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40 | I NSIGH T • J u n e 2 0 15 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m W hen is a board not a board? Just ask John Meyer, owner and co- founder of Beam & Board — a small, yet very busy, Green Bay company turning reclaimed wood into contemporary décor. "People have gotten a lot more eclectic," says Meyer, who founded the company three years ago with Doug Budz. And the demand for reclaimed wood — both as a "green" resource as well as a trendy accent — is at an all- time high. e company, which uses mostly locally-sourced reclaimed hardwoods (and a bit of salvaged metal and architectural finds) from demolished buildings and barns, has about one million board feet of inventory on its site off North Military Avenue. It also sells high-end distinctive new hardware for cabinets and the like; this relatively small portion of the business (which greets visitors upon entry to its building) was purchased from LaForce Inc. in Green Bay. From all that character-laden wood, the company creates custom walls, flooring, beamwork, ceilings and unique furniture and décor pieces for both residential and commercial clients. Because all the pieces are vintage, Meyer says the product is ideal for the "customer looking for something unique and different." Some examples can be seen in the showroom — old barn boards printed Beam & Board pairs vintage woods with contemporary looks Rough hewn, fresh looks in focus { s m a l l b u s i n e s s } B y S h a r o n Ve r b e t e n with words or even photographs are hung as artwork; old bleacher seats from Notre Dame High School are craed into a massive bookcase, with shelves craed from wood from an old Luxemburg feed mill. It's like Pinterest ideas … right before a customer's eyes. "People come in and there's a level of enthusiasm," says Meyer, who previously worked in construction and dabbled in reclaimed products as a hobby. "is was a hobby. I don't think we had any idea (what it would become). "We started off really small doing S H A R O N V E R B E T E N everything ourselves," he says. at includes sourcing the wood as well as all the milling, cutting, sorting, detailing, drying and finishing on site. And sometimes, Meyer says, that means doing the demolition work to acquire the wood. Crafty connections While most of Beam & Board's wood comes from a 150-mile radius, Meyer has contacts throughout the state and elsewhere that keep him apprised of potential good finds. One high- profile find (and especially fitting with Beam & Board owner John Meyer takes reclaimed wood products to a new level, through flooring, beams, walls and unique furniture offerings.