Last week, gun magazine writers from around the country came to Swansboro, NC to join High Speed Gear and partner-guest Sig Sauer, to utilize and review High Speed Gear’s equipment. High Speed Gear hosted the event in Onslow County because of the community’s connection to the Marine Corps and the military. A shooting event married High Speed Gear’s belts, TACOs® and pouches with the Sig Sauer MCX Virtus and P320X5 Modular Handgun System which is a version of the M17 being fielded by all U.S. uniformed services. The co-marketing event gave writers and Sig Sauer a chance to try on some of the 1300 different types of gear, which are made locally, and put the gear through its paces at Spartan Ranch, an area training facility.
JOED attended the multi-day event as part of its mission in supporting local manufacturers through the Business Retention and Expansion Program. High Speed Gear started as a very small cut and sew shop in Swansboro, NC and has grown into an international company selling to distributers and customers in more than 130 countries. Militaries, Law Enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many other industries use High Speed Gear’s patented TACOs® because of their quality and lifetime warranty. As VP of Sales Operations Bill Babboni described, “our commitment is to the customer and to respond to all customer needs as quickly as possible.” Hollywood also uses High Speed Gear’s equipment and can be seen in shows like Arrow and Quantico. The equipment has even been featured in the video game Ghost Recon Wilderness.
At close to 100 employees, High Speed Gear is one of Swansboro’s largest employers. With a diverse workforce, the plant manager stated the team is more like a family. The age of the employees ranges from 19 to 65 with over three quarters of the workforce being women. The company recently added laser and conveyor belt cutters to increase efficiency and cut down on waste, which is critical since the company produces upwards of 3000-4000 pieces of gear daily. High Speed Gear truly appreciates being a global brand; yet it’s rewarding to know that their equipment is utilized by Marines right here at Camp Lejeune.
Along with being sold through Dealers, Distributors and online, High Speed Gear’s equipment can also be found locally at Extreme Outfitters, Safe House Tactical, Detonation Technologies, Nick’s Guns and Gear and now up the street from the plant at Stumpies Custom Guns, Inc. in Swansboro.
