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While serving at a Christian addiction recovery ministry, David Palmer repeatedly heard the following statement, “I need a job.” He made this a matter of prayer and decided to apply his business acumen to a solution. The result? Purposeful Design, a remarkable business that creates handcrafted, custom furniture that creates a revenue stream for its primary work of rebuilding lives.
In this interview, I talked with David Palmer about the origin of Purposeful Design (“PD”); its remarkable growth; and how the business is changing lives, families and neighborhoods.
Key Takeaways:
- David’s background and call into the fight against poverty.
- Remarkable stories about workers at PD that have rebuilt their lives.
- Why David and his family moved from the suburbs into urban Indianapolis.
- The idea of corporate America throwing its weight into the fight against poverty. Many large corporations want to do good through purchases, and PD has a ready-made way to accomplish that.
- How PD trains former addicts with few marketable skills into custom furniture builders and equips them with life skills.
- The PD model, including the supply, demand and product of their work.
- The remarkable corporate partnerships PD is working with in Indiana and around the country.
- The measurable impact PD is having on recidivism, drug relapse and return to homeless. For example, recidivism (a person reoffending after release from prison) is generally at 77%. At PD, recidivism is at 8%.
- Thoughts on how Christians can learn from PD’s success in the fight against poverty.