Kyle Hawkins '07 & Brad Moritz '08 Create Eco-Friendly Furniture from Cardboard

July 24, 2009

July 24, 2009, Greencastle, Ind. — "The economy, as bad as it is, has almost been a blessing for us," Kyle Hawkins tells South Bend FOX affiliate WSJV. Hawkins, a 2007 graduate of DePauw, and Brad Moritz, who received a degree from the University in 2008, are among the co-founders of FAS Concepts, which stands for Functional, Affordable, Sustainable. Based in Elkhart, Indiana, the company is thinking outside the box, literally," reports the TV station. "They're making furniture out of paper." (at left: Hawkins and Moritz)

Hawkins, who is a member of DePauw's Board of Trustees, recalls, "Brad and I got together, one of my partners. He was having trouble finding a job and he was looking for inexpensive furniture for his apartment." The result was a company that takes corrugated containers -- what a lot of us refer to as cardboard -- and turn it into things like coffee tables and entertainment centers, all of which sell for $50 or less. The company's target market is college students and recent graduates.

"Someone could literally furnish the majority of their apartment for under $200 to $300," says Hawkins.

The report notes, "the cardboard furniture is light enough to carry, but strong enough to support two men ... But the other thing is it's eco-friendly; the cardboard use to make their products out of can be used 7 times. Once the owner is done with the furniture, they can take it to the recycle bin and it may show up right back at FAS Concepts."

Hawkins tells the station, "It goes to show even though the economy bad, more businesses can still thrive. We can benefit our customers in saving them money in this economy."

Access the report -- which includes text and video -- at FOX 28's Web site and visit the company online.

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