Winterstick Snowboards, a hand-crafted snowboard maker located in Carrabassett Valley, is creating new jobs at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain. With the support of CEI’s Workforce Solutions and Lending teams, Winterstick is dedicated to building a manufacturing business in an economically depressed region of the state.

President Tom Fremont-Smith, Owner and Product Designer Seth Wescott, and the Winterstick Snowboards team hand-crafts each snowboard in a new production facility financed in part by CEI.  Manufacturing research and development also takes place at the facility, and new boards are tested right outside on the mountain.

Established in 1972 in Salt Lake City, Winterstick was one of the first backcountry snowboard manufacturing companies on the snowboarding scene. The Winterstick brand legacy continues to stand out among backcountry snowboard enthusiasts, outliving many of its industry competitors over the past four decades.

With a population of just under 30,000 (2015 Census), and a per capita income at the national poverty level, Franklin County is in dire need of quality jobs. According to the Maine Department of Labor, Franklin County has only seen private employment growth for one quarter since 2013. Every year-round job in this part of the state is valuable. More jobs are anticipated to be created over the next year, as Winterstick establishes its home in the mountains of Maine.