--- title: "WNC outdoor gear builders produce PPE in coronavirus fight, get portion of $10M from Dogwood Health - Dogwood Health Trust" canonicalUrl: "https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/wnc-outdoor-gear-builders-produce-ppe-in-coronavirus-fight-get-portion-of-10m-from-dogwood-health/" excerpt: "ASHEVILLE – Tom Dempsey’s heart was racing “twice as fast as normal” last week as the president of unique RV maker SylvanSport worked ’round the clock to get supplies from Asia to start immediate production of life-saving personal protection equipment, aka PPE. He is among an army of Western North Carolina outdoor gear manufacturers who typically make bike parts, backpacks and athletic clothing but are abruptly switching gears to do their part in fighting the global coronavirus pandemic." metaDescription: "ASHEVILLE – Tom Dempsey\'s heart was racing \"twice as fast as normal\" last week as the president of unique RV maker SylvanSport worked \'round the" datePublished: "2020-03-28T16:55:00-04:00" dateModified: "2020-04-22T16:06:22-04:00" --- - WNC outdoor gear builders produce PPE in coronavirus fight, get portion of $10M from Dogwood Health - Dogwood Health Trust ** # WNC outdoor gear builders produce PPE in coronavirus fight, get portion of $10M from Dogwood Health ** ** ** ** ** ASHEVILLE – Tom Dempsey’s heart was racing “twice as fast as normal” last week as the president of unique RV maker [SylvanSport](https://www.sylvansport.com/) worked ’round the clock to get supplies from Asia to start immediate production of life-saving personal protection equipment, aka PPE. He is among an army of Western North Carolina outdoor gear manufacturers who typically make bike parts, backpacks and athletic clothing but are abruptly switching gears to do their part in fighting the global coronavirus pandemic. ## Press Contact Erica Allison****828.329.5089 [[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6401160d070524020b160905100d0b0a14164a070b09) Formation PR** 735 Locust St. Hendersonville, NC 28792 ## Media Requests * Name Email Message Send ![Full Color Dogwood Health Trust logo](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/DHT-Logo22FullColor-1024x268.webp) #### Additional Press Coverage and News [View All](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/resources/news/) ## Related Posts [](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-releases-hurricane-helene-disaster-response-playbook/) ### [Dogwood Health Trust Releases Hurricane Helene Disaster Response Playbook](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-releases-hurricane-helene-disaster-response-playbook/) Dogwood Health Trust is sharing a new disaster response playbook that captures lessons learned from their experiences responding to Hurricane Helene in 2024. [Read More »](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-releases-hurricane-helene-disaster-response-playbook/) June 8, 2026 [](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-and-primary-care-development-corporation-launch-10-5-million-collaboration-to-strengthen-federally-qualified-health-centers-in-western-north-carolina/) ### [Dogwood Health Trust and Primary Care Development Corporation Launch $10.5 Million Collaboration to Strengthen Federally Qualified Health Centers in Western North Carolina](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-and-primary-care-development-corporation-launch-10-5-million-collaboration-to-strengthen-federally-qualified-health-centers-in-western-north-carolina/) Effort focuses on strengthening FQHC financial resiliency and health care access across region Asheville, N.C. – Dogwood Health Trust and Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) [Read More »](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-and-primary-care-development-corporation-launch-10-5-million-collaboration-to-strengthen-federally-qualified-health-centers-in-western-north-carolina/) March 5, 2026 [](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-and-affiliated-monitors-inc-announce-schedule/) ### [Dogwood Health Trust and Affiliated Monitors, Inc. Announce Schedule for Two Community Meetings with Independent Monitor](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-and-affiliated-monitors-inc-announce-schedule/) Meetings will provide reporting updates, review findings from the 2024 reporting year and share details about the current process for the 2025 reporting year Asheville, [Read More »](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-and-affiliated-monitors-inc-announce-schedule/) February 10, 2026 [](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-announces-700k-in-emergency-funding/) ### [Dogwood Health Trust Announces $700K in Emergency Funding to Help Families in Western North Carolina Access Food During the Government Shutdown](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-announces-700k-in-emergency-funding/) Asheville, N.C. – Dogwood Health Trust announces $700K in emergency funding to help local communities purchase and distribute food to children and families in Western [Read More »](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/dogwood-health-trust-announces-700k-in-emergency-funding/) November 6, 2025 [](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/new-report-highlights-hurricane-helenes-impact-on-western-north-carolina-nonprofits-and-their-role-in-long-term-recovery/) ### [New Report Highlights Hurricane Helene’s Impact on Western North Carolina Nonprofits and Their Role in Long-term Recovery](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/new-report-highlights-hurricane-helenes-impact-on-western-north-carolina-nonprofits-and-their-role-in-long-term-recovery/) While Physical and Economic Recovery is Underway, Social and Emotional Challenges Remain Asheville, N.C. – A new report released today, Rising Above: Resilience and Recovery [Read More »](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/new-report-highlights-hurricane-helenes-impact-on-western-north-carolina-nonprofits-and-their-role-in-long-term-recovery/) September 26, 2025 [](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/two-vice-presidents-to-join-dogwood-health-trusts-community-investment-team/) ### [Two Vice Presidents to Join Dogwood Health Trust’s Community Investment Team](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/two-vice-presidents-to-join-dogwood-health-trusts-community-investment-team/) Asheville, N.C. – Dogwood Health Trust is pleased to announce that after an extensive national search, Jehan Benton-Clark and Jerry Kenney will both join its [Read More »](https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/two-vice-presidents-to-join-dogwood-health-trusts-community-investment-team/) August 6, 2025 [](#) - [](#) [](/) [](https://twitter.com/DogwoodWNC) [Facebook *](https://www.facebook.com/Dogwood-Health-Trust-212994690131241) [Instagram **](https://www.instagram.com/dogwoodwnc/) [Linkedin **](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dogwood-health-trust/) * [](https://twitter.com/DogwoodWNC) [Facebook *](https://www.facebook.com/Dogwood-Health-Trust-212994690131241) [Instagram **](https://www.instagram.com/dogwoodwnc/) [Linkedin **](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dogwood-health-trust/)