Tiny Home Business Gets a Big Win
No Boundaries Tiny Homes takes first place in Idea Challenge start-up competition
A Eau Claire-based builder of tiny homes has earned a not-so-tiny honor: No Boundaries Tiny Homes emerged from among five finalists to become the winner of the Idea Challenge, an annual entrepreneurial contest sponsored by the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corp.
The business, founded by Graham Barnes and Chad Dalhoe, describes itself as “an environmentally-minded and unique custom tiny home builder and deconstruction company.”
After a pitch session in early December, No Boundaries was chosen as winner by a panel of business experts and will receive $5,000, courtesy of sponsor Northwestern Bank.
“No Boundaries Tiny Homes is extremely humbled and honored to receive this award, especially given the other incredible businesses that were finalists,” Barnes said. Earlier this year, No Boundaries unveiled its first tiny home, called the St. Pat’s Tiny Home, which was made from materials recovered from the recently razed St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Eau Claire.
“Deconstruction is the careful dismantling of a building or structure in order to reuse, repurpose, or recycle the materials,” Barnes said in a Volume One article in July. “The deconstruction process allows building materials to be salvaged, versus a standard demolition in which the building is simply torn down and materials are hauled to a landfill.”
Other Idea Challenge finalists included Ifs & Buts Candy & Nuts, a candy and treat store in downtown Eau Claire; For the Hobby Sports Cards, which recently opened on Birch Street in Eau Claire; Boat Seat Mule, described as a “patent-pending product that features an umbrella, tool, rod holder, and drink holder that attaches to your watercraft seat”; and Bodega, “an upscale convenience store offering unique products and events in downtown Eau Claire.”
Learn more about No Boundaries Tiny Homes at noboundariestinyhomes.com and the Idea Challenge at www.eauclaire-wi.com/entrepreneurs/idea-challenge.
