September 19, 2023 • 49 mins
Get ready for a deep and inspiring conversation with Godfrey Riddle, the powerhouse behind Civic Saint, a trailblazing social protest brand that aims to revolutionize affordable housing and community living. We'll journey through Godfrey's personal struggles, shedding light on his resilience in the face of adversity and his ambition to create positive change in the world. From battling cancer to overcoming personal loss, his tenacity has led him to design an innovative model for sustainable living, with a focus on compressed earthen blocks (CEBs).
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Civic Saint was created to inspire pursuit of a
purposeful life.
Founder Godfrey Riddle came tothe idea for Civic Saint at a
difficult time in his life.
In May 2018, godfrey wasdiagnosed with a rare form of
head and neck cancer at theyoung age of 29.
Six weeks later, his father,cecil, suddenly passed away.
(00:21):
Godfrey's mother, goldie,followed 14 months later, just
weeks before his cancer journeyentered its most grueling
chapter a major surgery toremove a tumor and rebuild his
left jaw, followed by six weeksof chemotherapy and proton
radiation.
Godfrey's tipping point towardfounding Civic Saint was George
(00:42):
Floyd's gruesome murder.
As a black gay man who lost somuch, godfrey was tired of
waiting for equal justice anddeferring his dream to build an
ethical business.
His aspiration is for CivicSaint to underwrite
organizations that advance aninclusive, equitable society by
offering thoughtful productsthat emboldened its customers to
(01:02):
live joyfully.
Civic Saint launched andtribute to the founders' late
parents, cecil and Goldie Riddle, and the company's values
aligned with principlesGodfrey's parents instilled in
him and demonstrated throughouttheir lifetimes Integrity,
inclusion and public service.
For their love and thelimitless upbringing they
provided, godfrey will beforever grateful.
(01:24):
Godfrey explains the dashunderscoring our name represents
the line between a person'sbirth and death dates A
seemingly insignificant part ofhow one's legacy is represented.
It is, in fact, the mostmeaningful feature of an
obituary, because it denotescountless moments of love,
friendship and a purposeful life.
Here's our conversation Today.
(01:45):
We have with us Godfrey Riddle.
Welcome, godfrey.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Hi, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
I was so excited for this conversation.
We met just recently at theNGLCC, the National LGBTQ
Chamber of Commerce Conventionin Denver.
Well, I won't say we met,because I don't think I actually
introduced myself to you, but Iwas there and I saw your
presentation and was very, verymoved by it, which we will get
(02:15):
into shortly.
Let's start by talking aboutyour organization, Civic Saint.
Tell us what that is and whyCivic Saint?
Where did the name come from?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Oh, absolutely Well.
Thank you again for having meand for reaching out after
seeing me at the conference.
So Civic Saint really is mycompany and we began as a social
protest brand.
So I initially launched.
Because of my background infashion and nonprofits, I chose
(02:48):
to start as a protest brand inthe apparel and accessory space
and then my goal was to donate aportion of those proceeds to
organizations that advancedracial and social equity.
So I initially began in 2020.
October 5th is actually when Ipublicly launched and did a
(03:10):
series of statement teas withphrases or words that resonate
based on my lived experience asa gay black man from the Midwest
and cancer survivor, but Ithought, really also just
generally relate to the humanexperience.
So, to that point, one of theshirts the design I wore on
(03:31):
stage is actually human.
I made that.
And then there's another onethat's one of my personal
favorites is persist, because itreminds me to just keep going
through a lot of life'shardships and the only way to do
it is to go through it.
But it was all really informedby my brain and just wanting to
(03:51):
create space in the world inthat way, and ultimately I found
an even broader mission with mynew business model, which is
focused on creating artful,affordable homes and adaptive
communities.
Again, tracking back to mylived experience, I had one
business advisor who said youknow, being an entrepreneur is
(04:14):
about finding solutions thatonly you can see.
And my family had lost twohomes to foreclosure when I was
growing up.
I ultimately went to school tostudy architecture and urban
planning and then also earned amaster's in public
administration and then evenworked at a city manager's
office and neighborhood servicesdirector's office for the fifth
(04:37):
largest city in America at thetime Phoenix Arizona.
And all of that was me searchingfor an understanding of why
housing is so precarious, andthe long and short answer it's a
socio-political choice.
So to me, my goal with my newbusiness model is really focused
on delivering affordable homesusing compressed earthen blocks,
(05:00):
or CEBs, because they have anumber of benefits for the
environment, but also as amaterial to build structures out
of.
And really what I think is Ifound a viable solution.
I'm overcoming some of thehurdles that have limited CEBs
from being utilized in America,because it's a material that's
(05:22):
used everywhere else in thedeveloped and developing world.
So I thought you know if wegenuinely want to solve this
issue of affordable housing, butalso do it in a way that's
beautiful, creative, communitybuilding, civic state has the
answer.
So I'm really trying tochallenge my community, my
(05:42):
society, to be serious aboutsolving this problem and if mine
isn't the solution, figuresomething else out.
I just I want to call thosepeople to the mat, to hold them
accountable if they really wantto do something.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Okay, so compressed earthen blocks, CEBs.
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Oh, they're so dope.
So basically, cebs are made oflike 90% soil and then 10% water
cement.
Just imagine a normal brickthat you might see on a brick
home.
The biggest difference is thatCEBs are going to be a little
bit bigger.
They're a lot denser and a lotstronger and also use a really
(06:25):
really small percentage ofconcrete.
So the soil and the developmentmethod are really
environmentally friendly.
Because that soil is usuallyharvested from waste.
Most filled dirt goes to thelandfill, so we're providing a
use for this waste product.
And then, because the equipmentis electric and you can
(06:48):
literally plug it into a wallsocket in your house and start
making brick, it's just a reallyclean way to build and it's
fast.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Right.
So why do you think thematerial was not favorable to
use here in the US?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
I'll give you the real reason and then what I
think is the actual reason orthe side of reason.
So the side of reason isbecause America has building
codes.
So we actually started thattradition of having codes just
to keep people safe whenCarnegie started making steel.
(07:28):
That's what made him successful.
He was able to streamline thatproduction line.
So the reason we haven't beenusing CEBs is because up until
about the 1970s through the 90s,the only type of birth and
construction we really hadaccess to was adobo, and that's
basically like making a mudbrick in your backyard.
(07:50):
So it breaks at a really lowfailure rate.
So it's not very strong and forthat reason it's also not very
consistent, because you'reusually hand mixing it or mixing
it in a big trough.
