A recent visit and discussion with Kirei USA founder and CEO John Stein about new product development.

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on tour: Kirei USA
During our time in Phoenix AZ for the 2009 Greenbuild Expo we spent some time with Kirei
USA Marketing Coordinator Teresa Cooney. Our conversation with her became one of our
first in the stories of sustainability series (posted here). Back in January we did a day trip to
San Diego for a US Green Building Council San Diego chapter GreenMeet event and were
able to spend some time with Kirei USA founder and CEO John Stein at his Solana Beach
office. One thing that strikes you right away when arriving is how casual and laid back the
entire neighborhood is. Probably in part due to the proximity to the ocean, but Kirei USA is
located in an interesting warehouse building on the edge of town filled with artists and
other cutting edge businesses. It has a very alternative lifestyle communal vibe to it.
Enter the front door at John’s office and you are immediately met with the tools from one of
his competing passions - surfing. Immediately to the left is a rack of wet suits and boards
ready to be used at a moments notice. In fact, John tells us that it’s not uncommon for he
or someone else at the office to go surfing every day. The space is much smaller than we
we expect, and we’re told that’s a common reaction. Although Kirei Board has become a
very visible player in the sustainable building materials market, it doesn’t require a huge
staff to maintain the operation. John and his crew are actually a small team who occupy
the mezzanine while a friend who owns an energy audit company uses the ground floor of
their warehouse space. The office layout is very casual, with few walls, it’s open, and
primarily lit with daylight from a number of well placed skylights.
Something we’ve discovered about virtually all the tours and interviews we’ve done is how
down to earth and accessible company owners, founders, and product creators have
been. And John is no exception. He was an incredibly gracious host giving us a tour of his
office first, then a tour of the entire building. He was anxious to introduce us to his
neighbors and colleagues - photographer Aaron Chang, Solana Flooring, Shampoo Too,
West Edge Gallery, Trios Gallery, and Mabuno Contemporary Furniture. They create
incredible furniture from reclaimed and salvaged wood, but we’ll have to talk about them in
another post.
We’ve used Kirei Board on various projects for more than five years, and I’ve met and
talked with John several times, but we’ve never been able to spend any real time together
discussing his background, company, and products. In particular, we were most interested
in learning about new products, new developments, and future directions. John’s spirit and
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➜ threadcollaborative
11250 morrison street no. 201, north hollywood ca 91601

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enthusiasm is completely contagious. It would be difficult to find a young entrepreneur
working harder to bring something new to the sustainable building materials arena.
Where some might consider it a disadvantage that Kirei USA doesn’t manufacture their
own products, but instead, John seems to be liberated by that. His specialty is the ability to
understand the commercial potential for unusual bio-based products. He’s constantly on
the hunt for yet undiscovered materials or those in early development. In many cases, he
sees market potential where others see a failed, or one-off, R&D experiment. He regularly
visits university programs and obscure trade shows throughout the world seeking out
hidden gems. Institutions cycle through new ideas at an accelerated pace, but often lack
the vision to see market potential or how they can be commercialized. That’s where John
applies his marketing background and knowledge to explore untapped or future potential.
Sometimes it’s the smallest of factors, such as packaging or distribution, that create a huge
hurdle for those not familiar with how to bring a product to market. Where some see a
barrier to clear, John sees opportunity to capitalize on. It’s a fascinating position to be in.
And based on what John showed us, there appears to be an ample supply of new ways to
use waste industrial material. He has product currently in development made from waste
hemp, other parts of the sorghum plant (Kirei Board is also made from waste sorghum
stalk), shredded scrap coconut husk, sunflower, shredded wood veneer waste, and much
more. Architects, designers, and other product manufactures are also finding new ways to
use or treat his existing products. Some of the newest variations in his line have been co-
created with friends and colleagues.
I have to say that I think John has one of the best jobs in the world. He and Kirei USA have
carved out a considerable niche focused on agricultural fiber board products. No other
company I can think of has as many current agri-based product lines, or as many in
development. I hope they come to market soon. John and his team are proving the viability
of hyper renewable agriculturally composed building products. We wish him luck and thank
him for being so gracious with his time.
www.threadcollaborative.com
➜ threadcollaborative
11250 morrison street no. 201, north hollywood ca 91601