Minnesotan To Meet: Wood From The Hood

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- We all had that one tree that you loved to climb, or swing from or lay in a hammock under. It can be emotional if that tree has to come down.

That's where Wood from the Hood steps in.

Rick Siewert had the background in woodworking and decided it was the diseased and discarded trees he wanted to save for families forever. His company, Wood from the Hood, is located in Minneapolis, but you've likely seen their products all over the Twin Cities.

"The cribbage boards are fun. We do growth charts. Bottle openers were fun to develop," Siewert said.

They do big orders, too. Siewert showed off an American Elm table, one of many in Caribou Coffee houses throughout the Twin Cities metro area. And 1,200 cutting boards will end up in Crate and Barrel stores this fall for a promotion.

Working with wood is something Rick Siewert has always done.

"My dad started a cabinet business back in 1965, and I've been involved in it for 30 years now, so now it's evolved," Siewert said.

That evolution started at home when Rick and his wife Cindy had to cut down an old ash tree.

"My wife and I didn't want to see it go to waste, so we kind of looked into what happened to it," Siewert said. "We don't like wasting trees."

They didn't want it becoming wood chips at a landfill, so they looked into sustainable options. That's when custom design manager Jon Buck was added to the husband-and-wife team.

That's how the company was born, though how they got the name is another story.

"You know, a couple of beers one night," Siewert said.

Regardless, it's not only catchy, but makes sense. Most of their customers want trees from their own yards used in custom projects like tables, cabinets or even flooring.

Emerald ash borer and Dutch elm disease have taken trees in families for generations.

"We get a lot of our trees from the City of Minneapolis Park Board, and we work with several different tree services," Siewert said.

The company is certified in removal of those diseased trees, so while it's sad for most customers to let go at first, the trees get new life through beautiful projects.

"One woman wrote a three-page obituary for her tree," Siewert said.

One big way they got their name out there is by providing tasting flights and cribbage boards to breweries.

Their bottle openers are their cheapest product at $15. Growth charts are around $50, while tables and custom flooring jobs can be in the thousands.