Brandon Built combines our two passions: building beautiful furniture and building up people.
Our story begins in January of 2017 as a discussion in Bible Study brought up discussion of furniture and helping others. We had all recently built some pieces of furniture for our homes and we jokingly asked each other if there were people out there who would purchase these items for their own home. Understandably we laughed it off until we decided to come up with a name for our business. We then got up the courage to make the decision to seriously pursue it, but there was a catch. The journey wasn't going to be about sales, profit margin, etc. Instead it was decided that our mission would be about the people of Kearney, NE. Any profit that was made (we were skeptical we might not sell anything) would be given to people in the local community who needed a little good in their lives. Little did we know what God had in store for us...
In March of 2017 we made our first donation when we gave 550 diapers to the Diaper Depot, a resource for single parents here locally. It was a proud moment for us and gave us a powerful realization. Serving others gives you an immense amount of joy and leaves you feeling grateful for the opportunity to do so. Slowly as sales expanded, so did our ability to connect to amazing people in the community. Most notably to the wonderful people which are school counselors and social workers. We had a chance encounter with Mary, who is a guidance counselor at Kenwood Elementary. After hearing what her job entails and how many needs there are in her school (Kenwood is one of four title elementary schools in Kearney) it was on our hearts to do something to help.
We have had the opportunity to cover hygiene items, shoes, school lunches, clothing, YMCA memberships, car batteries and expenses, holiday meals and much more. It has been humbling to see that basic needs and expenses can be so hard to come by for so many elementary children and their families. Better yet we have been able to meet many teachers, staff, students, parents in these schools, hear their stories and offer a little encouragement. I'm sure you know the feeling of talking to someone, and walking away feeling like they encouraged and taught you much more than you were able to give to them. We have this feeling often.
Currently we are directing a project which we call the "Building a Better Tomorrow Fund." We work with six title elementary schools where we offer assistance on any special needs that may come up for students, technology and classroom resources for teachers and sponsorship of celebrations and rewards for these schools. These are accessible throughout the entire year with a simple phone call and application.
We have proudly sold our products in 49 states and five different countries. It humbles us greatly to know that our furniture can be found in tattoo shops, restaurants, insurance offices, school classrooms, vineyards, ice cream shops, and beautiful homes around the world. Four of our items have been named ETSY Bestsellers. We say all that to say this, we have been extremely blessed. Despite our shortcomings God has continued to bless our business, amazing people have trusted us to design and build forever pieces for their homes and businesses. For that we are very fortunate.
It is an absolute privilege to have the opportunity to encourage, enhance, and help serve people in any way we can. We do not say this lightly. Brandon Built has not only changed our perspective, but it has changed our lives. We look forward for what's to come in our journey and thank you for being a part of it with us.
Our Business Plan:
“He must labor, performing with his hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." Ephesians 4:28
Sincerely,
Brandon Rohr & The BrandonBuilt Team
