Pictured, from left to right, are App State Vice Chancellor of University Advancement Will Sears, Adam Scherer ’01, Mountaineer Mania general manager Anna Powell, Reese Raulston, a sophomore electronic media/broadcasting major from Mooresville and Mountaineer Mania employee, and App State Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor J.J. Brown. Appalachian State University has received significant support from alumni Scherer and Preston Powell ’01, co-owners of the Mountaineer Mania team store on King Street in downtown Boone, where they have sold Mountain Strong-branded apparel and donated 100% of the proceeds to App State recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Photo by Chase Reynolds
BOONE, N.C. — When Appalachian State University alumni Preston Powell ’01 and Adam Scherer ’01 took ownership of Mountaineer Mania in late 2023, they had a vision to use the Boone business — an iconic hub for App State-branded gear — as a vehicle for investing in the App State Community.
Since then, they have leveraged the store to donate T-shirts to first-year App State students. Additionally, they have supported the university’s post-Hurricane Helene recovery by making a gift to the App State Disaster Relief Fund and donating the proceeds from the sale of Mountain Strong apparel. Combined, their contributions to the university have totaled approximately $130,000.
“Preston and Adam are an inspiring example of the way our Mountaineer alumni go above and beyond to give back to the university,” said Will Sears, App State’s vice chancellor of university advancement. “The scale and scope of their generosity have impacted the entire App State Community, and we are deeply grateful for their significant, ongoing investment in both App State and Boone.”
Mountain Strong post-Helene
Not long after Powell and Scherer opened the newly refurbished Mountaineer Mania space, Helene rendered much of their work obsolete. The stress that the floodwaters put on the municipal water system caused numerous pipes in the ceiling of the store to burst, destroying nearly two-thirds of the interior space.
Although concerned about the damage to the store, Powell and Scherer quickly shifted their focus to helping meet the more urgent needs they saw in the community after the storm.
In the days following the hurricane, the university developed Mountain Strong-branded apparel, and Powell reported that interest skyrocketed after App State Chancellor Heather Norris and other university officials were seen wearing it. A team from the university contacted Powell and Scherer, calling on their merchandising expertise to help respond to the growing demand.
The business partners not only worked with the university to produce and sell the apparel but also shouldered the cost of production and donated 100% of the proceeds to the Appalachian Fund. According to Powell, that arrangement will continue in perpetuity.
“The faculty, staff and students at App State deserve support every day,” said Powell. “We hope to inspire other alumni to think about how they can help contribute to the App State Community year-round.”
Repairs to the Mountaineer Mania space have been completed, with the store once again open for business on King Street — and continuing to carry Mountain Strong apparel.
Pictured, from left to right, are App State Vice Chancellor of University Advancement Will Sears, Adam Scherer ’01, Mountaineer Mania general manager Anna Powell and App State Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor J.J. Brown. Scherer and Preston Powell ’01 — App State alumni and Mountaineer Mania owners — invited App State leaders to visit the newly renovated Mountaineer Mania store in downtown Boone. Originally opened in the 1980s, the store is the longest running vendor of App State gear in Boone. Photo by Chase Reynolds
First-year shirts: Reviving a Mountaineer tradition
As they revamped the store ahead of its opening, Powell and Scherer found themselves reminiscing about their time as students at App State. One memory stood out for both: Their first App State T-shirts, given to them when they arrived on campus as first-year students in the 1990s.
The practice was phased out as the university’s student body grew, but Powell and Scherer wanted to bring it back — at no cost to the university. They worked with a team from the university to design a shirt, covering the production expenses entirely.
The T-shirts were available to incoming students for the first time in fall 2024, to an overwhelmingly positive response, Powell said, and were offered again this fall. Powell and Scherer shared they intend to continue providing the shirts each year.
“We were thrilled to work with Preston and Adam to create this special welcome gift for our first-year students,” said App State Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor J.J. Brown. “Their knowledge and connections made it possible to bring back a Mountaineer tradition that many of our alumni will remember fondly, and we deeply appreciate their contributions to the student experience.”
Powell said he hopes that offering free shirts to students when they first arrive at App State will help establish a crucial sense of connection and belonging, ensuring that every Mountaineer has a wearable way to show their App State pride.
High Country roots
Powell and Scherer, who met during their time as students in App State’s Walker College of Business, were deeply involved on the Boone campus. Powell served as student body vice president and was a member of App State’s football team, and Scherer held leadership roles in his fraternity, Kappa Alpha.
They were also members of Walker College’s Holland International Impact Exchange Program — an applied business experience in Asia, with an emphasis on student research, engagement and innovation.
Both Powell and Scherer maintained a strong connection to App State and the High Country after graduating from the university. When they later formed a business partnership — founding, owning and operating Yukon Outfitters, a national brand of outdoor equipment and gear — they were eager to use their business experience to invest in the Boone community.
After several years of searching for an opportunity that aligned with their joint background in retail product development, Powell learned of the opportunity to acquire Mountaineer Mania through local contacts in the Boone area.
While the venture initially seemed, in Powell’s words, “a little unlikely,” both he and Scherer were drawn to the chance to breathe new life into a King Street institution that they themselves had frequented as students — elevating the shopping experience for Mountaineer family and friends while also preserving an important piece of local history.
A commitment to philanthropy
Powell cites former App State Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock as a major influence on the philanthropic outlook that has shaped how he and Scherer interact with the university as alumni and as business owners.
Recalling one of the last conversations he had with the late chancellor, Powell quoted Peacock as saying, “Where much is given, much is expected. Don’t wait for somebody to ask for help.”
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About University Advancement
Appalachian State University’s Division of University Advancement supports and encourages the university’s mission by engaging alumni, friends and the greater community. University Advancement staff help connect these constituents with Appalachian through one-on-one contact and special programming, thereby securing the resources necessary to create the best possible learning environment for Appalachian students and to positively impact the community, region and state. The division incorporates the offices of Alumni Affairs, Development and the Appalachian State University Foundation Inc. Learn more at http://give.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
‘Unified approach’ key to recovery, says Boone mayor
