Task 2: Jumping for Joy (And Job Satisfaction)

Our second video for the Wall Street Journal Startup of the Year competition debuted today, and we're really happy with it. We watched it first thing this morning as group, laughing as our hilariously flailing bodies whizzed across the screen, grinning as each member of the team was interviewed (and then hit in the face with a dodgeball).

The second task challenged us to discuss a problem with the company culture, then devise an activity addressing that issue. Something we have to deal with as a startup company - one that's comprised of a bunch of passionate, sometimes stubborn people - is communication.  After throwing around a couple of ideas, we landed on trampoline dodgeball as the perfect outing.

Once there, we strapped on bounce boots and headed for the dodgeball court. We divided into teams, hurling plush balls at each other and jumping from square to square. Most of us hadn't played since middle school, so the first few rounds were pretty messy. Eventually we got the hang of it, yelling out instructions to our teammates, coordinating our jumping and throwing, systematically taking out each other's players with the tactician of battlefield strategists. 

By the time we left we were red faced and sweaty, but happy. RaeAnn reminded us that infusing play into our daily lives makes us more productive employees and healthier, more content people. Watch the video above for all of the trampoline glory (keep your eyes peeled for an amazing Jarrod flip).  Also, extra credit to RaeAnn for making it to the homepage of the Wall Street Journal.  We can't wait to see what this competition has in store for us next. Want to see us make it to the next round? VOTE here (please and thank you).

Look who got more space than Buffet AND Zuckerberg.

Posted by: Sarah Rendo

Goals, Gearing Up and Good360 with Carly Fiorina

There's a lot of things we like about Carly Fiorina. The fact that she was named one of the most powerful women in business for six years running (six!) is just one of them. Nathan recently sat down with our Startup of the Year mentor for a brief chat about vertical markets, why direction is so important and why being a billion
dollar operation isn't right for everyone.

We were appreciative of her frank advice. "Focus, when you start, is everything," she said, imploring us to concentrate on building out a full product that will create a robust reuse community online, "Don't get distracted by all the shiny little pennies."

We discussed how Good360, the nonprofit that Carly chairs, takes a triple bottom line approach to operations. Good360 funnels surplus retail materials to charities, creating a positive trickle down effect. As champions of reuse, we feel this mission is incredibly important and applaud their commitment to increasing landfill diversion while decreasing needs within communities across the country. We see the opportunity to lend value to her operations down the road, contributing to the path of success they have been walking for some time.

Watch the whole video here, then go to our page on the Wall Street Journal's Startup of the Year competition and vote for us.  We appreciate all the support we've been shown so far and are so happy to be representing an issue as important as reuse.

Posted by: Sarah Rendo

Making the Cut: Startup of the Year, Round 2

We are happy to announce that we made it to the 2nd round of the Wall Street Journal's Startup of the Year competition! Thanks to our supporters and mentors we can continue using this national platform to champion reuse on a massive scale.

Your continued support helps us keep usable materials out of landfills and in the reuse economy! This means more money for the national network of reuse centers that create jobs, build homes and better their local communities.

Help us stay in the competition and expand the reuse conversation by

• Continuing to vote (the tallies have been reset to zero!
• Following the competition on our Wall Street Journal startup page and through our twitter feed
• Following our blog for entertaining insights on the activities, mentors and the entire process.

We’re lucky to be involved with such an energetic, intelligent, passionate bunch of startups. Watch the video below to see who was eliminated this week and who moves on, as we all compete to be the startup of the year. 

Start Us Up: WSJ Startup of the Year

It’s an exciting day here at PlanetReuse Marketplace. We’re thrilled to announce (drumroll please) that we have been selected to join the Wall Street Journal’s Startup of the Year project.

Hope to see you soon, Steve.

PlanetReuse Marketplace, along with 23 other promising startups, will participate in a 5-month program, completing branding and business strategy tasks, learning from mentors (Sir Richard Branson, Steve Case and Beth Comstock are on the roster) and documenting our success. 

We are honored to be part of a program put on by the prestigious Wall Street Journal, and eager to get outside our comfort zones, develop our creativity and expand our thinking. Oh, and the whole thing is being taped.   

Getting camera ready

We’ll have more to announce as the competition progresses, and we hope you’ll tune in to see us represent our company, the amazing Kansas City startup community and the future of reuse. 

Are you a reuse center interested in increasing your donations and sales?  Let’s talk. Learn more here.
   

 Startup of the Year Video

Calling All ReUse Centers!

Help boost awareness about the reuse industry and YOUR reuse center by:

Confirming your free Store Finder listing and

participating in a quick 10 question survey.

Since 2008, PlanetReuse has been working with construction and demolition professionals to reuse commercial building materials and keep them out of the landfill. This year, PlanetReuse launched PlanetReuse Marketplace, a website that connects residential reusers with reuse centers. By showcasing reuse centers and their inventories online, PlanetReuse Marketplace is making it easier for everyone to help reduce construction and demolition waste from 40% to 30% by 2020! 

In this month’s Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) newsletter, PlanetReuse Marketplace and the BMRA are asking reuse centers…

• What are the most important aspects of managing a successful reuse center?  
• What websites help draw new reusers to your front door? 
• What business tools are you using to maximize your impact?

Know other reuse centers in your area?  Please forward this message to them.

Not a reuse center, but interested in survey findings? 

Results of this survey will be published for all members in an upcoming BMRA e-news bulletin and discussed at DECON'13 in Seattle.

Thanks for spreading the word!  

Changing the Landscape of Sustainability

This past weekend was the ASLA Conference, and Nathan Benjamin was lucky enough to address the largest gathering of Landscape Architects in the world.  It was a unique chance to take the   pulse, and to map out the future of the field.  Among the distinguished speakers were Chris DeVolder of 360 Architects, Tobiah Horton of Rutgers University, and Erin Kelly of Next Energy.
    

Nathan's presentation focused on the roadblocks and misperceptions regarding using reclaimed building materials in commercial and residential projects.  He discussed the cost effectiveness, both financial and environmental, of reusing everything from hardwood floors to bricks to stone. Today, 40 percent of landfill waste comes from building construction and demolition.  Construction and demolition waste contributes 100 Million tons to US landfill waste annually. This means that every year we trash and bury the equivalent of 273 Empire State Buildings.

Landfills are filling up fast

But there's hope.  Nathan presented an alternative to buying new, one in which building materials are recycled into sustainable, polished projects that are good for the bottom line and for the planet. Those building or renovating would think "used" before "new" and those demolishing would think "reuse center" before "trashcan."  The ASLA Conference was a great opportunity to connect as an industry, showcase best practices, and present a blueprint for a more sustainable future.  

Building a better future, together