But the cool thing about CEBsthey're using mechanical
equipment to mix, so you getpretty great consistency, mix
over mix, and then they're alsocompressed at a really high rate
(08:12):
the same way you'd make anartificial diamond.
So the process alone solves fora lot of the issues that are
code compliance.
Our code sanders don't like.
And then you know the reason Ithink that that's the case is
because, if you think about thehistory of this building method,
it's something that was used byindigenous nations, and
(08:35):
building code development camearound in the early 1800s 1850s,
if memory serves and theydidn't want expansive indian
nation tribes, they didn't wantexpansive black and brown
communities, and those were ourbuilding materials.
So they literally wrote us outof acceptable building code so
that we couldn't expand ourstake on the land.
(08:57):
So, honestly, today it's abouta lot of education to let people
know that cebs are just as goodas a brick, if not better, and
also explain to them therationale behind that cultural
exclusion and our, our codes andlaws.
Um, that's literally a verydirect, in my view, example of
(09:18):
institutional racism yes, so howdid you overcome those
obstacles with compliance?
oh, that's a trade secret, okay,yes, I can't talk about that
publicly because I'm still inthe process of overcoming that
(09:38):
and I don't want someone to beatme to the punch.
But I just saw that my businessmodel.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Okay, that's very good so these homes?
Speaker 1 (09:48):
I remember from your presentation that there are like
two types.
Can you go into that a littlebit the types of homes that are
going to be available, whothey're for and where
specifically you want to placethese homes?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
so we've got two product options right now.
Our first one that I'm workingto deliver is called stone homes
, so those are 600 square footstackable prefab units with a
mural exterior.
That mural can either be anoriginal civic saint mirror that
we create in house and or itcan be a mural that's reflective
(10:25):
of the ambient community.
That second type of mural isthe one that excites me most and
the one that I hopeproliferates most.
Because to the second part ofyour question, I really want to
focus on embedding and infillingin redline areas.
So these are parts of town.
If you are familiar with how thehousing works in america, the
(10:48):
us department of housing andurban development, or HUD, drew
up these maps of every majormetropolitan area in the 1950s,
right after the second world waris part of the gi bill just to
help well, they said to helpmortgage appraisers, insurers,
understand risk.
(11:08):
Well, the funny thing is theyreally seemed to not favor the
areas that had any percentage ofblack or brown people in it.
So that's how you end up withmass redline communities or
ghettos and then lo and beholdthe disinvestment, all the other
stuff that comes along withyour community, being deemed
quote, unquote unsafe or a riskyinvestment.
(11:31):
Um, so I really want to focuson going back to black and brown
communities, where ourhistories are actively erased
and our wealth is actively takenaway, to tell the actual story
of that ambient communitythrough art both on my
structures but also public artactivities and public art
(11:51):
displays and then, mostimportantly to me, really try to
create generational wealththrough direct employment, home
ownership and then, of course,their ambient impact, because
home ownership and having a jobare the two biggest drivers of
the economy so you said therewere two products.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
You you mentioned the stacks.
What's the other one?
Speaker 2 (12:14):
the second one is a boat.
So those are going to be singlefamily homes with the module
were for plan for incrementalgrowth over time.
I've been likening them to thesears row book catalog back in
the middle of the century when,with order, let's say a tiny
ranch but over time you couldbuild it into a big, beautiful
(12:36):
mansion.
I think that's a moresustainable way to go about
housing because it's right sizeto your life at that moment and
it also lowers the overall costof ownership.
I think my dream scenario wouldbe when civic saint is up and
running.
I would love for urban areasthat have land banks or land
(12:59):
trusts, like canza city does.
I can go get a parcel of landfor $500 from my land bank or
land trust and I could put acivic saint house on top of that
for between 50 to $65,000 if Iget a mud home or maybe less if
I really really shrink it downand do an abode home.
(13:19):
But then that would allow me toideally pay off my home and my
land much faster and the equityin that right away.
So I'm really just trying togive people a way to achieve
independence both in theirday-to-day life but most
importantly, financially right.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
So I'm really intrigued by the to like add on
to your home.
So are these built on site orare they pre-manufactured and
delivered to a certain location?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
yeah, candidly, I'm still prototyping my delivery
method right now.
My intent, for a number ofreasons, is the factory route,
so making all the homes at acommunity-based factory and then
delivering them locally.
My ultimate goal is to copyamazon and that they have
(14:13):
regional distribution centersall around the nation and world.
So why can't civic saint do thesame with housing, especially
because soil is one of the mostabundant and widely available
materials on the planet?
Speaker 1 (14:33):
so when we're talking about the abode homes, then if
I if I'm envisioning thiscorrectly I buy a plot of land
in order to put your home on andI say I live there for five
years and then decide to start afamily, if there is an adjacent
lot, if there's space available, then I can basically buy that
(14:54):
plot and then I can add on to myhome.
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
yeah, that's the dream, and one scenario might be
you being able to hire civicsaint to do a custom addition.
More ideally, and I think morepragmatic for most of us, would
be to have what I'm calling awhite box product.
That's literally a white boxthat you input the use into so
(15:18):
you could make it a kitchen, abathroom, a living room, a
basketball.
Well, that'd be a problem aboutthat but we're not there yet but
that would be the dream and, ina perfect world, I'd love for
you to be able to recycle yourhome, so maybe, at the end of
its life, you could break itdown and return it to the earth
or return it to civic saint tobe milled and reprocessed into
(15:41):
another product.
But that's something that I'mactively researching.
Right now, I'm focused ongetting homes into the world
before I start figuring out howto take them out yeah that's
right, get someone in the homebefore you figure out how you're
gonna take it back from them.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Here you go.
No, give it back, but you knowI'm I'm curious about something.
Godfrey say I purchased a homefrom you and I want to do the
addition, but do I have to usethe same cb materials for the
add-ons?
Speaker 2 (16:14):
ideally yes, because I want you to come back, but
technically no.
That's the cool thing.
Cebs are just like anothermasonry product, so if you want
to attach a timber or even steelbased structure to it, you can.
I wouldn't advise it for anumber of reasons, because cebs
outperform most of thosematerials aside from steel and
(16:37):
some like, really likeskyscraper applications, but
generally in the residential usespace, when we're talking
single family or small scaledevelopment, yeah, you could
absolutely do that.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
That's a brilliant.
I'm telling you.
You have a brilliant idea, man.
It's gonna, it's gonna gopretty big.
Luckily we're having thisconversation now, because
probably in a few years we'renot able to book you.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Thank you, I hope.
I mean like my dream.
