Month: May 2023

Originally published on Rayonier.com

The logging company owners use leftover pine shavings in more ways than one to provide a circular business model that benefits their bottom line, the horse community and the earth.

It’s always fascinating to learn about the unique ways our contractors use Rayonier pine trees. Who would have thought trees made their way into cell phone screens? Or medicines?

One company we work with, Derby Gold Pine Shavings, makes and recycles pine shavings in Williston, Florida.

The shavings, made after logging our forests and others in the area, make excellent horse bedding. The soft, absorbent lining is ideal in horse stalls. When it’s time to remove the bedding, Derby Gold collects it and then uses it to fertilize the company’s own land.

Derby Gold’s business model forms a “complete circle,” the result of years of organic development.

Humble origins and heartbreak

Derby Gold is the brainchild of Florida businessman Eddie Hodge. But horse bedding wasn’t part of the original plan when he and his brother, Johnny, got their start working as loggers in the 1970s.

The Hodge brothers founded Williston Timber Company, building it on sweat equity with rented equipment and a small logging crew. Early on, they reinvested all of their profits, adding more workers and a trucking company.

Eventually, they shipped logs throughout the state. And as they expanded the business, other family members came on board.

Eddie says he and Johnny played to each other’s strengths. Eddie was the “business visionary” while his brother was a self-taught mechanical engineer—he even invented specialized forestry equipment.

Tragically, Johnny was killed in an accident in 2003.

“We lost more than a brother,” Eddie says. “We lost a loved one and a best friend. Our loss of Johnny struck to the very heart and soul of our business as well.”

Adapting to life without Johnny wasn’t easy. But Eddie and other family members who worked at Williston Timber carried on with the business in Johnny’s honor. Today, the company is still very much a family affair.

Using pine shavings to adapt to slowdowns in the logging business

Eddie has seen many ups and downs in the economy and the logging industry since he started in the 1970s. During one slowdown, he realized it was time to diversify.

He found the idea for his next business venture in the stalls of nearby horse farms.

“There’s a big horse farm community in our area,” says Phil Parker, marketing manager for Derby Gold. “Eddie saw the need for bulk wood shavings and they’d load them up on a semi and take them around to the local horse farms.”

Now, when there wasn’t a strong market to sell the logs for others to make products, the new pine shavings business could use the logs from Eddie’s logging company and sell them to local horse farms.

Florida horse owners were glad to have a local bulk supplier and the business has grown steadily for 20 years.

Derby Gold expanded the bulk business into the bagged shavings market and is currently one of the largest producers of manufactured shavings in the Southeastern U.S.

Eddie’s resourcefulness in finding ways to get the most out of every tree he harvests helped the business thrive during uncertain times. As it turns out, it was better for the environment, too.

Completing the circle

Next, Eddie realized he could provide his local customers with another benefit. Instead of hauling the used pine shavings 60+ miles to a Class 1 waste facility, Eddie allowed the shavings to be brought back to his land that adjoins the shavings manufacturing facility. It would minimize the carbon footprint associated with disposal and provide another step in the full-circle business: a natural enrichment for the soils.

Eddie and his crew spread the shavings out on his land, allowing them to decompose naturally.  Much of the lands treated were recently surface-mined for sand. The addition of the shavings over time made the soils rich, improving them naturally.

“After six years, it looked like some of the richest soil we’d ever seen,” says Phil. “We did soil samples and found that it was very, very rich.”

Phil says the lands are greatly enhanced and will be more productive for growing timber and sod in the future.

We look forward to the next chapter in the Williston Timber / Derby Gold story and wish the family many more years of healthy and sustainable growth!

You can learn more about Derby Gold by visiting their Facebook page here.

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

Melanie Cedargren, founder of The Spicy Olive in Ohio, brought her passion for the freshest and finest olive oils and balsamic vinaigrettes to life when she opened her first shop in 2012. She has since expanded to three locations and now offers wine tastings and cooking classes to complement her flagship products.

U.S. Bank has been there for most of Cedargren’s journey. “My U.S. Bank banker, Tony Dubose, has really empowered me to grow and efficiently manage my business,” she explained. “I have worked with U.S. Bank for more than 10 years and they have always been there along the way. My advice to aspiring business owners is to follow your dreams. There are people out there willing to help you.”

The Spicy Olive is one of the 1.1 million small businesses that U.S. Bank serves across the country. Each May, in honor of the Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week, the bank recognizes and celebrates small business owners for their contributions to our communities and economy. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and many other organizations, including U.S. Bank, extend this celebration throughout the month of May.

Another thriving business brings their love for Jamaican food and culture to their community in Oakland, California. Restaurant co-owner Roxanne Mosley reopened Sweet Fingers last summer after a two-and-half-year closure due to a one-two punch of the pandemic and a kitchen fire. U.S. Bank has supported Sweet Fingers since the restaurant’s beginning in 2009. In March, team members from U.S. Bank visited Mosley and her dynamic staff to celebrate their success.

“Since we reopened last June, our success has surpassed my expectations,” said Mosley. “We have come back even stronger as demand for catering events for community groups and services has skyrocketed.”

“U.S. Bank shares the passion our business owners have for their local communities,” said Sekou Kaalund, head of Branch and Small Business banking at U.S. Bank. “And without that beloved local business just around the corner that we all have, our communities wouldn’t have the same charm and vibrancy that they do.”

To further power the potential of clients and aid in closing the wealth gap, U.S. Bank recently expanded its support for diverse businesses with several community-driven programs, including:

Business Access program that provides diverse businesses with one-one support from a Business Access AdvisorBusiness Diversity Lending program that expands lending opportunities for women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businessesA partnership with Meta Prosper to support Asian-owned businesses with tools and resources

You can follow us throughout the month on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram where we will feature a new small business every week. #usabanksmallbusiness, #SmallBusinessMonth.

As part of the Dream It Real program, the Coach Foundation and Tapestry proudly partnered with Pensole Lewis College to create a 6-week custom design course with a focus on sustainability, supporting the development of nine young creatives aspiring to break into the industry of footwear and accessories design.

Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, the only Historically Black College and University with a specialization in design and product creation, provides access to career education and professional development to a large talent pool of young designers from under-resourced communities each year. The Coach Foundation aims to remove barriers and create opportunities for the next generation of young people who have the courage to dream it real. Together, Coach and Pensole Lewis College created a customized curriculum for students from nontraditional education backgrounds studying footwear and accessories design.

Last week, the students were invited to join Coach at Hudson Yards for a day of mentorship and networking and to present their final products to Coach and Tapestry leadership. The day began with a mentoring session with several Coach creatives to discuss what it means to “dream it real” and what it takes to achieve those dreams. Panelists shared personal testimonies of their career journeys and advice on how to navigate the design industry.

Thank you to our panelists, Todd Kahn, Sandeep Seth, Stuart Vevers, Anna Barber Rioja, Beth Stankard, Joon Silverstein, Amy Nurnberg, David Casey, Alix Thomas, Lorraine Douglas, Moartin Chapuy, Nico Valenzuela, and Trey Denis for your wonderful insights and contribution to this discussion with the Pensole Lewis College students.

“Define who you want to be in this career and enjoy it every step of the way. Someone will eventually understand you and your designs, and you have to be ready for that opportunity,” Trey Denis, Designer, Sustainability for Coachtopia.