Putting the Buckminster in remodeling

Michael Hinkelman, Daily News columnist Posted: Monday, May 20, 2013, 4:45 AM

KENNY GRONO and his wife, Bronwyn Reice, both 36, of Northern Liberties, founded Buckminster Green, a green remodeling firm, in 2005. The North Philly company was inspired by the author and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller, who taught at Penn, Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore. It installs high-efficiency windows, doors and appliances; uses no-formaldehyde insulation; designs for limited waste; and recycles wood, drywall, shingles, cardboard and metal. I spoke with Grono.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the business?

A: I taught physics in the Philadelphia School District. During summers, we bought and fixed homes, then flipped them. We got interested in green building, and the firm was born. I taught until 2007 to save money to start it.

Q: What's up with the name?

A: Buckminster Fuller coined "Spaceship Earth" and invented the geodesic dome. He was a pioneer in using design in smart ways to reduce waste and make the planet better.

Q: How do you grow the biz?

A: People are comfortable buying a car or a house, not so much when it comes to remodeling. A lot of people compare this to new construction, and it's different. Most houses we work on are 100 years old and you find issues when you open up a wall.

Q: Where's most of your work?

Here is the original post:
Putting the Buckminster in remodeling