Roma Moulding
romamoulding.com

At Roma Moulding in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, the vision extends from North America to Haiti. In 2013, the company created Roma Wish, whose mission is to assist nearby communities. Team members, along with their families and friends, have supported several local efforts, including donating holiday gifts to a family in need, contributing to a local food drive and donating to Ronald McDonald House. This year, the company sent a team to Haiti to help with rebuilding efforts after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

All employees can propose organizations, and the Roma Wish committee evaluates which causes to support through funds and volunteering. “Giving back is really what life is all about,” says Tony Gareri, CEO. “My mission in life is to enrich the lives of others. I actively pursue this mission every day with my team, my family and my community. I’ve learned that, by supporting charities, my mission is returned to me, as I find my life to be greatly enriched.”

“Art and charity go hand in hand,” he says. “Art can give so much emotion, passion, energy and hope. Philanthropy is also about giving hope; giving to others makes our world a better place.”

Frame USA
frameusa.com

Frame USA, based in Cincinnati, serves a national market and supports charity efforts worldwide. The company raises funds for a charity of the month, which at least once a year is a local nonprofit. The Cincinnati store also has its own local charity of the month.

The company’s Fill-the-Truck campaign always benefits local nonprofit group The Healing Center, an organization that helps struggling families in the greater Cincinnati area. The center provides families with food, clothing, support and job advice. Last year’s campaign generated enough donations of food, clothing, toiletries, household items and more to fully support the center for approximately six months.

A percentage of each Frame USA sale goes toward various corporate initiatives, including Operation Smile, Wild Animal Sanctuary and Heifer International.

“The more we can help others, the better it is,” says Kelly Ackerman, marketing director.

She notes that charity support is a companywide activity. “We are all involved,” she says. “Our sales reps and customer-service reps mention it to everyone they contact, and employees at all levels of our company make suggestions about fundraising and benefiting organizations.”

Pepito Masterpiece Portraits
pepitomasterpieceportraits.com

Pepito Valdes, owner of Pepito Masterpiece Portraits, focuses his lens and charity efforts on “Faces of Hope” photographs, a project now in its ninth year. The Tampa, Florida, photographer and framer creates free portraits of children with life-threatening illnesses. He also provides catered meals and makeup applications before the photo sessions.

“At first, I thought I was just doing something for them,” he says. “But I quickly realized that it’s a gift to me—that I am able to give the family something that will last forever.”

Valdes has also worked with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and volunteers at live and silent auctions. On Christmas Day for the last 15 years, he has also joined Metropolitan Ministries, an organization that serves poor and homeless residents in the Tampa area. He sets up a studio at the center’s location, gives stuffed animals to all the kids and takes family portraits of the residents.

“For many of them, it may be the only family photo they have,” he says.

Carmel Galleries
thecarmelgallery.com

Elizabeth and Olof Carmel have produced stunning landscape photographs for 12 years and have owned Carmel Galleries for eight years. With locations in Truckee and Calistoga, California, two cities in beautiful, natural settings, the galleries attract travelers from around the world.

As part of their commitment to giving back, they donate many prints of their work to local auctions and other fundraisers in their local communities. The pair also donates many of the images to support marketing for local land-trust and environmental organizations that work to protect the landscapes they photograph.

The Carmels “both have an understanding of the importance of protecting the last wild and beautiful places on the planet and the importance of maintaining a healthy environment for future generations,” they say. They also laud the many people who work at nonprofits that support the preservation of nature, many of whom forgo the opportunity to earn a larger income.

“We try to do everything possible to assist with the missions of the organizations we support,” the couple says.

Urban Ashes
urbanashes.com

Urban Ashes, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, gives back every day by reclaiming and repurposing wood for frames. Owner Paul Hickman and his innovative company are also “reclaiming lives” by providing work for ex-felons.

“They are productive and have redeemed themselves, and they are eager to be good workers,” he says of his workforce.

Creating sustainable art, including frames and mouldings from used wood and downed trees, is the manifestation of the company’s mission to divert as much wood as possible from landfills, says Hickman.
Urban Ashes also provides funds, products and support to many local charities, including Arts Alliance, Think Local First and Heron Watershed. The staff is currently developing a model for helping workers improve their lives and the environment.

“Most art is driven by expression, and supporting others is also an expression,” says Hickman.

