Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Artsman is a unique and innovative company that curates and manufactures products from game-used NBA & NCAA basketball courts. We pride ourselves on creating sustainable programs for every aspect of the teams needs, internal and external. We also work with many different sports helping to also tell their stories thru their historical assets.
We are a product design, innovation studio that specializes in creating unique architectural items. Our designs are historically traditional as well as delightfully contemporary. Our primary material is GFRC Concrete. We use the most advanced, highest quality raw materials available that push the nano technology envelope, while addressing lighter weights, higher strengths and overall better function. Our materials are LEED certified and help me sleep at night as a result. We are in the process of launching a full line of very high quality architectural products for commercial/residential, interior/exterior uses. Tile, fireplaces, fire-pits, hearths, interior and exterior furniture, commercial lobbies and details, as well as many creations that are one of a kind. We currently offer over 200 architectural products and building more. These products can also be made of traditional materials such as select wood species, metals and stone as well as limestone materials. Our Team: I am working with some talented designers and innovators; Phil Smith: www.pksmithwoodcarving.com and Mike O'Brien, former head of global engineering for P&G. We have a wonderful sales force, marketing and production teams that cares about the outcome of every piece. We are also working with other product designers from around the country that have distinctive product lines but not always the resources or ability to market, distribute and scale manufacturing of their products.
I have been very lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to work with so many gifted people. One of those people is Mike O'Brien, Former Global Technical Director for P&G, (retired). Mike was originally asked by the AMPATH program of Indiana University's medical research program, (25 years of success in Africa, www.ampathkenya.org) to take a look at why the hospitals of Kenya keep losing supplies of safe and clean drinking water and how it can be corrected. Was it political, resourcing, technology, budgetary, desire, management, pipeline, sustainable human factors or basic knowledge or all of the above? How do we solve this and what is the future impact of sustainable change on the population? Developing countries have to come to terms with the gold standard of having safe, clean drinking water and that is it has to be bought. Technical challenges can be solved, water can be purified but the question is: what will create "real sustained habit change in the people of Kenya and other developing countries"? Mike is on the ground in Kenya 4 out of every 6 weeks. He came to me with this challenge and we have been working on an affordable solution and basic business model that solves the technical issues, educates the population and puts people to work while manufacturing with their own resources to create equity which allows them to reinvest into their own solution and "pay for water". I am happy to say that Mike has broken through on the engineering and created a product that costs between $9-$16 per unit (this will change depending on scale of manufacturing. The system can filter 20 liters of contaminated water/mud every 3 hours and can last up to 5 years. The filter specifically filters 100% of the protozoa and bacteria from the water, anything less than 100% is a failure. Mike came to me and asked me to help him design, launch and hone this model/opportunity for the people that need it most as a non profit. Please inquire to help.
I was a founding member and instrumental in returning the "original" Rookwood Pottery of 1880 back to Cincinnati after it had been gone for over 40 years. Quite a difficult but rewarding challenge placing the brand in a competitive place where it once again gain prominence and success. In 2010 the company experienced an extremely questionable, unethical and hostile takeover that was being litigated in court for most of 2011. With a growing family and sick wife I simply did not have the energy or financial resources or ignorance to match the campaign of an opposition that did not fight fair. It was better to move on and get back to more positive actions in work, life and most importantly - family.
I worked with many wonderful Cincinnati and National design firms as well as individual clients creating unique branding initiatives, design and implementation. Some of these firms included Saatchi, LPK, Landor, Interbrand and Fisher Design to name several. This was a great time to evolve my over all design and business philosophies closer together which allowed me to take on more complex endeavors, as is life.