PETE O'KEEFE (he/him)

The first half of Pete’s work career was as an upholsterer and furniture repair technician. He retains a commitment to reuse and repair and has a soft spot for the small entrepreneurs focusing within the repair sector. The middle portion of his career included stints with environmentally minded businesses specializing in remanufacturing of used office furniture. He became aware of the time-sensitive but often wasteful decisions businesses make via disposal of usable assets. As his career journey continued, he sought creative solutions for reuse and repair - especially if the opportunity to generate revenue existed. He fulfilled this personal mission for the University of Minnesota via build out of their ReUse Program Warehouse, Target Corporation as a member of the Environmental Department, and finally Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity when the non-profit was considering closing of their struggling ReStore in New Brighton.