Jay Curwen '84 and his family.
Jay Curwen '84 a VP for National Recreation Leader
Sales experience leads to executive role for Greenie alum
The Nantahala Outdoor Center bills itself as the nation's largest outdoor recreation company, and upper management includes a Christ School graduate. NOC vice president Jay Curwen '84 cut his teeth in sales for North Face and Patagonia before taking on his current role. The business world is a natural extension of Curwen's personal interests. He was a scholarship cross country runner for UNC Asheville, and later a professional triathlete and adventure racer for a decade. Curwen still competes in triathlons at the amateur level, having won national championships as recently as 2016. Curwen is proud to be a Greenie alumnus just like his late father, Jim '60, and spoke about his memories of Christ School and professional endeavors.
Question: Most people in western North Carolina have heard about the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It's based out of Bryson City (65 miles west of Asheville). But for those who don't know much about the NOC, what can you tell us about it?
Answer: It's a fantastic 45-year-old company. We're a pretty well-rounded business. A little more than half is activity-oriented. We've had (22) Olympic paddlers, and offer such things as zip-lining and mountain-biking, too. We also have lodges, a retail business and restaurants. At the height of our season in July, we'll have about 1,000 employees.
Question: What type of duties do you handle as vice president?
Answer: I stay busy year-round and kind of split my time between the sales function and retail side of the business. I work out of an Asheville office, within walking distance to downtown. I've got to have five to 10 fires burning at all times. Right now, we're kind of mired in budgeting. We're also looking at new software programs and how we can integrate them into what we do.
Question: Tourism continues to grow in the Asheville area. I imagine that has had a positive effect on the NOC?
Answer: We've seen tremendous growth. We have so many wonderful relationships after 45 years, and access to so many different things. Historically, this was a much-less crowded space for marketing. Staying relevant as vacation itineraries change is important.
Question: What do you recall from your time as a student-athlete at Christ School?
Answer: Probably my fondest memory is running for "Big R" (Reed Finlay '58). My dad had graduated from Christ School and he sent me there as a junior. Before I was even there, Big R was in contact and I could tell he was someone who really cared. I felt like I was already a part of the community. He was just a great guy, and now that I've coached, I appreciate how much work he put into it. Another big thing is I remember one of the (school-sponsored trips) I took to the Bahamas. We were out on a charter sailboat, about 10 kids or so, in a pretty big storm. I had grown up on a sailboat, and I was called upon for my knowledge. It was the first time in my life that an adult had turned to me for something they didn't already know.