I've wanted to be anentrepreneur since I was a
little boy Like I.
I just love business.
I used to play like abusinessman when I was little
and specifically, yeah, it's waymore fun as a child.
I gotta be real about that.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
But yeah, taxes yes.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Taxes and cash flow are fucking killing me, man.
Yes, um, but I digress, but I Ijust love it.
I've always wanted to be amogul, to show folks that you
can build a meaningful businessthat does well while you're
doing good, and that you dotruly get further as an
(17:53):
entrepreneur, as a company, asan enterprise, when you value
the community that chooses tolet you live there or, so to
speak and I say it that waybecause traditionally big
companies always go after thosetax incentives and then may
leave as soon as that incentivesup, and I just don't think
(18:15):
that's a really equitable way todo business and it ultimately,
in my view, is a race to thebottom, because it gets you
really horrible workenvironments and an uninvested
community.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
So I want to back up for a second, because you used a
phrase that I hadn't heardbefore.
I heard your presentation, soyou can inform all of our
listeners what exactly is a landbank or land trust?
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Oh, okay, so this is going to be a quick and dirty
one on one, so please check itback.
That's what I say.
So, generally speaking, theyare public entities tethered to
a government or they're astandalone nonprofit.
But a land bank is typicallysomething a municipality will
(19:04):
set up when they have derelictproperties.
So think about a propertythat's been on the tax rolls for
a couple years but no one livesthere, so they're not actively
paying income tax and because noone lives there, it's become
derelict or they have to raiseit and just leave an open
product plan.
So basically, the intent of aland bank is to try to sell
(19:28):
those properties at cost in mostcases, but typically well
undervalue so that someone canbuy it and rehab it and turn it
into a tax generating property.
So they're really great ifyou're looking to acquire lots
of properties for a low rate,but they typically are going to
(19:50):
be on the edge of developingareas or in what would be more
high risk areas just because ofthe legacy of how they became
derelict.
Again, hashtag redlining.
And then, as I understand it, aland trust similar concept
there's a nonprofit entity thatowns the land Kind of think
about McDonald's and how theyfranchise.
(20:11):
So in this scenario, the landtrust owns the actual physical
dirt.
You basically buy the house ontop of it and you're essentially
renting the land from the landtrust and then when you turn
around and sell that house, theland trust puts limits on how
much you can resell it for.
So the whole goal is to try tolimit gentrification and make
(20:37):
sure that residents aren't beingoutpaced with the value of
their home, because an examplewould be you can't sell the
house for more than 30% abovemarket value, perhaps, or comps.
So land trusts are picking upwith a lot of popularity.
I've noticed Communities areforming their own land trusts or
(20:58):
doing a co-op agreement whereyou could get 20 friends
together and go in on a plot ofland and then control who lives
there.
I've even seen some co-opopportunities coming up they're
a little more innovative wherethey found a financial structure
for all of you to own a set ofcondos, for example, and if you
move out and sell your condoback, you obviously get the
(21:21):
equity and then they get thecondo back and can resell it
again.
So there's just a lot ofinnovative options out there,
and I think that's why CivicSeing is really primed for
success, because we're offeringa really sustainable, scalable
way for people to participate inthe economy and just enjoy an
independent life.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
So you're in Kansas City Missouri.
Okay, kansas City Missouri.
Thank you and so I'm assumingyou're going to be starting
there with where you're going tobe building, so tell us about
what that area looks like andwhy it's significant.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Oh my God.
So yeah, I will say so.
I live in Kansas City, missouri, but I grew up on the Kansas
side and it's a town calledOlathe, so it's a suburb of
Casey Moe Proper.
But I chose to locate herebecause Kansas City has an
amazing history.
A lot of people don't know thatwe're home to jazz.
(22:21):
We have the only UNESCO WorldHeritage designation as a jazz
cultural city in the entireworld.
We've turned out companies likeHallmark, disney, amc and so
many more.
So, all that to say, because ofspecifically Hallmark too, we
have a really robust artscommunity and because of the
(22:44):
history of black and AfricanAmerican people and our legacy,
there is just so much fodder forjust discovery.
So, all that to say, I pickedtwo neighborhoods, first and
foremost to prototype Again,understanding that I want to go
to areas where I can memorializethe neighborhood narrative.
(23:08):
So my first neighborhood is onthe Missouri side.
It's Kansas City's historic18th and Vine Jazz District that
actually holds that UNESCOWorld Heritage designation, and
I'll be putting up my first demobuild next April during AIA
Design Week, and it will be atwhat we call the Workhouse.
(23:28):
It looks like this reallybeautiful kind of medieval
castle that's been out of usefor about 20 years and is
actively being redeveloped.
So the landowner allowed me totemporarily use that site.
Just to start the conversationMore permanently, I'm looking at
other plots of land around thatsite and then on the Kansas
(23:52):
side.
Actually, the very firstcommunity I worked with is
called Quindero and it's areally rich community.
So it's in Lyon Dot, which ishome to Kansas City, kansas, a
little-known fun fact.
So Lyon Dot County is actuallythe 24th or 25th most diverse
(24:12):
county in the nation, ahead ofLA.
La, I think, is only 27 or 28.
There's over 50 languagesspoken in Lyon Dot County and
Quindero itself was actuallyfirst inhabited by the Shawnee
tribal nation and then later wassettled by African Americans
(24:33):
because of the UndergroundRailroad.
They actually had a stop on theUnderground Railroad as you
were headed north and then afterthat the Germans moved in and
ultimately started capitalizinga lot of the land in the town
because it was starting tobecome a boon due to all of the
traction from the UndergroundRailroad, and then today it's
(24:53):
currently populated by amajority Hispanic community.
So there are just so manystories in that to tell.
Just hearing the history aloneis something that a lot of folks
who are native to Kansas City,missouri, don't know about, and
I think that's sad because,within those native stories, I
think about James Baldwin, who'sfrom my community.
(25:15):
He grew up in St Joe, which isabout 30 to 45 minutes from
where I am right now, and, asI've learned more about him
through my partner, chris, it'sbeen affirming to understand
that greatness can come fromyour own community.
And even if you don't go on tobecome James Baldwin, there are
(25:35):
tons of other people who havesimilarly meaningful stories
that could really change the waysomeone sees themselves or sees
others in society and thereforehow they choose to move through
the world.
So that's why I think art isone of the most powerful tools
we have as humans.
Period.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
So for folks out there who are in the area and
eventually looking for one ofyour homes to come up so they
can purchase any idea about whatyou're going to charge for both
products, Bold Park.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
So I will say candidly right now I'm in
discovery phase.
