What Re:Purpose Savannah does

Re:Purpose Savannah is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 2302 East Gwinnett Street, Savannah, Georgia, that provides professional deconstruction and salvage services for historic buildings, sells reclaimed building materials, and operates a federally recognized Registered Apprenticeship Program for certified Deconstruction Technician — the only one of its kind in the United States. The organization traces its origins to 2009 sustainability-advocate meetings and was formally incorporated as Emergent Structures, Inc. in 2011, launching the Re:Purpose Savannah pilot in 2018 with seed funding from Gulfstream Aerospace and adopting its current legal name in 2023. Mae Bowley has served as Executive Director since 2019 and led the women+ led redefinition of the mission.

The operating model centers on careful manual dismantling of historic structures — residential and commercial — to recover lumber, doors, windows, mantels, beams, and masonry for resale rather than landfilling. Supporting technical capabilities include a Resaw service that converts reclaimed 2x dimensional lumber into 1x boards, comprehensive historic building documentation and archival research (often delivered via student-built digital models in partnership with Savannah Technical College and historical research from Ethos Preservation), and Matterport 3D virtual tours produced with Shamrock Plus. A second physical site, "The Yard," plus shop.repurposesavannah.org handle retail distribution of salvaged materials. Project outcomes are quantified in tons reclaimed, recycled, and landfilled; exemplary projects include Anderson Twins (65 tons reclaimed) and Mama Lizzie's (zero tons landfilled).

Revenue is assembled from four streams: contract fees for deconstruction services, retail sales of reclaimed materials, donations and recurring fundraising (including the annual Moonlight on the Marsh fundraiser and RE:IMAGINE campaigns), and grant funding from foundations such as Historic Preservation Education Foundation, National Park Service NCPT, AAUW, Clif Family Foundation, and the Savannah Metropolitan Rotary Club, supplemented by corporate sponsorships of tools, equipment, and safety gear. The customer mix spans government agencies (Georgia Department of Natural Resources), preservation nonprofits (Historic Savannah Foundation, Isle of Hope Historical Society), private restoration firms, and individual historic property owners; the workforce-development mission targets women, trans, non-binary, and other underrepresented people seeking careers in construction.

Name

Re:Purpose Savannah

Legal name

Re:Purpose Savannah

Website

https://repurposesavannah.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Re:Purpose Savannah is a Savannah-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that performs historic building deconstruction, sells reclaimed materials through The Yard and online shop, and runs the only federally recognized Deconstruction Technician apprenticeship program in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historic Building Deconstruction Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Residential Remodelers (236118)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Repair Services (7600), Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211)

akta.pro primary industry

Deconstruction & Salvage (Building Materials Reuse) (BPALAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Deconstruction & Salvage (Building Material Reuse) (EUAIAHAJ), Architectural Salvage & Reclaimed Building Elements Retail (Doors, Windows, Mantels) (CRAIANAH), Historic Home Renovation & Preservation (HSAPAEAG)

Keywords

• Historic building deconstruction
• Reclaimed building materials
• Material salvage services
• Historic preservation documentation
• Construction apprenticeship training

Headquarters

HQ city

Savannah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Deconstruction Services: Hired by property owners to perform deconstruction services, which includes a contract fee to the organization. The organization has been hired for projects ranging from residential homes to commercial buildings.
2. Reclaimed Materials Sales: Sale of salvaged and reclaimed building materials through their shop, including lumber, doors, windows, mantels, beams, masonry, and hand-made goods. Also offers customizable materials through their Resaw service.
3. Donations and Fundraising: As a 501c3 nonprofit, Re:Purpose Savannah relies on donations from individuals and organizations. They run annual fundraising campaigns including Fall RE:IMAGINE campaigns and the annual Moonlight on the Marsh event.
4. Grants: Funding from grant organizations including Savannah Metropolitan Rotary Club, Gulfstream Aerospace, AAUW, Historic Preservation Education Foundation, National Park Service NCPT, and Clif Family Foundation.
5. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships of construction gear, tools, safety equipment, or machinery from local businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Re:Purpose Savannah hand-deconstructs historic structures to salvage architectural materials (lumber, doors, windows, fixtures, and other building components), then resells those reclaimed materials to the public through The Yard storefront and an online shop. The organization supplements these core activities with a Resaw service that resizes salvaged lumber, 3D virtual documentation of historic buildings, and a paid apprenticeship program that trains women+ in deconstruction and construction trades.

