Organization
CASE STUDY > ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN
Examining the culture of craft and the modern artisan for the Catskill Mill, a business venture of Etsy.com founder Rob Kalin.
Challenge
The Catskill Mill is a venture intended to re-enliven a trio of buildings in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Centered around producing artisanal domestic wares in a communal workshop setting within a 300,000 sq. ft. industrial mill, while also offering an ecosystem of associated hospitality services, the owners needed an inspiring and sustainable plan to bring to life four interdependent businesses that were highly dependent on the community.
How do we create the conditions for a cohesive creative community in a 300,000 sq. ft. industrial mill in Catskill, NY?
Process
Our team conducted in-depth interviews with artisans in order to inspire a vision for collective craftsmanship in the Hudson Valley.
Using Peter Guber’s Four Truths Method of Storytelling, we processed our interviews and mapped insights into four categories: the truths of The Teller, The Audience, The Moment and The Mission.
I identified that our artisans had conflicting motivations for joining the Catskill Mill venture. Understanding and communicating these tensions helped us consider how artisans might contribute to the formation of a dynamic and cohesive community in individualized ways.
Solution
Our team created 5 strategic recommendations addressing the Catskill Mill’s business model. We also crafted a brand messaging package that was customizable for the audience.
See the final work →
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““Breanna is, in every sense of the word, a natural ‘Conceptualist’ – capable of absorbing large and disparate sources of information, while being able to connect those often-random sources into nuanced strategic thinking. [This] led me to offer her a consultancy role in several product innovation projects I am involved with in my business.””