I'm aiming to deliver a mudhome for between 50 to $65,000.
And that would get you a homethat's turnkey ready.
All you have to do is bringyour furniture and decorate.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
We're there.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Finance and option.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Are you in my email?
Short answer guess.
I'm working on one.
There's a really innovativeentrepreneur in my community
who's found a novel way toinvent the least own model, and
it's technology driven.
So I'm meeting with him in thecoming weeks to figure out how
(26:53):
we could work together to makeit even more accessible for
people who are renting or livedon a fixed income.
Beyond that, I am talking withcommunity development financial
institutions, or CDFIs, becausesome of them have programs to
help in redlined or opportunityzone communities and just trying
(27:15):
to figure that out.
But right now I think thetraditional financing method
will be my default option, andthen I'm striving to offer more
innovative, equitable solutions.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Okay, so we know we're still in the world of
discrimination and all sort ofcrazy stuff.
So did you get any pushbackbased on your sexual orientation
?
We get in the business started.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Yes.
So I again have always wantedto be an entrepreneur, have
always wanted to be a businessowner.
It just fascinates me.
The idea of building a productthat satiates a mass market need
is thrilling.
So to that end, I tried to bereally strategic about how I
siloed my thinking about whatbusiness I could start.
(28:06):
Obviously, I had to havepassion for it and some degree
of expertise to understand itand learn about it more deeply
than anyone else could.
But I also really wanted to tryto focus on an industry that
was right for reinvention.
So the construction industry isone of the last legacy
industries to really have anymajor advancements.
(28:28):
So that's why you're seeingfolks hop into 3D printed homes
prefab homes are blowing up likegangbusters and new
technologies to make thebuilding process more efficient
and cost effective.
So I thought I am this gaylittle black boy who has a
degree in architecture andunderstands and loves cities.
(28:52):
So you know, check, check.
That's great.
So how could I apply my livedexperience to spot a problem in
this industry that I have theskills to solve?
I've always loved houses.
My family and I used to drivearound and I was a little boy.
We'd hop in the car, get icecream and drive around and look
(29:13):
at houses, and that's somethingI continued to do throughout my
whole life and it's what led meto go to school, what led me to
want to work for a city.
But all of that to say becauseit is one of the last, I would
say, like vanguard industries tomodernize, it's still
controlled by folks who, in mydescription, are old, pale and
(29:35):
male.
And I think if you talk toanyone who works in design,
architecture, construction, whois not a man period, or not
specifically a white man, theywill feel ostracized and like an
outsider and like they have tofight to be heard and validated.
So in that, my tactic was to getahead of that by becoming
(29:59):
extremely knowledgeable about myproduct and extremely
knowledgeable about my market,because when I walk into the
room I have to instantlyvalidate myself as the
appropriate messenger.
I'm also young, by a therapy.
So what do I know?
Quite a lot, but you know, intheir view, nothing.
(30:21):
So that has been hard because Ican tell when I have to win
people over.
So I face that discrimination,that judgment, pretty regularly,
I would say, but I try not tolet it get me down because I
know it's artificial and I alsoknow that when people listen to
(30:42):
me, they get it and they get onboard.
And because of that, I've hadover 150 conversations with
experts in architecture and theconstruction industry and every
single person all but literallyone has validated this business
model, has asked to stayinvolved.
(31:03):
It has asked to be notified assoon as my products are
available.
So that's kind of been how I'vetried to protect myself,
contextualize it.
Yeah, it's not great, but it'sjust a fact of the matter.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Right.
It's very unfortunate that in2023, we still have to validate
ourselves because of oursexuality in a quote unquote
first world country.
That should be enough, all andthat is screaming equality every
day in the media, right.
But with all that, you're stillstriving, you're still moving
(31:42):
forward and heading for the top.
So can you tell us about thataward you got recently with it?
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Yeah, so to that point I've been involved in my
local gay chamber.
I know how important it is foryoung folks to see people with
similar lived experiences doingthings they might think are out
of their realm of possibilities.
So I've tried to be reallycandid or visible about my
(32:13):
identity in this whole process.
But to that end I saw anopportunity with the National
Gay and lesbian Chamber ofCommerce, through their
communities of color initiative,to pitch to win money to start
my business in this newiteration.
So I applied and I got acceptedand I went to Denver and I
(32:40):
competed.
So it was two rounds.
The first round was ourcommunities of color subgroup
where I pitched against twoother individuals, one of whom
had been on Shark Tank there's agirl, oh my God and I went up
first and there were technicalissues but I worked the room and
made it fun and ultimately wonthat pitch.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
Hands down won it Like everybody.
We were all in the audiencejust talking like yeah, there's
no question.
He should happily get this, andhe did.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Ew, I was worried.
I was like are they going tomake it like a real competition
or are they going to?
You know, try to play favoritesRight?
Speaker 1 (33:22):
No, I mean it was a real competition.
Three people pitched in thecommunities of color one and I
would say there was only I mean,I wasn't a judge, but you know
again by audience feedback therewas only one other person who
even had anything that was asimpactful as what Gottfried is
(33:43):
doing.
But yes, he far surpassedeveryone in that piece of the
competition.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Well then, they don't have to play favoritism,
because you end up being thefavorite.
Exactly what do you got?
What's the award that you won?
Let's get back to that yes yes.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
And then on Thursday I won the main pitch.
So that was for a total of$50,000 in cash and prizes.
And then I also won $5,000 fromcommunities of color.
So I walked away with the$55,000 in cash and prizes that
I'm using to invest in mybusiness.
So $5,000 of it I'm using toattend the CEB certification
(34:28):
course in November, and then$10,000 I'm using as a deposit
on my production line order formy equipment to start making
blocks, and then, lastly,$10,000 I'm using to host a
community activation andfundraiser.
So this will be a chance forpeople to come out and literally
(34:48):
participate in Civic Saintscomplete business model and
either validate it or invalidateit through whether or not they
choose to give a donation.
But overall I need to raiseabout $100,000 to meet my launch
capital goal and be able todeliver on that first demo build
in April of next year and then,looking slightly beyond that,
(35:12):
be able to deliver on my firstproduct by August or September
of next year.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
So I got to ask this question.
So are there investmentopportunities?
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Oh, I need to talk to my attorney.
Short answer is yes, I'mfiguring it out.
Right now I'm not taking onequity investment.
I'm seeking the straightdonation, with the understanding
that it's an investment in meand in this idea, with the
expectation of a return otherthan seeing this business model
(35:49):
come to life and maybe a fewother French benefits like swag
here and there.
