
Turning Waste Wood Into Buildings
From What's Your Problem? by iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries
April 23, 2026 · 37 min · Season 1 · Episode 175
About this episode
Ben Christensen discusses how to turn fallen trees into usable wood and the challenges of the lumber industry.
Ben Christensen is the co-founder and CEO of Cambium, the largest seller of salvaged wood in America. Ben's problem is this: How can we turn the trees that are falling to the ground all around us, into usable wood? In this episode, Ben explains: Why so much wood goes unused Why Cambium created demand before building the supply chain How building a data layer across the fragmented lumber industry reduces waste Why salvaged wood can compete on price with conventional lumber The best mantra to use 80 miles into an ultramarathon Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Jacob Goldstein
Guest: Ben Christensen
Topics covered
- sustainable building
- wood industry
- salvaged materials
- entrepreneurship
- waste reduction
Keywords
- salvaged wood
- Cambium
- waste wood
- lumber industry
- sustainability
- entrepreneurship
- data layer
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cambium, iHeartPodcasts, Pushkin Industries
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