Thirty-Six Nine

LEADER PROFILE

Lela Vandavier: Bringing hemp construction materials to consumers

What is your position at Thirty Six Nine and what do you do?

For the past 13 years, I have operated my consulting business, offering project management and accounting services to a variety of design & build clients, including developers, architects, engineers, GCs, designers and multiple subcontractors throughout California. In 2021, I decided to pivot my business model and joined a group of manufacturers’ reps, called Vision Sales Group.

What most interests you about hemp and hemp building and why?

I became aware of the applications for hemp building materials in 2018 while working on a start-up for a cannabis/ hemp testing lab. I stumbled upon the word “hempcrete”, while doing some project related research. I was hooked from that day forward and have been following the growth of this emerging market, as a passion project, ever since.

Once the barriers to scale are overcome, I expect hemp building materials to be a complete game-changer for the construction industry.

What was a win for your organization in the past year?

My contribution to moving this industry forward will be best served in a sales capacity for those manufacturers that have products ready for retail. I’m already repping other lines of more traditional building materials, some green – some not. My goal now is to narrow the focus to create a “package” of lines that achieve the highest levels of sustainability.

Eventually, I could see my role evolving into distribution, as the industry progresses. I also envision creating a showroom type environment for green building products.

What challenges does the hemp building industry/hemp industry face that they must overcome in the next five years?

The most immediate challenge, from my perspective, is getting those ICC codes in effect. I truly applaud the efforts of the USHBA on this front, it’s a daunting task that requires an enormous amount of perseverance. Hopefully, by the time this goes to print, that goal will have been achieved.

Once these materials are acknowledged as meeting the standard requirements to resolve liability issues, architects and GC’s can embrace them and begin to spec them with more confidence.

The next driver will be informing/educating the consumer market to build demand. Fortunately, it’s not a hard sell, with all the incredible benefits these products have to offer. And what a perfect time to tell the “Made in America” story for those manufacturers who are able to source and produce here at home. Lela Vandavier, Green Building Prodcuts Collective. Oak Park, CA.

The most immediate challenge, from my perspective, is getting those ICC codes in effect. I truly applaud the efforts of the USHBA on this front, it’s a daunting task that requires an enormous amount of perseverance.

Lela Vandavier, Green building product sales and representation.