Okay, I'll give you a shirt ifyou give me $10,000.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Right, of course.
So you made your donations.
Where can people go if theywant to donate?
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Absolutely so.
Tickets are dropping at the endof this week on civicsaintcom
and information is droppingthere as well, and I'm also
extremely excited to say thatI've been working behind the
scenes to flip our brand andwebsite, so it will soon have
all the information that we'vetalked about today as well, as
(36:28):
you'll still be able to buy thatreally dope human shirt I wore
on stage, so go for it.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Sounds good.
So we've heard about how yoursexuality and even race affects
you professionally, but what hasyour personal journey been like
, with coming out and beingaccepted by friends and family?
Speaker 2 (36:50):
You know, I think I've been fortunate that my
personal journey and my comingout story mirrors more of a
modern perspective.
My family was loving andsupportive.
My parents always knew that Iwas gay or there was something
different about my orientation.
And when I started actively andopenly speaking about it to my
(37:13):
friends in middle school andthen ultimately confided in my
mother in high school, the majorconcern was my safety, because
my mother and father came of agein the 70s and 80s when
homophobia in certain places wasjust rampant and you were
literally killed for being gayor even thought to be gay and
(37:35):
let alone to be a black gayperson.
So that was always their chiefconcern, beyond me just being
happy.
So, with that said, I thinkI've been fortunate that my
extended family has been reallyaccepting and loving.
I'm also not the first gayperson in my family.
I have an uncle who's gay thatI know of, and there have been
(38:01):
others that I just don't knowbecause they perhaps weren't
talked about very much becausethey moved on to the next
chapter of life, aka they'redead.
Yeah.
So I would say for me it's beenmore like a love Simon story,
where it's been more aboutdiscovering who I am in the
midst of being gay.
(38:22):
Like you know, like any kid,and you're dumped into some big
bucket of quote, unquote popculture and identities, the work
becomes figuring out who youare in relation to those things
and what is true for you.
So I'm fortunate that that'sbeen the majority of my journey.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
That's awesome.
So thank you Thinking back,because you said you're at your
family always knew.
What do you recall as yourearliest queer memory?
Speaker 2 (38:53):
I would say my first memory was having a crush on my
gymnastics teacher.
I would have been.
I was probably still in likekindergarten or first grade and
I didn't really know, like youknow, how you have crushes on
your teachers and stuff whenyou're little and it's like you
know, I'm like, oh, he's just socute and he does the splits and
(39:14):
I can't wait till I can do thesplits like him, because that's
the whole reason I joined is Iwanted to learn how to back with
it, do the splits and do theuneven bars.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
Never got any of those, but I just remember mom
saying oh that's interesting.
You know, be careful you sharethat with was kind of the
message, just because you know.
It made me weird and differentand I remember telling one of my
(39:45):
cousins when we were playingdolls on the floor like, oh, I
think my gymnastics teacher isreally cute and I'm like that's
weird, is it?
Speaker 1 (39:57):
Okay, so I know you mentioned that your family had
safety concerns.
When you realized you werequeer, was safety your biggest
concern or did you have otherthoughts?
Speaker 2 (40:09):
You know I had other thoughts because I grew up
watching shows like Queer EyeQueer Spoke the L Word, so I
kind of knew the hard side ofwhat it could be like to be gay.
But those people were in their30s and 40s and 50s, which at
the time seemed like eons awayfrom me.
(40:30):
So I knew that there could besome risks.
But I always thought that thatwas for those older people.
It wasn't going to be like thatfor me.
I thought my challenge wasgoing to be finding other gay
people and finding a boyfriendand, you know, having a family.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
And so has that been what you felt has been the most
challenging for you.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
You know, here and there Depends on where you
travel.
I think, as a person of colorwho grew up in the Midwest,
whenever you go to the coast youfind out you're really popular.
Yeah, so I would say, you know,racism is part of dating for
every person of color,regardless of their orientation.
(41:18):
I think it's really hard fordark skin people because of
colorism and just negative, justreally stupid and negative
stereotypes.
So that stuff has gotten in myway and, yeah, I just say,
challenging people's perceptionsof what it means to be a gay
(41:38):
man period has been my biggestchallenge.
Like people always balk whenthey learn that I ride a
motorcycle or that I lovefootball, but at the same time I
love to dress up and glitterand wear heels and all that sort
of stuff and be moreandrogynous.
It's just like being a human isabout building an amalgam of
(41:59):
your interests and building acollection of what makes you
happy, and I think that in thatsense, being gay is no different
than being a human period.
We're all just really, I thinkthose of us who have the
privileges to live in a firstworld nation and yada, yada,
yada, those self actualizationchallenges really come into play
(42:24):
.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
What do you love most about being queer?
Speaker 2 (42:31):
Freedom from expectation.
In some sense, I feel likebeing queer automatically gives
me the freedom to be different,because I already, just by
definition of who I love, don'tfit into the stereotype of what
(42:53):
it means to be a man in America.
Speaker 3 (42:56):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
But I've used that after.
It was kind of a crutch or achip on my shoulder.
I really I think these pastprobably five years or so been
working to come into my own andunderstand how I can own that
and also acknowledging thatbeing gay is just a part of who
(43:19):
I am.
But I just love that thecommunity, the creativity and
just the freedom to be anindividual and push the limits
of your identity, to be who youwant to be.
Speaker 3 (43:35):
Right, so that was really well said.
The beauty of a community yougotta live it to understand it.
God for it.
What advice would you give toyour younger self?
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Oh God, I get this question often and it kind of
shifts to paint on my currentchallenge Save, save money.
I'm like I've got a little bitof savings now, but you know
when you want to start abusiness you've earned through
that quick.
But in all seriousness I wouldsay embrace your creativity,
(44:16):
trust your intuition and worryless about what others think
about your choices or how you'redoing.
Speaker 3 (44:27):
Beautiful, that's beautiful.
So we're coming towards the endof this beautiful session.
God for it.
So what last words do you haveto share with the audience?
Speaker 2 (44:39):
Probably two things.
Art is important, yes, yes.
And art is human.
So great to your creativity,because to be creative is to be
fundamentally human and younever know what you might
discover about yourself orothers through the simple act of
(45:02):
taking time to cover and givingyour brain a little bit of
respite to just be imaginativeand with that, don't be afraid
to explore who you are, yourauthentic self.
Whatever comes out of it, atthe end of the day I know I'll
be okay because I know I got me.
(45:23):
I'm fortunate to have a reallywonderful support network that
cares for and loves me deeply.
