Work Experience: Rebuilders Exchange

For our first challenge, my entrepreneurship class was welcomed in to work as consultants for Jessica Davis and her company Rebuilders Exchange (also known as RBX). RBX is an architectural salvage consignment shop. Their 50,000 sq. ft. warehouse, located in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, holds over what is worth one million dollars in inventory. This inventory consists of used items brought in by anyone. When the item is sold, the money is split 50/50 between RBX and whoever brought in the item. On the day we met Jessica, she shared with us that she really values helping others, so the day she gets to pay out those who bring her items is one of her favorite days of the month/year.

Tasked with the challenge of significantly improving RBX’s revenue while maintaining Jessica’s creative bandwidth, I worked actively and effectively with my teammates Terrance Robinson, Sophia Daher, and Pedro Chiesa to define the problem and find a solution. Because we worked so well as a team, we had a lot of success. We spent our time wisely. Our focus, determination, and organization are much a part of the reason we had success, but I believe that the time we spent learning about each other played a larger role. One of my teammates shared with me that I was a “natural leader.” One of the characteristics that made me an effective leader was that I was never too “assertive.” This landed because that is the type of leader I like to be: team player, active listener, and fun. 

Learn more about RBX

Video of my group's presentation

Final Presentation slide show