New alderman talks love for the outdoors, brings business-savvy mindset to board

With his most recent venture of transforming the century-old Glen Alpine knitting mill, new town board member Chad Wykle’s goal is to boost the town’s economic development by bringing business owners together, and by capitalizing on the surrounding great outdoors.

Growing up in Gamewell, Wykle who is 54, said his love for Western North Carolina and the outdoors runs deep, and began with the Lenoir Aquatic & Fitness Center. There, he fell in love with everything from paddling to rock climbing. He also found another love, his now-wife Rebecca.

After college, Chad proposed to Rebecca in her childhood home just up the road from downtown Glen Alpine. For a year, Chad taught at South Caldwell High School. Then, the couple moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to start a family and continue pursuing their love of rock climbing.

There, they had their two children Gabe and Nora. Eventually though, the trips back and forth from Chattanooga to Glen Alpine to see family became difficult. “There was no way we couldn’t come home,” Wykle said.

The Wykles moved back into the house where Rebecca grew up and then set their eyes on the historic mill. With the help of Rebecca’s father Tim Abernathy, the Wykles have transformed the building into spaces for three local businesses. Local seamstress Jean Pitts and Tea Tree, a ministry created by Tammy Taylor, currently occupy the top level. A coffee shop could be on the way, as a large bar space occupies part of Tea Tree’s space.

On the bottom level, Tea Tree has some more space, and Rebecca Wykle is in the process of opening Peak Fitness and Physical Therapy. Chad said that his family is making final touches to the clinic before it opens to the public.

Wykle received the most votes of candidates running for a seat on the board. What he heard from residents is that they wanted a business savvy perspective on the board.

“I thought ‘I’ll try.’ I love being connected to the communities that I live in,” Wykle said. “That’s the way that I operated when I was in Chattanooga for sure.”

Wykle works for Vertical Momentum and is a sales representative for two large outdoor brands, La Sportiva and Petzl. La Sportiva is known as a rock-climbing company, which creates rock climbing shoes, footwear, and other accessories for the outdoors. Petzl makes rope capture devices and other equipment needed for climbing.

“I love this industry,” Wykle said. “I’ve worked in it almost my entire adult life, either on the retail side or on the vendor side as a sales rep.”

Glen Alpine, he said, has a lot to offer with its recreational assets and proximity to the Linville Gorge and Lake James. The community is also “filled with really good, hard-working people,” he said, adding that the town has a good business structure that just needs to be developed.

“The first step is getting out there in the community and bringing these folks together just to communicate and hear and listen to hopes, dreams, things like that,” Wykle said. “There’s an opportunity for Glen Alpine to grow. The mill’s a perfect example of that as businesses fill out that space.”

When it comes to creating a healthier environment among the board and town staff, Wykle said he understands that there’s work to be done.

“Having worked in business for 25, 30 years, there’s an ebb and flow to things like that. There’s times when you feel like there’s lots of positivity and then sometimes there’s negative. I think in both cases there’s work on all fronts. It’s not necessarily a bad thing that there’s discourse.”

Wykle said he’s coming to the board ready to listen and provide positivity. “A good attitude brings a lot and a resilience to staying focused on the good and not just diving negative. I think it’s a simple turn for our town to make. Although some of those arguments may have been kind of acute and serious over the last couple of years, I think there’s too many good assets for the community that are in place.”

Wykle said he hopes to get the community more engaged through events at the new Glen Alpine Park downtown, adding that it’s an asset because Simpson Field is away from the town’s view shed. Because he believes the park will be widely used among residents and visitors, he believes the board’s role is to create opportunities for the community to come together.

“That just enhances general wellness in the community, health, happiness,” Wykle said, adding that he plans to work with local businesses to gather their input as well.

“‘I’m really looking forward to working in our town,” Wykle said. “I love Glen Alpine.”