But you can only receive lovewhen you think that you're
deserving of it, and part ofthat to me has been about
learning all the parts of myselfand accepting them, good and
(45:47):
bad, and then changing thosethings that I don't like or
don't help me get further downthe road.
So I just hope that people willembrace creativity and, with
that, embrace imagination aboutwho they are and who they can
become.
Speaker 3 (46:06):
Nice.
Thank you, that was beautifuland well said.
You know, we learned a lottoday.
God free, you're the future,definitely you are the future,
I'm looking forward to seebillboards all over the United
States of America and across theworld with your name on it and
with CEB and your idea.
(46:28):
I'm telling you a lot of peopleare going to love the idea.
You're going to do great.
You're very young and have abright future and a long life.
It used to be that success.
So audience, there you have it.
God for riddle is a native ofMissouri, a black gay man and a
(46:48):
successful entrepreneur.
He's a founder of Civic Saint,an organization that will help
provide affordable homes.
He's also an award recipient ofthe 2023 NGLCC conference in
Denver, where he was awarded$55,000 in cash because of his
(47:09):
awesome invention.
God free, thank you so much andwe're looking forward to see
you be the success and that facefor every little young black
gay boy that feels like you know.
I need someone to inspire me.
You're an inspiration.
Thank you, god, for being allthat queer understanding.
Speaker 2 (47:29):
Thank you for having me.
Civic Saint was created to inspire pursuit of a
purposeful life.
Founder Godfrey Riddle came tothe idea for Civic Saint at a
difficult time in his life.
In May 2018, godfrey wasdiagnosed with a rare form of
head and neck cancer at theyoung age of 29.
Six weeks later, his father,cecil, suddenly passed away.
(00:21):
Godfrey's mother, goldie,followed 14 months later, just
weeks before his cancer journeyentered its most grueling
chapter a major surgery toremove a tumor and rebuild his
left jaw, followed by six weeksof chemotherapy and proton
radiation.
Godfrey's tipping point towardfounding Civic Saint was George
(00:42):
Floyd's gruesome murder.
As a black gay man who lost somuch, godfrey was tired of
waiting for equal justice anddeferring his dream to build an
ethical business.
His aspiration is for CivicSaint to underwrite
organizations that advance aninclusive, equitable society by
offering thoughtful productsthat emboldened its customers to
(01:02):
live joyfully.
Civic Saint launched andtribute to the founders' late
parents, cecil and Goldie Riddle, and the company's values
aligned with principlesGodfrey's parents instilled in
him and demonstrated throughouttheir lifetimes Integrity,
inclusion and public service.
For their love and thelimitless upbringing they
provided, godfrey will beforever grateful.
(01:24):
Godfrey explains the dashunderscoring our name represents
the line between a person'sbirth and death dates A
seemingly insignificant part ofhow one's legacy is represented.
It is, in fact, the mostmeaningful feature of an
obituary, because it denotescountless moments of love,
friendship and a purposeful life.
Here's our conversation Today.
(01:45):
We have with us Godfrey Riddle.
Welcome, godfrey.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Hi, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
I was so excited for this conversation.
We met just recently at theNGLCC, the National LGBTQ
Chamber of Commerce Conventionin Denver.
Well, I won't say we met,because I don't think I actually
introduced myself to you, but Iwas there and I saw your
presentation and was very, verymoved by it, which we will get
(02:15):
into shortly.
Let's start by talking aboutyour organization, Civic Saint.
Tell us what that is and whyCivic Saint?
Where did the name come from?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Oh, absolutely Well.
Thank you again for having meand for reaching out after
seeing me at the conference.
So Civic Saint really is mycompany and we began as a social
protest brand.
So I initially launched.
Because of my background infashion and nonprofits, I chose
(02:48):
to start as a protest brand inthe apparel and accessory space
and then my goal was to donate aportion of those proceeds to
organizations that advancedracial and social equity.
So I initially began in 2020.
October 5th is actually when Ipublicly launched and did a
(03:10):
series of statement teas withphrases or words that resonate
based on my lived experience asa gay black man from the Midwest
and cancer survivor, but Ithought, really also just
generally relate to the humanexperience.
So, to that point, one of theshirts the design I wore on
(03:31):
stage is actually human.
I made that.
And then there's another onethat's one of my personal
favorites is persist, because itreminds me to just keep going
through a lot of life'shardships and the only way to do
it is to go through it.
But it was all really informedby my brain and just wanting to
(03:51):
create space in the world inthat way, and ultimately I found
an even broader mission with mynew business model, which is
focused on creating artful,affordable homes and adaptive
communities.
Again, tracking back to mylived experience, I had one
business advisor who said youknow, being an entrepreneur is
(04:14):
about finding solutions thatonly you can see.
And my family had lost twohomes to foreclosure when I was
growing up.
I ultimately went to school tostudy architecture and urban
planning and then also earned amaster's in public
administration and then evenworked at a city manager's
office and neighborhood servicesdirector's office for the fifth
(04:37):
largest city in America at thetime Phoenix Arizona.
And all of that was me searchingfor an understanding of why
housing is so precarious, andthe long and short answer it's a
socio-political choice.
So to me, my goal with my newbusiness model is really focused
on delivering affordable homesusing compressed earthen blocks,
(05:00):
or CEBs, because they have anumber of benefits for the
environment, but also as amaterial to build structures out
of.
And really what I think is Ifound a viable solution.
I'm overcoming some of thehurdles that have limited CEBs
from being utilized in America,because it's a material that's
(05:22):
used everywhere else in thedeveloped and developing world.
So I thought you know if wegenuinely want to solve this
issue of affordable housing, butalso do it in a way that's
beautiful, creative, communitybuilding, civic state has the
answer.
So I'm really trying tochallenge my community, my
(05:42):
society, to be serious aboutsolving this problem and if mine
isn't the solution, figuresomething else out.
I just I want to call thosepeople to the mat, to hold them
accountable if they really wantto do something.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Okay, so compressed earthen blocks, CEBs.
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Oh, they're so dope.
So basically, cebs are made oflike 90% soil and then 10% water
cement.
Just imagine a normal brickthat you might see on a brick
home.
The biggest difference is thatCEBs are going to be a little
bit bigger.
They're a lot denser and a lotstronger and also use a really
(06:25):
really small percentage ofconcrete.
So the soil and the developmentmethod are really
environmentally friendly.
Because that soil is usuallyharvested from waste.
Most filled dirt goes to thelandfill, so we're providing a
use for this waste product.
