Neutral Podcast

Have you ever considered where industrial waste goes? What if the dust from a factory or the runoff from a pottery studio could be transformed into a beautiful, handcrafted sink in your home?

We’re on-site in Kohler, Wisconsin, at the innovative Kohler Waste Lab with Matt to discuss how they are turning landfill-bound materials into luxury home products.

Matt shares the origin story of the Waste Lab—an idea born from employees experimenting on their lunch breaks—and how it’s scaling into a full-fledged business unit. In this episode, you’ll learn how Kohler is challenging the future of manufacturing by viewing waste not as a liability, but as a primary resource.

We get into the details of their process, from collecting foundry dust and pottery scraps to handcrafting unique tiles and sinks that give new life to discarded materials.

We also explore how Waste Lab is building a resilient supply chain from unpredictable sources and what it means for the future of the circular economy.

This conversation will change how you see industrial waste and inspire a new perspective on the future of sustainable design.

Kohler WasteLAB: https://www.kohlercompany.com/our-impact/wastelab/

Neutral: https://www.neutral.us

Timestamps

01:37 - The History of Kohler and the Origin of Waste Lab

04:33 - Matt's Personal Journey to Waste Lab

08:26 - Scaling Production: Building a Supply Chain from Waste

17:17 - A Breakdown of the Materials: From Foundry Dust to Pottery Scraps

20:42 - The Philosophy: Why Waste Lab Focuses on Landfill Diversion

25:32 - The Handcrafted Process vs. Large-Scale Manufacturing

28:46 - The Future: Exploring New Products and Categories

33:07 - How Neutral and Waste Lab Are Partnering on Sustainable Projects

#SustainableDesign #CircularEconomy #Upcycling #KohlerWasteLab #IndustrialWaste #Handcrafted #SustainableManufacturing #InnovationByDesign #Kohler #Wisconsin

When you see a strawberry in the grocery store in the middle of winter, have you ever stopped to ask how it got there? And why it can last for weeks when a fresh one from a local farm is best eaten in days?

We’re on-site at Vitruvian Farms, just outside Madison, Wisconsin, with co-founder Tommy Stauffer to walk through what it really means to relocalize our food system.

Tommy shares the story of starting the farm in college, driven by a passion for building community and changing how we think about what we eat.

In this episode, you’ll learn the difference between conventional and regenerative farming, and why practices like crop rotation and cover cropping are essential for building healthy soil.

We get into the details of what “eating seasonally” actually looks like—it’s about diving deep into what’s available right now, from asparagus in the spring to tomatoes in the summer.

We also explore how Vitruvian is making local, organic food more convenient than ever through their online store and partnerships, bringing the farm directly to your door.

This conversation will give you a new appreciation for the food on your plate and the people who grow it.

Vitruvian Farms: www.vitruvianfarms.com/

Neutral: www.neutral.us

Timestamps

00:43 - The Story of Vitruvian Farms

08:46 - What Regenerative Farming Actually Means

18:26 - How the Farm-to-Building Model Works

29:45 - The Truth About Supermarket Produce

44:24 - A Practical Guide to Seasonal Eating

51:44 - Inside the Greenhouse: Extending the Season

53:21 - Building Community Beyond the Crops

55:08 - The Future of Local Food

#LocalFood #OrganicFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture #FarmToTable #CSA #VitruvianFarms #KnowYourFarmer #SeasonalEating #SustainableFarming #MadisonWisconsin

Your home should be more than just a place to live. What if it could adapt to your life, whether you’re staying for a night, a month, or a year?

In this conversation, we sit down with a leader from ICONIQ Capital and Sentral to walk through the evolution of renting. He shares his journey from traditional multifamily development to helping build Airbnb’s strategy for apartments, and now to creating a new model that merges hospitality with home. You’ll learn how integrating short and mid-term furnished rentals into Class A apartment buildings isn't just a trend – it's a fundamental shift.

We explore how this model can increase a property’s revenue by up to 70% and why, surprisingly, it can lead to lower overall maintenance costs. We also discuss how technology is turning local apartment buildings into global destinations, opening them up to a new world of residents and guests.

This is a look at the future of how we live, travel, and think about real estate.

Jaja Jackson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/contactjaja

ICONIQ: https://www.iconiqcapital.com/

Sentral: https://sentral.com/real-estate-partnerships

Timestamps:

00:53 - A Career Start: Learning Multifamily at Emerald Fund

02:26 - The Move to Airbnb: Bridging the Gap with Landlords

06:01 - A New Chapter: Joining Iconic Capital to Build Central

09:22 - The Thesis: Proving the Flexible Living Model Works

12:24 - Central’s Value: More Profit and a Better Resident Experience

16:52 - Why the Market Was Ready for Branded, Flexible Living

21:23 - Finding the Ideal Mix of Short-Term and Mid-Term Stays

24:42 - How to Pick the Right Markets for Flexible Rentals

28:53 - The Financials: Understanding the ROI of Furnishing Units

31:27 - The Revenue Premium: A 30-80% Boost Over Traditional Leases

32:55 - Analyzing the Full Picture: Revenue Gains vs. Expense Increases

36:08 - The Maintenance Surprise: Why Shorter Stays Can Mean Better Kept Units 41:12 - From a 50-Mile Radius to the Entire Planet: The Tech Shift in Housing

47:40 - Beyond the Room: Adding Value with Enhanced Hospitality Services

51:32 - The Next 10 Years: Projecting the Growth of the Flexible Rental Market

Episode #24

In this episode of the Neutral Podcast, Nate sits down with David Barber, a leading fire safety engineer, during a live three-hour fire test for the Edison Project—a groundbreaking 31-story mass timber tower in downtown Milwaukee. With the roar of the furnace in the background, they unpack what it means to push timber to new heights. David explains why this test matters, what it takes to meet the elusive 3-hour fire rating, and how fire codes are adapting to the rise of mass timber. They also explore jurisdictional hurdles, the city of Milwaukee's role, and what the future holds for hybrid construction.

