Our decision to locate a wood upcycling campus in Memphis was driven by the fact that it is one of the most dynamic, rapidly growing business hubs in the country. It’s a center for innovation and emerging markets, and its geographic location and transportation infrastructure — major highways, rail, and the Mississippi River — reduce the fuel and related carbon emissions it takes to get products to market.

Memphis Urban Wood is creating living-wage jobs for Memphians. We are growing to 10 employees with the lowest-paying job a $40,000-per-year salaried position with benefits — three times higher than the federal minimum wage.

The fate of most downed trees is the wood chipper or being trucked to a local landfill or burn pit. A slightly better choice is turning them into mulch, but all of these options quickly release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — contributing to climate change. Not only does upcycling reduce waste, it also exponentially retains the carbon live trees store.

Memphis Urban Wood sells upcycled raw hardwood lumber to a local lumber company that kiln dries and distributes the finished product to their regional, national, and international network of retailers and makers. At each point in this chain, we’re creating jobs and adding to the economic vibrancy of Memphis.

Right now, the Memphis Wood Upcycling Center is the only facility in the U.S. bringing this type of all-in approach to wood transformation to scale. And since we are majority-owned by a nonprofit organization, we’re not keeping trade secrets under wraps. Instead, we’re encouraging others to learn from this business model.