And then, because the equipmentis electric and you can
(06:48):
literally plug it into a wallsocket in your house and start
making brick, it's just a reallyclean way to build and it's
fast.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Right.
So why do you think thematerial was not favorable to
use here in the US?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
I'll give you the real reason and then what I
think is the actual reason orthe side of reason.
So the side of reason isbecause America has building
codes.
So we actually started thattradition of having codes just
to keep people safe whenCarnegie started making steel.
(07:28):
That's what made him successful.
He was able to streamline thatproduction line.
So the reason we haven't beenusing CEBs is because up until
about the 1970s through the 90s,the only type of birth and
construction we really hadaccess to was adobo, and that's
basically like making a mudbrick in your backyard.
(07:50):
So it breaks at a really lowfailure rate.
So it's not very strong and forthat reason it's also not very
consistent, because you'reusually hand mixing it or mixing
it in a big trough.
But the cool thing about CEBsthey're using mechanical
equipment to mix, so you getpretty great consistency, mix
over mix, and then they're alsocompressed at a really high rate
(08:12):
the same way you'd make anartificial diamond.
So the process alone solves fora lot of the issues that are
code compliance.
Our code sanders don't like.
And then you know the reason Ithink that that's the case is
because, if you think about thehistory of this building method,
it's something that was used byindigenous nations, and
(08:35):
building code development camearound in the early 1800s 1850s,
if memory serves and theydidn't want expansive indian
nation tribes, they didn't wantexpansive black and brown
communities, and those were ourbuilding materials.
So they literally wrote us outof acceptable building code so
that we couldn't expand ourstake on the land.
(08:57):
So, honestly, today it's abouta lot of education to let people
know that cebs are just as goodas a brick, if not better, and
also explain to them therationale behind that cultural
exclusion and our, our codes andlaws.
Um, that's literally a verydirect, in my view, example of
(09:18):
institutional racism yes, so howdid you overcome those
obstacles with compliance?
oh, that's a trade secret, okay,yes, I can't talk about that
publicly because I'm still inthe process of overcoming that
(09:38):
and I don't want someone to beatme to the punch.
But I just saw that my businessmodel.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Okay, that's very good so these homes?
Speaker 1 (09:48):
I remember from your presentation that there are like
two types.
Can you go into that a littlebit the types of homes that are
going to be available, whothey're for and where
specifically you want to placethese homes?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
so we've got two product options right now.
Our first one that I'm workingto deliver is called stone homes
, so those are 600 square footstackable prefab units with a
mural exterior.
That mural can either be anoriginal civic saint mirror that
we create in house and or itcan be a mural that's reflective
(10:25):
of the ambient community.
That second type of mural isthe one that excites me most and
the one that I hopeproliferates most.
Because to the second part ofyour question, I really want to
focus on embedding and infillingin redline areas.
So these are parts of town.
If you are familiar with how thehousing works in america, the
(10:48):
us department of housing andurban development, or HUD, drew
up these maps of every majormetropolitan area in the 1950s,
right after the second world waris part of the gi bill just to
help well, they said to helpmortgage appraisers, insurers,
understand risk.
(11:08):
Well, the funny thing is theyreally seemed to not favor the
areas that had any percentage ofblack or brown people in it.
So that's how you end up withmass redline communities or
ghettos and then lo and beholdthe disinvestment, all the other
stuff that comes along withyour community, being deemed
quote, unquote unsafe or a riskyinvestment.
(11:31):
Um, so I really want to focuson going back to black and brown
communities, where ourhistories are actively erased
and our wealth is actively takenaway, to tell the actual story
of that ambient communitythrough art both on my
structures but also public artactivities and public art
(11:51):
displays and then, mostimportantly to me, really try to
create generational wealththrough direct employment, home
ownership and then, of course,their ambient impact, because
home ownership and having a jobare the two biggest drivers of
the economy so you said therewere two products.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
You you mentioned the stacks.
What's the other one?
Speaker 2 (12:14):
the second one is a boat.
So those are going to be singlefamily homes with the module
were for plan for incrementalgrowth over time.
I've been likening them to thesears row book catalog back in
the middle of the century when,with order, let's say a tiny
ranch but over time you couldbuild it into a big, beautiful
(12:36):
mansion.
I think that's a moresustainable way to go about
housing because it's right sizeto your life at that moment and
it also lowers the overall costof ownership.
I think my dream scenario wouldbe when civic saint is up and
running.
I would love for urban areasthat have land banks or land
(12:59):
trusts, like canza city does.
I can go get a parcel of landfor $500 from my land bank or
land trust and I could put acivic saint house on top of that
for between 50 to $65,000 if Iget a mud home or maybe less if
I really really shrink it downand do an abode home.
(13:19):
But then that would allow me toideally pay off my home and my
land much faster and the equityin that right away.
So I'm really just trying togive people a way to achieve
independence both in theirday-to-day life but most
importantly, financially right.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
So I'm really intrigued by the to like add on
to your home.
So are these built on site orare they pre-manufactured and
delivered to a certain location?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
yeah, candidly, I'm still prototyping my delivery
method right now.
My intent, for a number ofreasons, is the factory route,
so making all the homes at acommunity-based factory and then
delivering them locally.
My ultimate goal is to copyamazon and that they have
(14:13):
regional distribution centersall around the nation and world.
So why can't civic saint do thesame with housing, especially
because soil is one of the mostabundant and widely available
materials on the planet?
Speaker 1 (14:33):
so when we're talking about the abode homes, then if
I if I'm envisioning thiscorrectly I buy a plot of land
in order to put your home on andI say I live there for five
years and then decide to start afamily, if there is an adjacent
lot, if there's space available, then I can basically buy that
(14:54):
plot and then I can add on to myhome.
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
yeah, that's the dream, and one scenario might be
you being able to hire civicsaint to do a custom addition.
More ideally, and I think morepragmatic for most of us, would
be to have what I'm calling awhite box product.
That's literally a white boxthat you input the use into so
(15:18):
you could make it a kitchen, abathroom, a living room, a
basketball.
Well, that'd be a problem aboutthat but we're not there yet but
that would be the dream and, ina perfect world, I'd love for
you to be able to recycle yourhome, so maybe, at the end of
its life, you could break itdown and return it to the earth
or return it to civic saint tobe milled and reprocessed into
(15:41):
another product.
But that's something that I'mactively researching.
Right now, I'm focused ongetting homes into the world
before I start figuring out howto take them out yeah that's
right, get someone in the homebefore you figure out how you're
gonna take it back from them.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Here you go.
