Why I Built My Business in Greenville-Pitt County

Learn from a local resident how he turned a childhood passion into a fun venture.

By Rebecca Treon on April 3, 2024

Jamie Sawyer

TJ Sawyer’s passion and experience as a youth gymnast and athlete led him to return to his childhood stomping grounds and open a family-friendly indoor fun park that features over 40,000 square feet of entertainment options, including trampolines, a ninja course, a ropes course and rock walls. Ahead, Sawyer details why he chose to return to launch his business in Greenville-Pitt County. 

Tell us about how you started Sawyer’s Fun Park.
I grew up in a small town outside of Greenville, North Carolina, that everybody calls Little Washington and attended East Carolina University from 1992 to 1996, where I was a cheerleader. One of my coaches went to Greenville, South Carolina, to open a cheer gym business and asked me to come along to help run it. I stayed there until 2000, then returned to Greenville, North Carolina, to start my first business, a cheerleading gym.

I chose the area because it was a growing market, and it had no type of cheer or activity gyms at the time, so it was ready and in need of something like that. My wife, Jamie, and I started thinking about diversifying based on the industry we were in [and] things we had seen in other cities when traveling with our cheer teams that we thought would really benefit the community. In 2016, we were able to open Sawyer’s Fun Park.

What do you love about Greenville?
We love the size of Greenville. My wife and I didn’t want to live in a bigger city. It’s a great combination of the perfect place to raise a family and also a place to be able to grow with the market. 

It’s a great town. It’s an area that has room to start a business in a virgin market –the potential for growth is unlimited if you find something the city can use. For us, we thought about what would be great for kids to do in our area, not just in Greenville, but all of eastern North Carolina, and we do get a lot of families that come to town for the day that live in smaller towns.

[Here], it’s not the hustle and bustle of an hourlong commute; it’s out of a major city; it’s a sweet spot. We’re an hour and a half from the beach or a major city – it’s geographically in the perfect location.

How has the community responded to Sawyer’s Fun Park?
When we first opened the trampoline park, we started seeing a lot of toddler play areas picking up. We always get told, “We’re so glad you’re here,” and we have people coming from an hour and a half away because there’s nothing else like this for kids in eastern North Carolina. Greenville is a central hub where everyone comes to go to the mall or to restaurants or whatever, and we’re a part of the fabric of things to do in Greenville, so we’re trying to build on that.

What kind of programs exist for entrepreneurs in the area?
I’m a member of the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce and in the Greenville Eastern North Carolina Alliance, where we are promoting growth. Our community leaders come in and try to figure out ways to help not only Pitt County, but also eastern North Carolina with job retention. We have a big university here, but many people go to Raleigh or Charlotte after graduation, so we’re trying to create an atmosphere that keeps young professionals in Greenville. 

What advice would you give someone thinking of starting a business in Greenville?
I would definitely recommend being a member of the Greenville Chamber and Greenville ENC Alliance – they’re fantastic. They will know what’s available – if you need warehouse space or land – they have a great network. If they don’t have an answer for you, they’ll find someone who can get you the answer.