Off the Record
Off the Record is a podcast exploring the lives and stories of Twin Cities executives. Join the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, in partnership with Platinum Bank, for robust conversations with local leaders as they share pivotal moments in their lives, some of their career highlights, and their goals for the coming years. You know their names and faces, now get to know their stories.
Off the Record
Benjamin Jo VandenWymelenberg, founder and CEO, Woodchuck USA, on the magic of getting your hands dirty
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On the eve of starting grad school, Benjamin Jo VandenWymelenberg dropped and shattered his phone. After building an early prototype of a wood phone case to protect it, he nixed the grad school idea and started a business selling high-end custom wood products.
As the founder and CEO of Woodchuck USA, VandenWymelenberg now aims to “connect people with nature,” as he says on the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast. The company is proud of its “Buy one. Plant one.” program, where a tree is planted for every product sold, he says.
“When we came up with that idea, I had a strong feeling like, this is going to do really well because we can literally show an end consumer exactly where their tree was planted,” VandenWymelenberg says. “I think there’s something extremely magical that happens when you can get your hands physically on dirt, and I’ve witnessed this with corporate teams we will take out (on a planting day).”
Listen to the episode as VandenWymelenberg shares more about his company’s inception and career journey. Learn more about:
- VandenWymelenberg’s passion for architecture and how those design skills have translated to his business (8:59)
- Woodchuck USA’s most popular items (14:46)
- How VandenWymelenberg’s other business, Nature Link, feeds into his goal of connecting people with nature (15:46)
- Giving back to the community in the realms of nature and entrepreneurship (24:27)
- VandenWymelenberg’s favorite national park (27:12)
Leaders like VandenWymelenberg understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.