Modern Mill's Chris Guimond on Upcycling Rice Hulls Into Low Maintenance Building Materials

Episode Summary A rice field does not look like the starting point for a scalable building materials company until you understand the economics behind it. In this episode of Business For Good, Paul Shapiro sits down with Chris Guimond, Founder and CEO of Modern Mill, to explore how discarded rice hulls are being transformed into ACRE, a wood like siding, decking, and trim product designed to replace old growth lumber. Chris explains why deforestation is a supply and demand problem, how Modern Mill cracked the manufacturing and adoption challenges that derail most composites, and what it takes to raise significant capital to build real infrastructure in the United States. The conversation covers circular economy manufacturing, competing with billion dollar incumbents, and why climate solutions scale only when they outperform existing systems on cost, durability, and ease of use. Things You Will Learn

1. Why most sustainable materials fail at adoption and how to avoid that trap
2. How supply chain location determines whether upcycling works economically
3. What it takes to scale a hard tech manufacturing business in a legacy industry

Tools and Frameworks Covered

1. Supply chain proximity strategy to control logistics costs and reliability
2. Adoption first product design for builders and contractors
3. Capacity planning to scale manufacturing without breaking trust

Episode Timestamps 05:10 – Why rice hulls present a hidden opportunity in building materials 08:56 – Cracking the code on turning agricultural waste into scalable products 13:20 – Why most composites fail to replace wood 25:20 – How logistics and location shape upcycling economics 35:10 – Scaling capacity before demand fully arrives #BusinessForGood #SustainableBusiness #CircularEconomy #ClimateSolutions #FutureOfFood