Sawmill Business Podcast

What if the trees being cut down in your neighborhood could become the art hanging on your walls or the table your family gathers around? Brian Presnell of Indy Urban Hardwood has been making that vision a reality in Indianapolis since 2016, and his story is one of the most compelling in the urban wood world. In this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, Jennifer Alger sits down with Brian to trace a journey that begins in art school at the Herron School of Art, winds through museum work and public art collaborations, and lands squarely in a sawmill shed in one of America's most tree-rich cities. Brian grew up surrounded by hardwoods in Indianapolis, watched them get hauled off and burned for decades, and decided to do something about it. Brian breaks down how Indy Urban Hardwood works, from sourcing logs through his firewood rig and local partnerships, to milling, drying, and turning urban hardwoods into furniture, art, and reclaimed wood products that tell the story of the city they came from. He talks cand