If you are that lover of the outdoors who insists on having only the finest gear or who wears only items “Made in America,” one Lake Highlands High graduate has got you covered.
Literally.
LHHS football standout and 1996 grad standout Stephen Holley has used the lessons he learned as a Navy SEAL to create SIXSITE, and he’s getting great online reviews for his uniquely designed and crafted hunting, fishing and outdoor gear.
An avid hunter and fisherman himself, he began, he says, by playing with a sewing machine and adding tactical elements and premium textiles to improve performance.
I asked if he learned to sew from mom Pagett Gosslee, or maybe from sisters Shannon Nadalini or Megan Wilson.
“It’s a dirty little secret that lots of SEALs take apart their gear, tailoring it to meet their unique needs,” said Holley. “In our Rigger’s Loft we have large, industrial grade sewing machines, and that’s where I picked it up.”
You can hear more detail in Holley’s own words in the videos here and below, particularly about creating specialized pockets for keeping equipment at-the-ready and using fabrics to regulate temperature and maintain mobility.
“It took a couple of years to find experienced and reputable manufacturers who could sew on high performance textiles domestically and we have to charge more, but we feel it is worth it, and we get great feedback about the quality. Our target market is the avid outdoorsman willing to pay for top quality as an investment as opposed to stuff off the shelf at Walmart, and the outdoorsman who always wants the latest and greatest.”
Holley, who played quarterback for the Naval Academy before his days as a SEAL, has come back to Lake Highlands with his wife, Molly, and their five children and says he has wonderful memories of playing Wildcat football.
“We had a great program in the 90’s. Mike Zoffuto was our head coach then Jerry Gayden coached our senior year. The entire coaching staff was special – they had a profound impact on us. The community came out in full force. That’s why you see so many of my classmates moving back – because of the way this community treated us growing up.”
You can check out Holley’s creations at SIXSITEgear.com.