The post Framed in Hope: Framers & Artists Supporting Charities appeared first on Art Business News.

Just under six years ago, Paul Hickman created Urban Ashes—a company that makes picture frames from recycled wood and other salvaged materials alongside a mission to create jobs for a transitional workforce. And although it may be a relatively new company, it’s one that is steeped in the fundamentals of good business: find a need and fill it with high-quality products that people love; maximize the use of local resources; and give back to your community. Today, Hickman says it simply: “We create picture frames your grandchildren will fight over!”

We wanted more of the details of the success behind Urban Ashes, so we went right to Hickman to get the full story. How did the evolution happen—from his early career in signage and graphics move to furniture designer, and then transitioning again into founding a company that has become a spirited partner in the revitalization of one of America’s iconic cities? And what inspiration from his story can we incorporate into our own lives and businesses?

ABN: Tell us about the concept behind Urban Ashes—where it started and how it has evolved.

Paul Hickman: I started my career as a sign painter when I was 15 and after college continued for the next 16 years working with toxic and environmentally degrading materials. I knew I had to make a change for a safer environment, not only for my health but also for anyone that would be part of that environment.

I transitioned into furniture design and did a stint at EcoTimber in Berkeley, CA. There I realized there were more environmentally conscious alternatives, such as urban salvaged wood and other sustainable woods. And that was the beginning for starting my own art and furniture design services firm in Michigan, striving to utilize these woods and other green resources. But I wanted to design a product that would increase the utilization of urban salvaged wood while drawing from Michigan’s transitional or disabled workforce. We were making prints, framing them and selling them. And then I realized the frames we needed could be made from urban woods and I could engage the state’s under-utilized workforce to make them. From this, a whole new line of picture frames was created to add to the furniture business and Urban Ashes was formed.

ABN: Describe how the wood for your products is found. Are the materials reused, recycled, reclaimed?

PH: Urban Ashes is built upon an extensive network of supply chains, ranging from urban salvaged wood sourced through our mill to trees individually salvaged from home owners, businesses and municipalities. We have built a name that these various entities recognize and they choose to contact us for several reasons. One, it often saves the person or entity responsible for the removal of the downed tree the removal and disposal fees, which can be very costly. It also allows them to know that they helped facilitate the process of turning this wood into a higher value resource, greater than mulch, firewood or landfill. And, in the process of salvaging these trees—usually one at a time—it requires a good amount of labor and provides valuable jobs to our local economy. We have a strong focus on tapping those workers that are the most disadvantaged. Lastly, when you utilize an urban salvaged tree that had to come down for some reason other than turning it into lumber, we offset the need to cut down trees out of our natural forests to create these same end products.

ABN: Is only the wood for your frames salvaged or are other materials reclaimed and used for your products?

PH: We try to be as environmentally conscious as possible in our drive to make our products. Other reused or recycled products in our photo frames are the cardboard inserts and much of our packaging. These are salvaged from our manufacturing partner’s factory out of packaging for other goods they receive and process. Historically, they had to pay to have these disposed of or recycled. Now they are upcycled by cutting them to the various sizes needed for our cardboard inserts within our photo frames, as well as general packaging materials. In addition, we utilize recycled Detroit News and Detroit Free Press newspaper for stuffing in our shipping. Even the paper insert we use in our photo frames is made from recycled paper.

ABN: You’ve mentioned your work force. It sounds like your approach there is part of the company’s mission as well.

PH: From the beginning, Urban Ashes has had a focus on tapping our most disadvantaged workers. It’s part of our story. Our production crew is predominately built with people coming out of the prison system through the Michigan Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative. We want to be smart about how we utilize all of our resources, including the labor force. Providing jobs and training for disabled and transitional workers helps them, helps Southeast Michigan and Detroit, and helps the whole country be stronger.

When I think about it, the most rewarding thing for me about this business has probably been the human aspect. I like to think that Urban Ashes is giving our workers something to be proud of—in some cases for the first time in their lives. That feeling to me is incredibly rewarding and powerful.

ABN: What is the Detroit De-Nailed Collection?

