- July 7, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
“We haven’t experienced the same challenges,” said Andy Williamson, executive director of Outdoor Gear Builders of WNC.
Many retail shops and gear builders who never really paused during the pandemic have been able to retain most or all of their employees. On the government side, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have both been able to fill their nearly 100 seasonal positions apiece this summer without recruitment issues — though housing in gateway communities was, as always, a challenging factor, said Smokies spokesperson Dana Soehn.
Though labor challenges certainly exist in the outdoor industry — Motion Makers Bicycles is still operating on reduced hours and Tuckaseegee Fly Shop is training up inexperienced recruits to plug the gap — it’s not as monumental an issue in that sector as in other areas of the…
