Local People, Real Stories

Carrie Andrews

Flying Scot Sailboats

Carrie Andrews grew up enjoying a variety of water sports on Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. She is now the president of a sailboat manufacturer called Flying Scot Inc. in Garrett County, MD. Watch her testimony to see what brought her back to her family owned sailboat manufacturing business.

Mandela Echefu

WHEELZUP ADVENTURES in Allegany County

Mandela Echefu is the owner of an outdoor adventure outlet in Cumberland, MD called Wheelzup Adventures. Mandela shares his philosophy on creativity and having a connection to nature. If you’re a small business outdoor recreation manufacturer, Western Maryland is a blank slate for creating.

David Hayes

Resident / EXECUTIVE of Allegany County

David Hayes is a resident of Cumberland, MD, and executive for an industry leading chemical search-and-fulfillment platform, located in Cumberland. When Hayes was recruited to the position years ago, he did not think much about the area until he met a local cycling group. Watch to see how he discovered his passion for the outdoors of Western Maryland.

Mike Koch

FireFly Farms in Garrett County

Mike Koch is the Co-founder of Firefly Farms in Accident, MD. Mike and his husband Pablo create goat cheese from local small family farms and distribute it to vendors all over the United States. They now manufacture over 200,000 lbs of cheese every year. Hear first hand from Mike about how they found their success in the beautiful mountains of Western Maryland.