Nicky Murray Turco
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Chris Laszlo
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Rustbelt Reclamation, a locally-based Cleveland, Ohio company, has revolutionized the field of upcycled, handcrafted furniture. They took what was historically an artisan practice and applied innovative changes to the existing processes to scale up the designing and manufacturing of furniture and cabinetry from reclaimed materials. Rustbelt Reclamation is saving hundreds of thousands of linear feet of lumber from landfills annually, they are saving existing hardwoods from destruction, and they are redefining the way people look at furnishings made from reclaimed materials.
The innovation that sets Rustbelt Reclamation apart from others is that they have taken what was typically a small, solitary, and independent business – handcrafted furniture made from reclaimed and upcycled materials - and they have created a new platform where they can manufacture these products on a much larger scale.
The "typical" reclaimed model entails a singular team involved in every step of the process. Rustbelt Reclamation has made the entire value chain more efficient by outsourcing the demolition and collection of materials so that they can focus on the areas where they can be most effective - the design and production of their products. Rustbelt also uses "active management" processes in all of their jobs - not a model used in the production of upcycled materials previously. They use a consistent process for quoting, order processing, job fulfillment, and evaluation. This allows the craftsmen the time to focus exclusively on making versus administrating and allows Rustbelt to establish and track metrics to continually improve their operational performance. Rustbelt has used their historical core competency of producing commercial cabinetry, millwork, and furniture to create a new, "hybrid" construction model leading to a broader and continually growing market for their sustainable goods.
According to Partner Deej Lincoln, as Rustbelt grows and expands, it is seeking to change the philosophical approach to the reclaimed furniture market - he seeks to have customers apply the materials differently and "present new looks for reclaimed materials", thereby driving demand for an entirely new market. No longer just a boutique, handcrafted item, Rustbelt Reclamation's goal is to make reclaimed furnishings as attainable, affordable, stylish and popular as any other kind of furnishings.
Deej Lincoln, President and Principal of Rustbelt Reclamation says that he was always "enamored with the notion of not throwing things away". It's an emotional connection for him - the saving of things, keeping the past linked with the future. After acquiring the Interior Products company in 2010, Deej set out to create not only high quality furnishings, but furnishings made from reclaimed materials sourced from homes and buildings being torn down in his home town of Cleveland, Ohio. Once Reclaimed Cleveland was born, one particular item, their bottle opener, was the first standard product that piqued demand for more reclaimed products nationwide. This motivated Deej and the rest of the team at Reclaimed Cleveland to look into scaling up their capacity. The first factor to tackle was the traditional "reclaimers' dilemma" - Deej explains that most reclaimers spend several days doing the demolition to gather the materials, then the same team of craftsmen processes it, designs the furniture, and creates the final piece. Rustbelt looked up and down the entire value chain and determined that outsourcing the demolition and managing the entire process more as a manufacturing operation than an artisan business would allow them to scale up and make a much greater impact. Hence, Rustbelt Reclamation was born, and continues to grow exponentially and experience enormous success.
Rustbelt Reclamation has become a thriving and high-growth business headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. They now have clients in the majority of the United States, from Maine to Hawaii, and continue to expand daily. Rustbelt harvests product from Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, saving several hundred thousand linear feet of lumber and other building materials from landfills each year and these numbers continue to grow each month. These materials are then made into high-quality furnishings for homes and businesses. Customers purchase these items instead of those made from declining or deforested hardwood populations. They employ a large staff and many sub-contractors, providing valuable wages in an otherwise shrinking industry. Finally, Rustbelt Reclamation is changing the way that people look at reclaimed materials and the furnishings that can be made from them.
Rustbelt has experienced double digit growth year after year since they were founded in 2010. It has been financially rewarding to the owners, allowing them numerous options to reinvest and expand. The business has grown from making bottle openers and residential counter tops to commercial and hospitality projects costing $50K, $100K, and more. Rustbelt Reclamation also employs over 30 people at their headquarters in the Tyler Village neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. They have a robust work environment and their staff is made up of craftsmen, designers, operations, purchasing staff and more. These employees are paid strong wages and work in a flourishing business. Rustbelt continues to expand and offer financial growth opportunities for all parties involved, injecting a shot of financial vibrancy into an otherwise quiet industry.
Rustbelt Reclamation currently saves over 500,000 linear feet of lumber from landfills on an annual basis. They are also creating lasting pieces of heirloom-quality furnishings that will be passed down from generation to generation, replacing the need for disposable, wasteful pieces of furniture made from endangered forests and hardwoods. More importantly, Rustbelt Reclamation seeks to change the "scarcity perception" of reclaimed materials - that they are limited, when in fact they are not - and then create a strong market demand for such products. Rustbelt Reclamation has single-handed created a very high-growth business and has the potential to continue to grow and scale up not only domestically, but globally.
Rustbelt's innovation directly impacts three of the UN Global Goals:
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Deej Lincoln, Principal/President
Rustbelt Reclamation is a privately held company based in Cleveland, Ohio that makes heirloom quality furnishings using reclaimed materials from the midwest rustbelt in which it resides. Rustbelt Reclamation, formerly Reclaimed Cleveland, evolved from a traditional furniture manufacturing company to an innovative pioneer in the field of upcycled furnishings. Rustbelt Reclamation can trace its roots back to the Interior Products Company forty years ago. It was a Cleveland-based manufacturer of commercial grade cabinetry and furniture. In 2010, the new ownership of Interior Products decided to pursue a differentiated strategy and instead focus on creating high-quality, heirloom furniture and cabinet pieces from locally sourced reclaimed materials. This new company was initially called “Reclaimed Cleveland”. They started out by offering both commercial and standardized products that provided “environmental and aesthetic” benefits. As demand for their products and services increased, Reclaimed Cleveland made the decision to expand outside of the Cleveland area and thus Rustbelt Reclamation was born. Since then, Rustbelt Reclamation has developed new practices for harvesting, processing, design, and production on a scale that was not previously seen in what was historically an artisan niche market. They have been incredibly profitable for the last several years, they have clients from Maine to Hawaii and everywhere in between, and they continue to reinvest and grow.