Halo Waterfowl: Perfecting the Waxed Canvas Hunting Jacket

By Ryan Waldrep, Assistant Director, Georgia Entrepreneur & Small Business Team Small Business Spotlight | Carroll County | Region 4
 
It always adds a little extra excitement to my day when I have the chance to meet with an entrepreneur that is truly passionate about what they do. And Greg Camp, the founder of Halo Waterfowl in Carrollton, embodies that passion and excitement. The love of the outdoors, hunting and fishing were instilled into Greg and his brother Chase at an early age. As they grew, the brothers began talking about what their perfect hunting jacket would be. These discussions were moved to the back burner as they entered into the construction industry. But one day, Greg and Chase the jacket came back up again, and they decided the time was right to take the leap. In 2015, the duo launched Halo Waterfowl. Deeply rooted in Georgia, Halo Waterfowl forged a partnership with Sewell Manufacturing (founded in 1918) to develop a new breed of practical hunting jackets that are field tested, tried and true. Sewell Manufacturing was a logical fit as they have sewing facilities in Bowden and distribution and fulfillment in Bremen, both of which are nearby to Carrollton.
 
Halo's catalog includes caps, t-shirts and their specially-designed waxed canvas shell hunting jacket. Their black tactical functional jacket serves law enforcement entities and companies that want to have their own logo on the jacket. All of the jackets are made from 6.25 and 8.5 waxed canvas – the same weight as tents made for the US military – and is finished off with a US Flag on the sleeve and a custom label on the inside yoke. The design is also modeled around a military tunic which allows for superior range of motion whether you are drawing a bow, shouldering a shotgun, or casting a fly rod. Aside from repelling rainwater like a champ, the wind-resistant waxed canvas also has an unexpected quality: it doesn't create static, making it ideal for environments (and professions such as law enforcement) where rogue sparks can create an explosive situation. A relative newcomer to the market, Halo Waterfowl is in their third year of sales. In 2016, the company made and sold 150 jackets, and increased to 250 in 2017. This year, Halo has already sold 400 jackets, with a goal of 600 by the end of the year.

'We could have flooded the market with the jackets,' says Greg. 'But we wanted to make sure the design was perfect and that we were providing a product that is far superior to anything else on the market.'

And the accolades have come in like a flock of mallards. Ducks Unlimited named Halo Waterfowl's waxed canvas jacket one of the six hottest items for the fall of 2017.

And they are also making waves in the social scene. About five years ago, Greg was convinced by his daughter that Halo needed to be on Instagram. Now boasting more than 1,300 posts, Halo Waterfowl's Instagram page alone has more than 125,000 followers. They took the success they found there and then created halocountrytv.com. Between Halo Waterfowl's social media page, their 72 pro-staffers nationwide, 12 elite staff members and country music artist Riley Green, they've gathered five million followers. But Halo Waterfowl does more to reach their target demographic than the use of social media. They have also created a smartphone app that allows users to see migratory patterns of waterfowl, sunrise/sunset times, bird identification catalog and more. The app also provides a quick link to Halo's complete online catalog. Greg and the team have even added each of Halo Country TV's episodes to the app. They plan to release 24 brand new episodes in the next 12 months to strategically target those with a specific interest in their products and lifestyle, rather than paying to have the episodes shown on outdoor-related channels. By harnessing the power of social media and the smartphone app, Halo Waterfowl has been able to save valuable resources while creating a marketing tool that can easily be shared by users. For more info on these unique jacket designers, check them out online, and on Facebook and Instagram.

Do you have a Small Business question? Let's start the conversation! Contact Ryan Waldrep, Assistant Director for Entrepreneur and Small Business Development, at (404) 877-8406 or [email protected]. And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest small business news and trends!