilled to announce the second round of grant recipients in its Building Outdoor Communities Program. The six grantees awarded in round two of funding include projects that demonstrate their high impact, connectivity, regional potential, and sustainability benefit to enhance outdoor community and economic development.
November 21, 2023 - Outdoor recreation remains a powerful economic driver across North Carolina, according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
The United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has released its most current economic data, measuring outdoor recreation’s powerful and positive economic impact on the U.S. economy in 2022. Despite continuing inflation, workforce, and global supply chains and climate challenges, North Carolina’s outdoor recreation economy remains a powerful state driver, ranking 11th in the nation.
November 14, 2023 - MADE X MTNS Announces its 2023 Outdoor Gift Guide
The MADE X MTNS Partnership has made gift shopping for all your outdoor enthusiast family and friends easy this Holiday season, with its Outdoor Gift Guide, an online directory that features local outdoor gear and apparel, outside experiences, holiday sales, retail shops, and nonprofit gift donations and memberships.
November 9, 2023 - Mountain BizWorks Welcomes 8 Outdoor-Focused Businesses into Fifth Cohort of its Waypoint Accelerator Program
Mountain BizWorks welcomes the 5th cohort of its annual Waypoint Accelerator Program, launching November 2023 and continuing through March 2024. The first of its kind on the East Coast, the Waypoint Accelerator provides promising early-stage outdoor businesses with targeted support and resources to help elevate them to the next waypoints of their growth journey. The Waypoint Accelerator program is powered by a collaboration that includes the MADE X MTNS Partnership, NC SBTDC and Outdoor Business Alliance of WNC.
September 8, 2023 - MADE X MTNS Announces First Awardees of the Building Outdoor Communities Planning and Capacity Building Grants
The MADE X MTNS (Made By Mountains) Partnership is thrilled to announce the first round of grant recipients in its Building Outdoor Communities Program. The six grantees in this initial round of funding include projects that demonstrate their high impact, connectivity, regional potential, and sustainability benefit to enhance outdoor community and economic development.
August 9, 2023 - MADE X MTNS Announces Outdoor Equity Fund Grant Awardees
MADE X MTNS is thrilled to announce the grant recipients of its Outdoor Equity Fund. The twenty grantees represent small businesses, sole proprietors, non-profits, and community groups, located across Western North Carolina’s 25 county footprint and the Qualla Boundary, all working to increase outdoor recreation access and economic opportunity.