Back in the 60s, when conservation was a foreign term, our second generation leaders Phyllis and Bob Menke began to notice the effects of deforestation on southern Indiana. They took action with more sustainable production methods, established the Indiana Nature Conservancy and began a quest to acquire and reforest thousands of eroded acres devastated by industry and agriculture.

While our products no longer rely as heavily on wood materials, we are no less committed to Phyllis and Bob’s early example of caring for the world around us. The 7,000 acres of FSC® certified (FSC® C004808) forests we’ve reclaimed and the tens of thousands of trees we have planted are vital to our legacy. To quote Emerson, “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”

In 2014, we created a community garden managed by employees and devoted to local food and giving, and christened it Acanthus Row. The bounty of fresh and healthy food grown there is shared between employees looking to begin or maintain healthier lifestyles through diet choices. The vision of the community garden is to provide local produce to our employees and their families, as well as local not-for-profits and food banks.