Mission of Indy furniture maker ‘is about building other people up’

Indy-based Furniture maker Purposeful Design LLC—which lives under the umbrella of the nonprofit Sagamore Institute—works with local relief organizations to recruit people who have struggled with addiction, homelessness, incarceration and other obstacles to self-sufficiency. As apprentices and craftspeople, the workers learn skills that can help them find employment, as well as workplace habits that will help them keep their jobs and advance.

The numbers indicate Purposeful Design is working. Officials expect revenue of $2.7 million in 2024, and its sales typically cover 85% of the cost of doing business. The rest comes from grants and charitable gifts that are used to invest in machinery or other needs that make the operation more efficient.

Over 11 years, more than 240 people have been employed and trained by Purposeful Design. Some sign on for six-month apprenticeships and move on to other jobs; some stay longer. For this week’s edition of the IBJ Podcast, host Mason King first interviews Dewey Titus, a former addict who has been with Purposeful Design for five years and now is the supervisor of its metal shop. The impact has been profound: "I went from being alone and homeless and then in five years having my family come together," Titus said. Then we hear from Brady Roberts, vice president of sales and marketing, about the organization’s origin story and mission.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.