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Chris Kious
Urban Lumberjacks of Cleveland & A Piece of Cleveland

The Nominator: Lisa Kious McGovern, Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization

How has the nominee implemented sustainable business practices in his or her business or organization?
In starting APOC along with his co-conspirators Ezra Taxel, PJ Doran, and Aaron Gogolin, Chris Kious has created a business that is fundamentally sustainable. By up-cycling products from homes that are to be demolished, APOC has created a benefit both in creating beautiful products with every day purposes while also diverting waste from landfills. By tying in the story of the buildings that are becoming waste today, APOC helps to remind people that they were once homes and thriving businesses and parts of vibrant communities. The new business that Chris is working to create, Urban Lumberjacks of Cleveland (ULOC) takes this model a step further by creating a demolition company that will not only divert waste and salvage materials, but also provide work opportunities for low-skill workers who can be trained to help the city of Cleveland to reclaim the 10,000+ vacant homes that are part of our community.

What are the triple bottom line benefits (people, planet, prosperity) of the nominee`s work?
APOC and ULOC are both great examples of triple bottom line businesses. They seek to tie the stories of families and communities into new products, celebrating the history of the people of Cleveland. Diverting waste that would otherwise end up in landfills has obvious beneficial impacts on the planet, while also satisfying a market need that would otherwise be filled by other, likely less environmental, products. Chris’ vision has driven him to take on this business full time, to focus especially on the ULOC demolition model which is meant to be a for-profit business which will train and employ low-skill employees to help take down the 10,000+ vacant homes in the city, creating prosperity for potentially hundreds of Clevelanders.

How has the nominee inspired you to implement sustainable business practices?
Chris’ work in demolishing buildings in Cleveland has led me to think differently about the way I do development in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. I now tend to look at vacant buildings more as a piece of the history of the community with the ability to tell the story of the people who lived there. His drive to create a profitable business model that has an end-market for salvaged materials while also employing people trained by ULOC has also challenged me to think more about how I can involve many of the Clevelanders who are feeling the brunt of the economic crisis.

How can someone else translate the success of the nominee? Is the work of the nominee an example or model that others can follow?
Part of Chris’ effort in creating ULOC is trying to find a model for a deconstruction business that would be replicable by others throughout the city and beyond. In refining this model, Chris is working to create a new industry where the triple bottom line is the driving force, and where a new business line will create a new economy around addressing vacant properties.

How does the nominee actively participate in the sustainability community? How do they collaborate and share their knowledge with others?
Chris has been an active member of E4S, participating in the networking events as well as in the Sustainability Implementation Groups for CDC’s while an employee at St. Clair Superior Neighborhood Development Coalition. He is always looking to tell the story of APOC and ULOC; it’s impossible to even have a family dinner without hearing about his passion for this topic and his new ideas. He is so convincing that he has wrangled just about all of his family members into helping deconstruct something at some point. Chris has actively sought out others who are doing similar work across the country, and has put Cleveland on the national deconstruction scene through his efforts and their recognition in national publications like the Christian Science Monitor.