YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Editor’s note: ReNuTeq did not fully participate in the event due to corporate restructuring.
ReNuTeq Holdings LLC, founded by Luke Schuette, develops structural engineered bamboo products that deliver sustainable building solutions by replacing traditional timber with a stronger, rapidly renewable material. The company was motivated by firsthand experience with deforestation’s impact and Schuette’s knowledge of the architecture business.
SBJ: Talk to me about the structural engineering bamboo product. What is its function?
Luke Schuette, owner and CEO: The main business applications are primarily for architectural and structural building applications. There are the primary structural elements of buildings, and we’ve also diversified into other industrial applications such as components within data centers and server racking, and also EV charging, solar-powered canopies – like the solar structures that are fully exposed – where many times the chargers are integrated underneath these canopies. Those are our kind of primary markets. So within a building, you’re looking at the primary structural beams and structural glass and the various other glazing applications such as entry doors and curtain wall as well.
SBJ: Where did the idea come from?
Schuette: I’m a second-generation architect. My dad was an architect and had his practice since about 1986. So I spent a lot of time in the field, going to project sites and looking at buildings. I ended up going to school for architecture, and my senior year in college I was studying structural engineered wood products. Essentially the idea came from when I was on a missions trip down in Latin America. I saw the bamboo growing everywhere, and everyone was talking about how strong it was. As soon as I came back to college, I started researching how bamboo could be integrated into structural solutions. In 2007, I presented to ASTM, the American Society for Testing and Materials, to see if a new material could be added into the standard. At that point I was nominated as chairman of a specific task group within ASTM to add the testing procedure, which works directly with the International Building Code and determines whether a new material is allowed for structural applications. After that is when I started all of the work of testing and getting into this market. It’s been a pretty long buildup to this point – a lot of milestones with regards to testing, certifications and product development that has taken place.
SBJ: Why does your company choose to manufacture the structural engineering bamboo product in Missouri?
Schuette: I actually grew up in Illinois. In Illinois, there’s some good logistics being in the middle of the country. So whether it’s Missouri or Illinois, there are some good things just from location to be able to supply to anywhere in the country within about five business days. So essentially, this is where I’m from. I also have a lot of family in Missouri as well. But business is much better in Missouri than Illinois. It’s a lot better business landscape from the labor force, from regulation, from the tax structure – multiple reasons why Missouri is a great state in general for manufacturing. Equally, being located in the middle of the country really does help us a lot with regards to logistics, whether it’s import or export. All of that is extremely good out of Missouri. I would say the labor force is also extremely important. We are able to find a pretty nice labor force – people that are very well trained, from manufacturing all the way through engineering and other high levels of technology.
A trio of brothers own Southway Storage LLC, which opened Oct. 7 and has 289 units to serve customers in Ozark, Nixa, Springfield and elsewhere in southwest Missouri.
