In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

CREATING ARTFUL, SUSTAINABLE DESIGNS

In Business, March-April, 2005, Vol. 27, No. 2, p. 10

The story of how three businesses emerged around a theme that unites resources with artistic creativity ... and much more.

COMMITMENT to businesses that create artful, practical and sustainable products runs deep in the family of Kate and Ben Gatski. Believing in designs that are aesthetically pleasing and using materials that are recycled and/or are resource efficient provides a strong undercurrent. Described below are three businesses that have emerged from this commitment. They all are different in form, but they share that common sustainable theme ... and are “all in the family.”
The family “code” is as follows:
Rebecca Francis - mother, owner of Rebecca Francis Rugs, established in 1981;
Sarah Francis - daughter, owner of Sarah Francis Design, established in 1999;
Kate Francis Gatski and Ben Gatski - daughter and son-in-law, owners of Gatski Metal, established in 2004.

GATSKI METAL
Ben and Kate design and fabricate functional and sculptural metal works using recycled farm machinery parts in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The business emerged from previous work where Ben owned and operated a certified organic dairy, and Kate worked for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. Since his teen years, Ben had been experimenting with creating sculptures using farm machinery parts. Realizing that they wanted to work together and own their own business, Ben sold the dairy cows and Kate quit her job to establish Gatski Metal.
Several good relationships helped to establish a foundation for the firm - such as with Louise Sheets and Marie Dimanno at the American Folk Art Museum Gift Shop, Jon Clark of Home & Planet in Bethlehem, PA, and Conor Quinlan of Mepush Technology Solutions (www.mepush.com). Last year, they also received the Friends Institute Sustainable Business Plan Competition Award from the Sustainable Business Network of the Greater Philadelphia area.
Currently, they are building more solid relationships with art and craft galleries across the United States and are also cultivating relationships with individuals who support their business and vision. Future plans are to diversify operations, adding Gatski livestock to Gatski Metal. Gatski livestock will produce high-quality, organic, specialty meats.
A recent newspaper article described a work by Ben on display in a store window in downtown Lewisburg. “It had a smile made from pieces of an old plow,” the article explained. “The whole thing was created from odds and ends of old machines. The eyes were rusting brown cogs. The head was the metal portion of an old wagon wheel with the wooden hub removed. The rays of light were pieces of a hay baler. Most of the color was missing from the baler parts but crumbs of yellow clung to the edges. It was just enough to give a warm accent to the piece. While made from old farm machinery, the sculpture exuded an urban, cutting-edge feel.”
An artistically rich upbringing, contemporary vision and passion for the
agricultural community shape the Gatskis' metal work. The pieces represent the pleasure they receive from giving new life to metal objects that once were the pulse of rural farms. The pieces connect them not only with the rural agricultural world but also with an emerging world of metal art. (www.gatskimetal.com)

SARAH FRANCIS DESIGN
This company - launched in 1999 - provides architectural and interior design services for residential projects, guiding clients towards sustainable decisions in site development, building systems, materials and finishes. Following her degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Sarah Francis was employed by What's Working in Boulder (Colorado), conducting research on sustainable building. She also worked for Planetary Solutions specifying green interior building materials. That experience led her to a position at StrawCrafters where she focused on design of straw bale structures.
As Sarah began developing her own client base, she established her own business. She remained active with other sustainable designers in the region, eventually creating the Colorado Straw Bale Association.
Currently residing in New Zealand where she has designed and is now building a straw bale home with her fiance Sven Johnson, she continues to work with clients there as well as in Colorado. Her awards include the 2003 American Institute of Architects, Colorado North Chapter Design. She is known for her “ease in working with clients” and finding simple and sustainable solutions for often complex design challenges. Her e-mail is sfrancis@ecentral.com.

REBECCA FRANCIS RUGS
For almost 25 years, Rebecca Francis (mother) has been weaving rag rugs using recycled clothing and cotton, wool and hemp yarns - selling her rugs at art and craft shows in the Mid-Atlantic region. Creating from her home in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, she was inspired to begin weaving when her husband (an antiques dealer) brought her an 18th century loom. She learned the basics and taught herself the rest, mastering the craft of creating durable and beautiful rugs. Depending on customer needs, she incorporates both contemporary and traditional colors and styles.
She travels to Goodwill, Thrift stores and an industrial rag factory to find the right colored used clothing. Her work has been listed in Early American Life's Directory of America's Best Traditional Craftsmen and in Country Living's Classics You Can Buy section. Her rugs represent both the historical tradition of hand-made craft and earth-friendly design. Her future vision is to continue fine-tuning her use of colors and product design, while exploring new retail markets. She can be contacted at: rfrancis307@ ecentral.com.

Kate and Ben Gatski provided the background information that appears in this report. Based in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, the Gatskis create sculptures that provide a focal point that symbolizes the legacy of art and agriculture.

HONORING AGRICULTURE THROUGH ART
BEN AND KATE GATSKI, ages 26 and 28 respectively, possess an uncommon vision, to honor agriculture through art. They established Gatski Metal to design and fabricate unique metal works for garden and patio. Ben and Kate use remnants of agricultural machinery to create funky and enchanting sculptures that take on forms such as spirals, cactus profiles, floating bubbles and giant flower-like designs as well as more literal pieces like fish, cow heads and garden arches. They also produce a line of functional pieces like plant stands, clocks, magnet boards and candle holders.
Gatski Metal sculptures are welded steel parts. Ben and Kate hand select each piece from machinery found on local farms. Often times, the process involves tearing apart very large (car size or bigger) pieces of equipment to get smaller, unique parts for the sculptures. Both Ben and Kate participate in the design process; always aiming for simplicity and uniqueness in form. There is also a charismatic element, many of their customers enjoy imagining their sculptures as having life or movement.
Although the business became formal last year, Ben and Kate are no stranger to the agricultural world nor to creative pursuits. Ben started his own dairy business at the age of 19. He bought a herd of Jersey cows and managed them using organic and rotational grazing techniques (where cows are grazed almost exclusively on grass). After earning a degree in Human Ecology, Kate worked for over four years for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture organizing educational events for farmers featuring organic and sustainable techniques. While Ben and Kate were professionally occupied by agriculture, they were informally experimenting with artistic expressions. Both had a very natural tendency towards art as well as a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
Ben and Kate hosted numerous home shows of their sculptural pieces in the last four years. They found success in producing pieces for local buyers. They were asked to design and fabricate custom pieces as well as participate in local invitational art shows. Ben and Kate continue to do custom work as well as participate in retail shows (locally and regionally). (The Gatskis can be contacted via e-mail at info@gatskimetal.com.)