ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL)—Paige Capo, a company that has been manufacturing capos in Michigan for over 35 years, has relocated to Erwin.

Capos are small devices that clip on stringed instruments like guitars, banjos and mandolins to hold down the strings and change their pitch.

JP Metcalf, owner and president of Metcalf Professional Services, recruited Paige Capo to Erwin.

“I was introduced to this family at the end of last year, right about the time Helene came through,” Metcalf said. “And we were discussing possibilities to assist their company at the time. And so I just invited them here, and we toured the area, looked at the buildings, a couple of buildings for local locations, and over time, we developed a relationship, and they decided this was where they wanted to do business.”

Metcalf said this music company is well-suited for the region.

“This product is used on stages such as the Super Bowl, CMA Awards, Grand Ole Opry and there’s there’s several others. So this area is a perfect fit for that, where we have the Birthplace of Country Music. We have all the music programs at ETSU, we have the Unicoi County High School Bluegrass Program.”

Paige Capo became operational in Erwin on March 3 and already has four employees. Metcalf said some employees had lost their jobs due to Hurricane Helene.

“Early on that’s already a positive for the county. But we look to add many more jobs, again, depending on how well the business does. And the business model shows right now about 20 employees that we would expect to bring on.”

Metcalf says having this unique company in Unicoi County helps recruit other businesses and people to the area.

Brian Paige, the founder of Paige Capos, and his family relocated to Unicoi County to run the business.

“He’s known throughout all the music genres for this product,” Metcalf said. “He’s very popular in that, so it’s good to have him living here. We’ll start seeing him around Unicoi County very soon.”

Amanda Delp, the Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, believes having Paige Capo in Erwin is an exciting economic investment.

“We are extremely appreciative of Mr. Metcalf and his unwavering commitment to Unicoi County and his dedication to industrial recruitment and job expansion here in Unicoi County,” Delp said. “He has worked diligently over the past several months and has been a champion of Unicoi County for a number of years, bringing jobs and growth to our community.”

Delp said this sparks more industry for Unicoi County after Hurricane Helene.

“This announcement is not just bringing jobs and employment to our community, but it’s bringing the hope and the recovery that we have needed for several months now. And this is beginning to write that new chapter for the town of Erwin and Unicoi County after the flooding.”

Metcalf agrees and said he’s telling others about how Unicoi County is trying to bounce back stronger.

“The flood definitely is part of our past and in our history, but we don’t want it to define our future,” Metcalf said.

Metcalf told News Channel 11 that he is also working on recruiting a metal fabrication company for Unicoi County.

“We have a lot of local manufacturers in the Tri-Cities who could use their services. So I’m working right now to help them get contracts because that’s not only going to be jobs, that’s actually going to be some skilled labor and some good paying jobs.”

To learn more about Paige Capo and their products, you can check their website.