A drone factory in Utah is at the epicenter of anti-China fervor

After struggling for years for survival, U.S. small drone manufacturers are getting a second shot, despite prices many times higher than China’s DJI

SALT LAKE CITY — When George Matus was in high school in Salt Lake City, he had a vision of small drones flitting at people’s shoulders to help them explore. At 17, he founded Teal Drones, named after a speedy breed of duck.

“At the beginning, it was more focused on the joy of flight,” Matus said.

But after launching Teal Drones in 2015, Matus was soon struggling to keep it afloat. A drone-maker in China called DJI had dominated the global market with sleek, easy-to-use consumer drones at prices that were simply impossible for a U.S.-based company to match.

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