Product overview

Re:Purpose Savannah is a women+-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a single integrated service offering centered on the deconstruction, salvage, and reuse of historic buildings. Their core portfolio consists of professional deconstruction services that carefully dismantle historic structures to reclaim materials, combined with a retail shop (The Yard/Shop) where salvaged building materials are sold. Supporting services include custom resaw processing, comprehensive historic building documentation, and 3D virtual tour capture. The organization does not operate a traditional software product but rather provides physical services focused on material preservation and workforce training for women+ in construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Deconstruction and Salvage Services Hand-deconstruction of historic buildings to salvage architectural materials (lumber, doors, windows, fixtures) for property owners, preservation organizations, and government agencies.
• The Yard - Reclaimed Materials Storefront Physical retail store in Savannah, Georgia, selling reclaimed lumber, doors, windows, fixtures, and architectural salvage to DIY homeowners, remodelers, and small contractors.
• Online Shop for Reclaimed Materials Online e-commerce platform offering reclaimed and salvaged building materials for purchase and shipment to customers.
• Resaw Lumber Milling Service Service that runs salvaged 2x lumber through a resaw to produce 1x boards, adding value and usability to raw reclaimed stock.
• 3D Virtual Tour Historic Building Documentation Digital 3D scanning and virtual tour production that documents historic buildings for preservation records, providing a permanent visual archive of structures.
• Women+ Construction Apprenticeship Program Paid apprenticeship program that trains women+ in deconstruction and construction trades as part of the organization's workforce-development mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65 tons reclaimed, 10 tons recycled, 45 tons landfill from Anderson Twins project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Savannah Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership where students of Architectural Drafting and Historic Preservation programs spend semesters building digital models of deconstructed buildings, measuring structures and conducting historical research. Students from both programs have contributed to multiple projects including Anderson Twins, Mercer Cottage, and Hattie House.
• Re-Use Consulting (Dave Bennink)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeconstruction expert Dave Bennink trained Re:Purpose Savannah crew and accelerated their timeline during early projects. His training was crucial in developing the organization's deconstruction capabilities.
• Ethos PreservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing thorough historical research for projects including the Webb House, Lincoln Saloon, and others. Also provides sponsorship support.
• Shamrock PluscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner3D scanning and virtual tour partner that captures buildings in three dimensions using Matterport technology. Has documented multiple projects including Hyrne Hideaway and Lincoln Saloon, preserving digital records of structures before deconstruction.
• Historic Savannah FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor preservation partner that purchases historic properties and engages Re:Purpose Savannah for deconstruction or documentation. HSF purchased the Webb House and contracted RPS for the project that led to the discovery the house could be saved.
• Historic Savannah FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided matching grant funding for Mercer Cottage salvage project, helping raise nearly $10,000 from community donations.
• Green AcresminorOthersLocal recycling partner that handles materials from Mama Lizzie's house that were unfit for reuse, ensuring zero landfill waste from that project.
• Isle of Hope Historical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated both historic Birney Safety Streetcars from the Streetcar Cottage deconstruction project for future restoration and preservation.
• NAWIC Coastal GeorgiaminorOthersNational Association of Women in Construction chapter that supports the organization's mission to train women+ for construction careers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Urban Ore: Berkeley, CA-based reuse and salvage operation selling reclaimed building materials and home goods. Comparable retail-first salvage model serving DIY and contractor customers.
• Community Forklift: Maryland nonprofit home improvement reuse center that accepts donated materials and resells them, with some deconstruction activity. Comparable nonprofit reuse model with materials retail as a core revenue stream.
• Building REsources: San Francisco nonprofit that salvages building materials for resale while offering deconstruction services. Comparable retail-driven salvage model in a historic urban market.
• The ReUse People: California-based nonprofit deconstruction and salvage organization offering full-service residential and commercial deconstruction with a reused building materials retail outlet. Directly comparable model combining paid deconstruction contracts with a materials marketplace.
• Second Chance Inc. Baltimore-based nonprofit specializing in deconstruction, workforce training, and salvaged building materials sales. Closely matches Re:Purpose's integration of labor training, deconstruction services, and a retail materials outlet.
• Deconstruction Works: Portland-based deconstruction contractor specializing in careful dismantling of residential structures for material salvage and reuse. Closely comparable service offering and customer base to Re:Purpose's project work.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity ReStore: National nonprofit home goods reuse retail chain operated by local Habitat affiliates. Overlaps with The Yard on the retail side, with comparable donated/salvaged materials inventory and nonprofit community-mission framing.

Others

• Historic Savannah Foundation: Local historic preservation nonprofit that is both a customer and partner to Re:Purpose. Comparable preservation mission and donor base, illustrating the customer/partner ecosystem in which Re:Purpose operates.
• Green Badger: SaaS platform for sustainable construction compliance whose founder (Tommy Linstroth) sits on Re:Purpose's board. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but shares the sustainability-in-construction thesis and network.

Emerging players

• GreenWood / Brick + Board: Baltimore-based reclaimed lumber manufacturer working with deconstruction outputs. Comparable supply chain position between salvaged materials and finished reusable products; Rob Rinker (Re:Purpose board VP) previously worked at Brick + Board.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/repurposesavannah
• Instagraminstagram.com/repurposesavannah
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/repurposesavannah

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Re:Purpose Savannah