Outdoorsman. Business owner. Husband. Father. Kenny Winter goes by many titles, but these
titles are only a gateway into understanding a man who is driven by his passion. While his
thriving businesses can serve as a model to others seeking success, Kenny believes anyone’s
story should start with developing the right mindset.
Kenny’s story began when he discovered his fascination with the great outdoors. His father was a
farmer, and Kenny hunted any wild animal he could find on the farm. Over time, he realized that
what he enjoyed wasn’t the kill. He just wanted a reason to be immersed in nature. When I asked
Kenny how his hunting experiences have shaped his professional life, he claimed, “I knew I
wanted to be outside. I never wanted to work in an office setting. And when a door opened up, I
had to be willing to risk it all.”
As a child, Kenny spent a lot of time with his grandfather, a master carpenter, on job sites to
learn the trade. This knowledge, coupled with his desire to follow his heart, led Kenny to build
his first house for himself and his wife, Shana. They lived there for only 6 months before a real
estate agent made an offer on the house. After some deliberation, they followed their hearts again
and sold the house. Kenny decided he enjoyed the experience so much that, with Shana’s
support, he would open his first business: Winter Homes.
While it began as a side business to help others build their dream home, Winter Homes grew so
much over 13 years that Kenny had to make a choice. He could continue working his full-time
management job at the bank, or he could place all of his chips on Winter Homes. After
celebrating the 25 th anniversary of Winter Homes this past February, building close to 2,000
houses across 25 communities, and even donating some profits to the Stacey Wolfe Breast
Cancer Foundation and the construction of the new Athens High School, Kenny has no regrets
about betting on himself. Kenny credits his team’s shared mindset for building a productive and
uplifting work culture. He claims, “if you have stability with your team, you deliver good
products.”
However, Kenny didn’t miss the irony that, as CEO of Winter Homes, he now had to spend most
of his days in the office. Accordingly, he has tried to find as many ways to stay connected to the
outdoors as possible. Another solution seemingly happened upon him: St. Nick’s Knives, his
father’s knife store. In 2007, Kenny convinced him to open another location in Huntsville. After
his father got sick in 2014, Kenny said, “I felt guilty, so I bought the Huntsville store with the
intention of closing it after finishing the lease.”
But Kenny didn’t realize that, to see this goal through, he needed someone else to run the store
so that he could focus on closing. In turn, he had to open more stores in Athens and Florence to
make up for lost profits. After making these changes and still not turning a profit, Kenny
remembered that he couldn’t chase a predetermined result. However, he could chase his dream of
owning a full-fledged outdoors store. Once he took the next step and added firearms to the
Athens location in April 2020, the business took off. He rebranded it to Winter Timber Outdoors
and fully committed to building the brand. He has since opened a second location in Auburn and
plans to open another in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
Kenny has always found that remaining a patient yet motivated hunter drives his success. When I
asked Kenny what an aspiring hunter should keep in mind, he proudly told me, “If you’re going
to be a hunter, be a good hunter. And my definition of that is conservation.” In Kevin’s opinion,
too many people want a specific kill. The bad hunter may spend a whole weekend watching
turkey, rabbits, deer, or even snakes slip through their grasp and feel like they got nothing out of
the experience. The good hunter is “all about the experience, spending time with family, and
finding peace in the outdoors.”
As Kenny pursues the 49 Fly Downs challenge while balancing his business endeavors and
family life, he hopes he can encourage others to fuel their lives with passion. This challenge,
which requires hunting one turkey in each of 49 states (excluding Alaska), may seem daunting.
But Kenny is enjoying the ride as he always has, and he has crossed 6 states off the list so far.
Eventually, he aims to mount every bird in Winter Timber Outdoors to remind every visitor that
patience rewards the dedicated hunter. Chasing the experience will always take priority over
chasing the kill.