Hope for the Craftsman
It’s about people, walks of life, growth and opportunity.
Our Mission
To provide sustainable, meaningful employment to craftsmen transitioning out of life hardships like addiction, homelessness, imprisonment, and displacement.
We believe everyone deserves a chance to grow and thrive – and that a man or woman with a job is a force to be reckoned with.
We want to be a source of hope & a sustainable second chance.
Lamon Luther was born out of a passion for craftsmanship
In 2009 at a restaurant in Douglasville, GA, a conversation was overheard about a “village in the woods” where a group of homeless men had built a makeshift camp and were living in tents.
Many of these men were a variety of craftsmen, carpenters and millworkers who had fallen on hard times after the housing crisis of 2007 gutted the construction industry. Some had recently been released from prison. Some were recovering from addiction. They were all looking for work.
They performed handiwork and odd jobs when the opportunity arose. But with no addresses, few licenses, and only a couple of phones between them, it was difficult finding any real work. No one would hire them and no one wanted to take a chance on them.
On January 1st, founder Brian Preston picked up one of the men from the tent village and brought him to a local wood shop to see if his carpentry skills were up to snuff. Soon after more men joined them. They got the chance they were looking for. They began building beautiful furniture and other handcrafted items – and they were very good at what they did.
Lamon Luther was born. Our roots of empowering men with meaningful work became our defining purpose and the core of who we are.
Lamon Luther,
The Man
Born in 1930 in the foothills of Randolph County, Alabama, Lamon Luther Wilson was a farmer, a carpenter, and a mechanic. With his own two hands he provided for his family and the community around him.
If the sun was out, he was in the garden. He shared his crops with friends, neighbors and folks who were down on their luck. His hands were calloused and hardened, but you wouldn’t know it on Sunday behind his neatly pressed suit.
Lamon Luther was rugged, yet selfless and kind. A true gentleman.
SOCIAL IMPACT
We measure social impact based on a few factors, including how many job opportunities we create, how many employees stay at Lamon Luther long-term or find stable employment after gaining experience with us, and our ability to support like-minded organizations through giving, donations, or volunteering. This includes spreading knowledge and awareness about social enterprise business models and how more businesses can be created with a primary goal of doing good.
Organizations and causes we support
Environmental Responsibility
Sustainable materials
We always prefer sustainable, natural materials and choose to source wood from environmentally-conscious lumber mills. We work with wood suppliers that are FSC® and Green America certified, and businesses like EuTree, an ecologically-minded boutique lumber mill that provides “forest-free” timber – meaning it isn’t logged out of forests. Instead, they help urban tree services divert downed logs from becoming landfill. Wood slabs and lumber we purchase from sustainable companies like this is milled and repurposed in the form of natural, heirloom-quality wood furniture that can be used for generations. Learn more about our woods and finishes.
Food-Safe, Non-Toxic Finishes
Responsibility isn’t just about the wood. When it comes to oils and finishing products used on wood surfaces, as well as wood epoxy resins, we work with non-toxic, food-safe natural products
Lumber Scrap & Waste
The vast majority of our scrap wood is used in smaller products like cutting and serving boards, coasters, and other houseware items. And we currently donate sawdust and wood chips in partnership with Eutree to companies who use them for oil and grease cleanup in various manufacturing facilities and automotive shops. We’re working on a long-term plan with a goal to become completely waste-free in this regard. We’re not 100% there yet, but we’re heading in that direction!
