Crescent Kayaks

When a devastating 2018 shop fire threatened the future of his business, Crescent Kayaks owner and founder James Derbecker used the event as a catalyst to take new ownership of his brand and propel the business forward.

Derbecker had been making rental kayaks out of a plastics rotation-molding facility in Carrollton with five employees when his equipment and tools were destroyed by the fire. After scrambling to find a new facility and equipment, he rebranded the company and starting designing retail kayaks.

Having been a presence at industry shows for years, selling rental and beach kayaks, and helping other kayak-makers increase their output by converting to the roto-molding process, Derbecker observed what he felt was a gap in the industry for a paddling-centered and value-focused company. With an ever-present drive and spirit of innovation, he decided his company would serve as that voice in the kayak space.

“The core values of our company are paddling performance, being American made, having a fresh aesthetic, and offering as much value to the consumer as possible," Derbecker said.

The new branding and shift to primarily selling retail products proved successful for Crescent Kayaks. The company grew its sales by 300% in 2020 and doubled them in 2021, and has produced around 10 new models of kayaks.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped shift the business away from rental boats as well, and in 2020, Derbecker said people started traveling from hundreds of miles away to pick up their product. Some of the top kayakers in the game started to recognize the brand too, calling it the best in its class for the price.

“That’s when something felt special about it,” he said.

Crescent Kayaks has hit several milestones since then, becoming a leading international kayak brand and growing to 20 employees, including a sales manager and creative director. In 2021, the company purchased a 30,000-square-foot facility in Carrollton to expand the business working closely with the local economic development team at Carroll Tomorrow to navigate the process.

Though Derbecker grew up in Carrollton, he said he never felt attached to the town until he thought about moving the business elsewhere. While Carrolton is not as obvious a location for people who like outdoor activities, Derbecker said he’s been able to create a life there that feels authentic to him and his brand. And he’s in good company, with Blue WaterRopes, one of the best climbing rope companies in Georgia, located in Carrollton. He lives next to the University of West Georgia, and near trails for cycling and trail running. The Little Tallapoosa River runs through the town, a small part of Georgia’s connected waterways that Crescent Kayaks donates a portion of business proceeds to preserve.

Derbecker hopes his business not only highlights the robust outdoor community that can be found in the Southeast, but its manufacturing partners as well.

“Time in nature is really important health wise and mental health wise, and the mission of our brand is to showcase the Southeast so that people are aware there is a culture that is in-tune, caring, and cool. It also ties into our emphasis on quality, storytelling, and highlighting the American-made side of our business.”

He developed a molding facility with South Carolina partners, which creates the blank shell of the kayaks and ships them to the Carrollton facility. There, they are inspected, assembled, packed, and distributed to independent dealers. Where the kayaks are sold is just as key for the company as where they are made.

“It would be weird if we did all that and then we sold in chain stores,” Derbecker said. "We want to be in the best local paddle shop in every city, we want the people to be knowledgeable and passionate. That’s the right people to be selling our story.”

The ideal customer is more universal.

“The person our customers should want to look like is that person who is smiling and out on the water,” Derbecker said.

Working to further highlight the outdoor culture of the Southeast and growing the business’ manufacturing capabilities is top of mind for Derbecker going into the future. The door is wide open for whatever comes next.

For these reasons and more, Crescent Kayaks is named a 2023 Small Business ROCK STAR.

Every year in honor of Georgia Small Business Week, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) team up to present a few outstanding small businesses with the title of Small Business ROCK STARS. The awards salute the risks, innovations, outreach, and impact of the state’s small businesses. Each of this year’s winners have fewer than 300 full-time employees, make a positive impact in their community, and were founded in the State of Georgia. Learn more about the program and the rest of the 2023 ROCK STARS and nominate a company for the 2024 Small Business ROCK STAR Awards.