About Volunteer Visuals
An FAA-licensed, fully insured drone services provider serving Knox, McMinn, Bradley, and Hamilton Counties, we also make regular forays into Nashville and the beautiful South Carolina Lowcountry.
We help construction and roofing companies with job progress tracking, site inventory monitoring, visual marketing media, and stakeholder presentations. We help architects with custom photo and video showcasing their work. We help hospitality companies, resorts, and event venues with event coverage and marketing media, & we help filmmakers and media agencies with creative aerial film footage.
About the Owner
tl;dr
I’m Erich Mecherle, a husband, father of six, and career adventurer, well-versed in both creative and technical fields. A UT alum, I've lived in East TN since 2001. My wide-ranging expertise spans marketing and branding media (photography and video) in a variety of industries, as well as program management and operations in scientific and technical organizations. Drone work was a natural fit with my creative and technical skill sets, so I earned my FAA Part 107 certification and founded Volunteer Visuals.
​
A Bit More Detail
My professional background is a non-linear path combining the creative and the technical. I began in marketing and branding, initially working for other companies, eventually starting my own agency and working with amazing organizations like KARM. I've also spent time in technical program management for ORNL and led ops for a technology startup. In 2013, I had the opportunity to invest with my dear friends who founded K Brew. Early on I contributed branding and marketing and now lead growth. I've also helped co-found an AI startup focused on helping SMB's harness AI for their content and social media growth.
​
Through all the career stops, I’ve maintained a love for visual storytelling, even having a photography business on the side. Simply put, drones can provide a completely unique perspective, both creatively and technically. My primary focus is helping construction companies, architecture firms, hospitality and event venues, and other businesses with aerial photo and video, but I also possess the technical expertise for inspections and mapping for the insurance, agriculture, and forestry industries.
Personally, my most important roles, are child of God, husband, and father. I always seek to do everything in accordance with Ephesians 4: 1-2. My wonderful wife and I have six children, a Great Dane, and Standard Poodle pup. I play a few instruments, write songs, and I'm fascinated by film. I watch and play soccer as often as I can. Finally, I love getting to know people and hearing about their lives and businesses, learning about the individual journeys that make us all who we are.
Random Fact 1
We have six children, all born in the same sequential pattern, (G, B, G, B, G, B) in the same intervals (2 yrs, 3 yrs).
Random Fact 2
Soccer is my favorite sport; even though I view soccer as the "original football," I'm a huge Vols football fan.
Random Fact 3
Despite spending a three-year hiatus from undergrad playing music in Nashville, I'm not a country music fan.
Random Fact 4
From a distance, our Great Dane and Standard Poodle look like a horse and sheep fighting when they play.
Volunteer Visuals Guarantee
Here's what you can expect when working with Volunteer Visuals:
-
Passion: I will give you everything I've got. I love what I do, and it shows.
-
Professionalism: I will treat you the way that I want to be treated - kindly, fairly, and honestly.
-
Attention to Detail: Whether technical (inspections, mapping, inventory monitoring, etc.) or creative (marketing photo or video), I bring a holistic business perspective to each project, ensuring consistency with your brand and company goals.
-
Quality: I use DJI professional drones, Canon bodies and lenses, post-process using state of the art software, and always back up files.
-
Convenience: I provide multiple delivery options for easy downloadability in multiple files sizes.