Owner/CEO's Name & Business's Name
Thomas Dempsey, founder and CEO - SylvanSport
Year Established
2004
Why is your business unique and what's your pitch?
SylvanSport redefines how we enjoy outdoor recreation, travel, camping, and utility. With a deep background in the outdoor gear industry, we decided it was time to reinvent the RV. Our flagship SylvanSport GO is the "Swiss Army Knife" of camping trailers. At 800 lbs., it can be towed by almost any vehicle on the road. It can handily carry kayaks, bikes, motorcylces, canoes, and even furniture or building supplies.
SylvanSport has created a category of towable vehicles that are designed, manufactured, and marketed like outdoor technical gear.
What led you to start the business?
As an industrial designer with two decades of experience designing all kinds of outdoor gear, I was right in the thick of tremendous technical and design advancements in that category. Simultaneously, I watched the RV industry begin to lose sight of its entry level customers through limited innovation. It was time to re-invent the entry level RV like a piece of technical gear. It was only natural that this would appeal to today's gear-saavy consumer, looking for more comfort and utility in their outdoor travels, but avoiding the almost "socially unacceptable" large, fuel consuming RVs. Our hunches proved correct in market studies and consumer focus groups, and even more correct with an exciting product launch in 2008. The SylvanSport GO has received fantastic validating awards from National Geographic Adventure, Men's Health (both awarded their "Gear of the Year" status upon the GO.), as well as Business Week / IDSA Gold Award for best product design in 2008. We love the innovative freedom that a company of our size and structure can achieve.
Lessons Learned
- creativity is enabled at the intersection of Freedom and Passion streets.
- How to launch a company during the worst economy since the Great Depression
- Incredibly resourceful, fun, and effective marketing and promotional campaigns, with almost no resources
- determination, never give up
- Focus on all aspects of life: self, family, faith, employees, stakeholders, customers.
- Keep the fun, even in the most challenging times. - Smile.