When Richard Woods noticed a barn being torn down in his Louisiana hometown of Albany 40 years ago, he had no idea the event would inspire him to open not just one, but eventually two unique businesses.
As Business Report details in its new Entrepreneur feature on Woods, he constructed his entire home with antique heart pine and cypress that he carefully salvaged from 100-year-old buildings like the barn, along with as much recyclable material as possible.
“I’ve been an environmentalist my whole life,” Woods says, adding he found the reclaimed wood to be much better than anything people could buy new. “It naturally grew from that desire to use waste in a positive way for a business.”
Albany Woodworks and Waste to Energy Systems specialize in reclaiming original well-seasoned beams, using state-of-the-art machinery, to be used in new construction or remodeling projects.
In the process of growing his lumber company, Woods had to find ways to deal with the waste his operations produced. In search of a sustainable use for byproducts like wood chips, sawdust and shavings, he began researching methods of converting these into a viable energy source in 2009.
After five years of intense research and development, he invented the bioHearth, which uses gasification, a method of converting any kind of carbon-based waste into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. These combustible fuels can then run a generator, kiln or any other energy consumption system.
“So it is not a limited market,” Woods explains. “It can go anywhere.”
Now successfully running the Albany Woodworks generator from the plant’s waste, Woods is ready to take his bioHearth technology to market as part of his second startup, Waste to Energy Systems.
Read the complete Entrepreneur feature on Woods. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