PH: We’ve already talked about how Urban Ashes is trying to find creative ways to keep one of America’s manufacturing hearts healthy. Over the past five years, we’ve built a formidable group of partners in the very diverse greater Detroit area. Now Urban Ashes has also partnered with three not-for-profit organizations. This partnership brings raw, de-nailed timbers that have been carefully deconstructed from Detroit homes, once slated for landfill, to a rich new life. With their rich histories and stories, these old-growth timbers provided shelter to families for over 100 years.

While many of these homes have been bulldozed into oblivion, we are now able to rescue many of their spectacular materials by purposefully deconstructing them, then documenting the inventory. And the Urban Ashes Detroit De-Nailed Collection was “re-born” from this amazing collaboration of organizations, leadership and materials. We’re taking these wonderful rare materials and teaching our teams of disadvantaged individuals how to construct one-of-a-kind products from something that has been deconstructed. Every Detroit De-Nailed product has a tag showing the house, the year it was built and any history it may have. Now we not only make picture frames, we also offer mouldings, chop services and manufacture for other companies as well. It’s really something that is unrivaled in the framing and furnishings industries!

ABN: Finally, what has the impact of Urban Ashes been on you personally, besides the long hours and hard work?

PH: First, the business, the people, the company have each made me realize how fortunate I am. My personal circumstances have given me opportunities throughout my life that others simply do not have. And I know that those circumstances can change your life and your opportunities, now and in the future. At Urban Ashes, we are able to produce an enduring product that people want and that is important to me. We use milk paint or petroleum-free linseed oil in our finishes that adds beauty to the product and protects the health of our workers. Our customers tell us every day that they can see our commitment in our products, that they are beautiful, and that their customers are becoming such fans that they only want our frames and mouldings. We say we are a social enterprise. I know that is true. I feel good about where we are in the greater community and how we can contribute as we continue to grow. It all makes me a happy man!

For more about Urban Ashes, visit urbanashes.com

With a career that spans 30 years, DECOR Managing Editor Linda Mariano is a leader in marketing, brand management, ecommerce and promotion initiatives for major retailers, specialty retail, art industry, licensing partnerships, media and entertainment, as well as entrepreneurial business environments. For Redwood Media Group, Linda oversees the marketing and brand extension efforts of the company. She can be reached at linda.mariano@redwoodmg.com

The post Urban Ashes—An Eco-Conscious Business appeared first on Art Business News.

Urban Ashes® is an innovative company that is employing America’s under-utilized resources and human potential to make beautiful new frames for fine art. How are they doing it? By employing Michigan’s transitional and disabled labor force to create handcrafted frames and mouldings. While providing a collection of highly unique goods that are built to last generations, Urban Ashes is also able to help empower our disadvantaged workers—no small feat in today’s challenged economy!

The Process

Each stick of moulding is hand-selected for its character (unique to urban wood) as well as the story it carries from the neighborhoods from which it came. These are trees that grew on Michigan’s streets, in the state’s yards, its parks and urban areas. The wood’s character is then enhanced when finished and rubbed out by hand using petroleum-free finishes. In this process Urban Ashes is reviving the handmade art form so often lost in today’s fast-paced society. To complete this Made-in-the-Midwest product, the glass, the paper insert and the backer are also made in The Midwest.

The Start

In 2008, Furniture Designer Paul M. Hickman set out to design a product that would increase the utilization of urban salvaged wood while drawing from Michigan’s transitional or disabled workforce. The answer was right in front of him.  Since 2005, Paul had been working with his two young sons creating collaborative prints, framing them and selling them.  The frames that they used were ready-made frames but were made out of the country and from who knows what kind of wood.  It occurred to him that these very frames could be made from “urban” woods and engage the state’s under-utilized workforce. Out of this concept, along with the blight of the Emerald Ash Borer, a whole new line of picture frames was then added to Paul’s existing furniture—and Urban Ashes was formed.

The Emerald Ash Borer

Since 2002, the Emerald Ash Borer has destroyed between 50 and 100 millon Ash trees in at least 15 states and 2 Canadian provinces. The blight threatens to destroy most of the approximately seven billion Ash trees growing throughout North America. While the Ash tree is the impetus behind the Urban Ashes name, the frames are not limited to Ash wood alone. The company utilizes a wide variety of domestic urban wood species that are often discarded as waste wood.

For more information on Urban Ashes, stop by their website at: www.urbanashes.com

The post URBAN ASHES—Using Salvaged Wood to Make Artful Frames, by Michael Pacitti appeared first on Art Business News.