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction from the fire testing site

02:00 - David Barber on the Edison Project and mass timber's potential

10:00 - What it takes to earn a 3-hour fire rating

18:00 - Challenges in updating building codes for timber

26:00 - The collaboration behind Edison and jurisdictional hurdles

34:00 - Safety systems, code classifications, and hybrid construction

42:00 - Research, evolution, and the future of tall timber buildings

52:00 - Final thoughts on innovation, testing, and what’s next

#masstimber #firesafety #DavidBarber #EdisonProject #sustainabledesign #NeutralPodcast #architecture #highrise #buildingcode #constructioninnovation

You’ll meet Peter Kraus, a trainer-turned-entrepreneur who’s spent years building spaces that make movement second nature. From modeling gigs to training elite performers—from Ironman competitors to professional sports teams—his path led to one idea: health should live where you do.

Dr. Allan steps in with a doctor’s view of the system—after decades in emergency care, he’s shifting the focus to prevention. To daily habits. To care that starts before there’s a crisis.

This conversation walks you through the Neutral philosophy: not a gym. Not a clinic. But a place where diagnostics, coaching, and medical insight meet you where you are—right inside your building.

Think of it as stepping out of your apartment and into a space where you can get your blood work done, talk to a trainer, or adjust your health plan based on real-time data. No commute. No waiting rooms. Just integrated wellness that fits your daily life. Your home. Your pace. Your health, every day.

Timestamps

00:12 – Peter’s Path: From Personal Training to Building Neutral

06:23 – Dr. Allan’s Medical Perspective: Fixing the System

10:45 – Integrating Fitness, Medicine & Holistic Health

40:38 – Tools, Tech & Data: The Engine Behind Neutral

57:01 – Looking Ahead: Expanding Wellness to More Communities

Welcome to today's episode! I'm excited to introduce our guest, Mick McConnell, currently the Head of Space at Airbnb and a true pioneer in creative leadership and branding. With over 25 years of experience transforming major brands through innovation and design, Mick has been the driving force behind some of the recent significant brand transformations. He was CEO of Superunion North America, a WPP company, he led a team of over 150 professionals, orchestrating groundbreaking creative strategies for Fortune 50 companies.

Before taking the helm at Airbnb, Mick's journey reads like a masterclass in innovation leadership – from serving as Partner and Head of Experience Design at Lippincott to founding his creative consultancy and leading design and innovation at WeWork to heading up creative and marketing at Samsung. His unique approach combines deep creative expertise with sharp business acumen, fostering environments where breakthrough ideas thrive through genuine collaboration. Today, we'll explore Mick's insights on innovative leadership and his vision for the future of brand innovation.

Learn More at: https://www.neutral.us In this episode, Jennifer Castenson and Nate discuss sustainable housing and the concept of Zero Carbon Aligned Housing. The conversation explores urban sprawl, density, and the influence of climate change on housing patterns. In the latter half of the episode, Jennifer introduces the concept of “Agrihoods” — communities centered around sustainable agriculture — and examines their potential to reshape housing development, concluding the conversation around ideas in which we can incentivize agrihoods and other sustainability practices in future housing projects. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Intro 0:45 - Meet Jennifer Castenson 2:55 - How do you define a home 8:20 - Zero Carbon Aligned Housing 13:40 - How do we meet the goals to achieve zero carbon-aligned housing? 15:50 - On urban sprawl and density 19:00 - How climate change affects where people live 24:35 - What is “Agrihood”? 30:35 - How do we incentivize agrihood or other sustainability practices in housing development?

Learn More at: https://www.neutral.us Daryl Patterson, former CPO of Lendlease, joins Nate in this episode of The Neutral Podcast to discuss construction's shift toward digitization and industrialization. The conversation with Nate explores Lendlease's Podium platform, which connects developers, architects, engineers, and suppliers in a unified system. Patterson explains how mass timber construction is driving changes in componentization while highlighting Lendlease's strategy to combine digital design with mass timber methods. Their discussion shows how the construction industry moves from fragmented processes to integrated workflows, balancing efficiency with environmental impact through technology and materials innovation. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Intro 0:45 - Meet Daryl Patterson 2:14 - Daryl’s background 7:20 - The changing viewpoint of industrialization in the modern world 10:02 - Digitizing the construction supply chain and workflow 14:50 - Lendlease’s “Podium” software and how it is empowering developers, architects, engineers, and suppliers to deliver more sustainable outcomes 24:20 - Why have other digitized platforms failed? 31:00 - Is the standardization of construction still a viable business model? 43:05 - How mass timber changes the componentization of construction 48:50 - The intersection of mass timber and digital design and how Lendlease uses it

In this episode, Josh Dortzbach, CEO and Co-Founder of Forefront Structural Engineers, shares his journey into architecture, focusing on adaptive reuse and mass timber construction. Listen as we dive into and discuss the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of adaptive reuse projects, the advantages of mass timber and its cost-competitiveness.

In this episode, we sit down with Lindsay Baker, CEO of International Living Future Institute (ILFI), to explore her fascinating work in regenerative building design and certification. Starting with her work on the LEED rating system as an early member of U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Lindsay discusses the lessons she learned there and her history at Google and WeWork before she started her tenure at at ILFI. Listen as Lindsay sheds light on the future of regenerative buildings, explaining how sustainable architecture can create regenerative and circular systems that benefit both people and the environment.