BATTER UP.

• Author: Wanbaugh, Taylor
• Position: STATEWIDE: West

Tom Young has fond memories of sitting in his dad's tiny wood workshop in Fletcher as a kid, watching him meticulously handcraft baseball bats for his business, Young Bat Company.

"One of my favorite things is to watch him work," Tom says. "It's insane. He's a perfectionist. You kind of have to be in this industry.... You can see how much he loves creating something."

It's that passion that drove Tom's father, Chris Young, now 69, to evolve his full-time sawmill and woodworking shop into Young Bat back in 1993. For 12 years, the company created wooden bats for Major League Baseball players including Barry Bonds, Ryan Klesko and Chipper Jones. But after more than a dozen years of the successful business venture, Chris Young closed up shop in 2005; Tom says his dad was burned out mass-producing about 100,000 bats per year.

Last November, Tom and his childhood friend Cody Siniard, both 31, resurrected Young Bat after a 12-year hiatus with an expanded business plan. The company still sells custom-made bats, which range from $60 to $110 on Young Bat's website, but added a variety of novelty products such as trophy bats, miniature bats, bottle openers and mugs made out of bat parts. Chris Young recently created a patent-pending bat known as the "360 Woody." Unlike most wooden bats, the 360 is virtually unbreakable and has a sweet spot all the way around.

Tom previously worked as a teacher in Brevard, while Siniard, a country-music artist, also owns a small Brevard-based business. Chris serves as CEO of the company, Tom is chief operating officer and Siniard is chief financial officer. They each own equal shares of Young Bat.

"I loved the company, and I loved being able to make something," Tom says. "My dad and I have always...