Jamie McGee

jmcgee@tennessean.com

Eric Jackson picked Tennessee to set up his kayak business.

He now employs 175 people in Sparta, Tenn., sparking the local economy.

He's also a world champion kayaker, often spotted at Rock Island State Park.

"We’re just beginning here," he said. "We are not going anywhere.”

For world champion kayaker Eric Jackson, the choice for his home came down to outdoor haven Hood River, Ore., and an unknown, rural area in Middle Tennessee near Rock Island, just outside economically distressed White County.

In what would become a game-changing decision for White County and surrounding communities, Jackson, his wife and two young kids drove their RV trailer to Tennessee, drawn by a particular rapid in the Caney Fork River that would allow him to train year-round.

Fourteen years later, 175 local workers are employed by kayak manufacturer Jackson Kayak in Sparta, Tenn., and a second plant is underway. Where whitewater and recreational paddlers were once a rarity, they are now a regular presence on the Caney Fork and its tributaries throughout the summer months.

Meanwhile, new businesses have sprung up to take advantage of the growing demand for boating hobbies. A place that was largely unknown to paddlers is visited by professional kayakers from around the world for global competitions, fueling the local economy with an influx of visitors.

All of it points back to Jackson.

“It’s all his fault. He was the catalyst,” said John Binkley, who launched a recreational kayaking business down the street from Jackson’s home called The Happy Yaker. “He has changed the culture, not just in creating jobs and things like that with the factory, but everybody is kayaking now.”

Reviving White County

Against the backdrop of twin waterfalls rushing into the Caney Fork River, Jackson effortlessly paddles his kayak atop a wave to surf, releasing one hand from his paddle to flash a thumbs-up and a big smile to those watching him from the riverbank.

He is joined by a handful of young paddlers, including a teenager who is interning at Jackson Kayak. They cheer each other on as they take turns flipping and cartwheeling their boats in the main rapid. On land, Jackson speaks earnestly about his company and the value of Tennessee’s rivers. But in the water he is clearly enjoying himself, dunking his younger peers and performing tricks.

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In the nearby parking lot, Matt Cunningham, who works in customer service for Jackson Kayak, shares the names of colleagues who found jobs at Jackson Kayak after their previous employer, Philips Lighting, left Sparta. Nearly 300 workers lost jobs when the company moved to Mexico, a departure announced in 2010, according to local media reports. In 2005, the county lost its then-largest employer, Emerson Appliance Controls, where 500 people worked.

Similarly, Cunningham commuted to a manufacturing company, Honeywell, in Murfreesboro before his job was transferred to Mexico, he said. When he found a job at Jackson Kayak the next year, “it was a big relief,” he said.

Jackson Kayak sells its boats through Caney Fork Outdoors and Chattanooga-based Rock Creek Outfitters and generates $20 million in annual revenue. The kayaks are high-end, with whitewater models starting at $700. The company also makes recreational, fishing and hunting kayaks, as well as paddleboards and specialty coolers under the Orion Coolers brand.

Jackson Kayak doesn’t advertise. Instead, kayakers see his boats at competitions or online. Jackson has taken advantage of the branding power of social media as videos of his stunts — and those of his now-grown kids — are able to reach a wide audience.

Employees in Sparta mold and assemble boats, and work on research and development, maintenance and customer service in a building that used be home to Philips Lighting. With $1.25 million in grants from the Tennessee Economic and Community Development office, Jackson Kayak is renovating the building while it builds a second facility in Sparta that together could add 200 jobs in the coming years.

“Our objective is to employ our community,” Jackson said. “We’ve got an amazing pool of talent to pool from that used to be at Philips.

"We’re just beginning here," he said. "We are not going anywhere.”

Boosting a tourism niche

In the mid-1990s, Jackson had been training for the Olympics as a slalom kayaker in Bethesda, Md., while working as a brand manager for a kayak company. Then, for years, Jackson and his family lived out of their RV, chasing rapids and competitions.

“We didn’t have a home,” he said. “We just went where the rivers were great and where the kayaking was good, the water was running.”

Jackson would spend time each year paddling the Caney Fork, drawn by the hole below Twin Falls, a 20-foot waterfall and rapids that at times, he says, rival the Grand Canyon's Colorado River.

In 2002, Jackson and his wife, Kristine, bought 20 acres in Tennessee and set up a double-wide trailer that has since been replaced by a log cabin with a spacious front porch. The next year, he launched Jackson Kayak out of what used to be a laundromat.

Jackson sold the World Cup on hosting the 2006 competition on his favorite stretch under the river, an event that brought hundreds of competitors and spectators from 30 countries and set the stage for a second competition in 2012.

Jackson gives credit to the river, for providing the resources that have helped energize the area’s economy, but he also acknowledges the significant role Jackson Kayak has played.

“It’s one of the most beautiful spots you can hit,” he said. “We put it on the map. It was a secret before.”

Several outdoor television shows, including "Jimmy Houston Outdoors," have since featured the Rock Island area, further building awareness of Tennessee’s rivers.

Rock Island State Park, which is in both White and Warren counties, also has enjoyed the business. Cabins book up immediately, fueling demand for other lodging, which spurred Binkley to build two cottages in addition to his kayaking operation. The cottages were filled for the summer weekends this year, all the way through Nov. 1, Binkley said, wearing a Jackson Kayak baseball hat.

Two of the four founders of Smooth Rapids Rentals, a new recreational kayaking rental company in McMinnville, work at Jackson Kayak. They created Smooth Rapids in 2012 as a second source of income after years of floating the river for fun.

“Seven or eight years ago, there would be nobody out there,” said Todd Barker, one of the four owners. “We were out one day and just thought what a great idea it would be if we could buy a few of these and offer people to rent them out. … It really took off fast.”

Smooth Rapid customers have come from California, Louisiana, Florida and Kentucky to float the Barren Fork River, and Barker said one couple chose to get married in their kayaks.

With 60 boats, they average 300 kayakers per week during the summer and employ nine people. They opened a storefront this year and are adding a kitchen and bar area to keep business going during the winter months.

“What spurred my company was Jackson Kayak coming to the area,” said Barkler, whose brother works for Jackson. “That is what sparked interest for us. I’d say that sparked interest for others around the area.”