No, give it back, but you knowI'm I'm curious about something.
Godfrey say I purchased a homefrom you and I want to do the
addition, but do I have to usethe same cb materials for the
add-ons?
Speaker 2 (16:14):
ideally yes, because I want you to come back, but
technically no.
That's the cool thing.
Cebs are just like anothermasonry product, so if you want
to attach a timber or even steelbased structure to it, you can.
I wouldn't advise it for anumber of reasons, because cebs
outperform most of thosematerials aside from steel and
(16:37):
some like, really likeskyscraper applications, but
generally in the residential usespace, when we're talking
single family or small scaledevelopment, yeah, you could
absolutely do that.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
That's a brilliant.
I'm telling you.
You have a brilliant idea, man.
It's gonna, it's gonna gopretty big.
Luckily we're having thisconversation now, because
probably in a few years we'renot able to book you.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Thank you, I hope.
I mean like my dream.
I've wanted to be anentrepreneur since I was a
little boy Like I.
I just love business.
I used to play like abusinessman when I was little
and specifically, yeah, it's waymore fun as a child.
I gotta be real about that.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
But yeah, taxes yes.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Taxes and cash flow are fucking killing me, man.
Yes, um, but I digress, but I Ijust love it.
I've always wanted to be amogul, to show folks that you
can build a meaningful businessthat does well while you're
doing good, and that you dotruly get further as an
(17:53):
entrepreneur, as a company, asan enterprise, when you value
the community that chooses tolet you live there or, so to
speak and I say it that waybecause traditionally big
companies always go after thosetax incentives and then may
leave as soon as that incentivesup, and I just don't think
(18:15):
that's a really equitable way todo business and it ultimately,
in my view, is a race to thebottom, because it gets you
really horrible workenvironments and an uninvested
community.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
So I want to back up for a second, because you used a
phrase that I hadn't heardbefore.
I heard your presentation, soyou can inform all of our
listeners what exactly is a landbank or land trust?
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Oh, okay, so this is going to be a quick and dirty
one on one, so please check itback.
That's what I say.
So, generally speaking, theyare public entities tethered to
a government or they're astandalone nonprofit.
But a land bank is typicallysomething a municipality will
(19:04):
set up when they have derelictproperties.
So think about a propertythat's been on the tax rolls for
a couple years but no one livesthere, so they're not actively
paying income tax and because noone lives there, it's become
derelict or they have to raiseit and just leave an open
product plan.
So basically, the intent of aland bank is to try to sell
(19:28):
those properties at cost in mostcases, but typically well
undervalue so that someone canbuy it and rehab it and turn it
into a tax generating property.
So they're really great ifyou're looking to acquire lots
of properties for a low rate,but they typically are going to
(19:50):
be on the edge of developingareas or in what would be more
high risk areas just because ofthe legacy of how they became
derelict.
Again, hashtag redlining.
And then, as I understand it, aland trust similar concept
there's a nonprofit entity thatowns the land Kind of think
about McDonald's and how theyfranchise.
(20:11):
So in this scenario, the landtrust owns the actual physical
dirt.
You basically buy the house ontop of it and you're essentially
renting the land from the landtrust and then when you turn
around and sell that house, theland trust puts limits on how
much you can resell it for.
So the whole goal is to try tolimit gentrification and make
(20:37):
sure that residents aren't beingoutpaced with the value of
their home, because an examplewould be you can't sell the
house for more than 30% abovemarket value, perhaps, or comps.
So land trusts are picking upwith a lot of popularity.
I've noticed Communities areforming their own land trusts or
(20:58):
doing a co-op agreement whereyou could get 20 friends
together and go in on a plot ofland and then control who lives
there.
I've even seen some co-opopportunities coming up they're
a little more innovative wherethey found a financial structure
for all of you to own a set ofcondos, for example, and if you
move out and sell your condoback, you obviously get the
(21:21):
equity and then they get thecondo back and can resell it
again.
So there's just a lot ofinnovative options out there,
and I think that's why CivicSeing is really primed for
success, because we're offeringa really sustainable, scalable
way for people to participate inthe economy and just enjoy an
independent life.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
So you're in Kansas City Missouri.
Okay, kansas City Missouri.
Thank you and so I'm assumingyou're going to be starting
there with where you're going tobe building, so tell us about
what that area looks like andwhy it's significant.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Oh my God.
So yeah, I will say so.
I live in Kansas City, missouri, but I grew up on the Kansas
side and it's a town calledOlathe, so it's a suburb of
Casey Moe Proper.
But I chose to locate herebecause Kansas City has an
amazing history.
A lot of people don't know thatwe're home to jazz.
(22:21):
We have the only UNESCO WorldHeritage designation as a jazz
cultural city in the entireworld.
We've turned out companies likeHallmark, disney, amc and so
many more.
So, all that to say, because ofspecifically Hallmark too, we
have a really robust artscommunity and because of the
(22:44):
history of black and AfricanAmerican people and our legacy,
there is just so much fodder forjust discovery.
So, all that to say, I pickedtwo neighborhoods, first and
foremost to prototype Again,understanding that I want to go
to areas where I can memorializethe neighborhood narrative.
(23:08):
So my first neighborhood is onthe Missouri side.
It's Kansas City's historic18th and Vine Jazz District that
actually holds that UNESCOWorld Heritage designation, and
I'll be putting up my first demobuild next April during AIA
Design Week, and it will be atwhat we call the Workhouse.
(23:28):
It looks like this reallybeautiful kind of medieval
castle that's been out of usefor about 20 years and is
actively being redeveloped.
So the landowner allowed me totemporarily use that site.
Just to start the conversationMore permanently, I'm looking at
other plots of land around thatsite and then on the Kansas
(23:52):
side.
Actually, the very firstcommunity I worked with is
called Quindero and it's areally rich community.
So it's in Lyon Dot, which ishome to Kansas City, kansas, a
little-known fun fact.
So Lyon Dot County is actuallythe 24th or 25th most diverse
(24:12):
county in the nation, ahead ofLA.
La, I think, is only 27 or 28.
There's over 50 languagesspoken in Lyon Dot County and
Quindero itself was actuallyfirst inhabited by the Shawnee
tribal nation and then later wassettled by African Americans
(24:33):
because of the UndergroundRailroad.
They actually had a stop on theUnderground Railroad as you
were headed north and then afterthat the Germans moved in and
ultimately started capitalizinga lot of the land in the town
because it was starting tobecome a boon due to all of the
traction from the UndergroundRailroad, and then today it's
(24:53):
currently populated by amajority Hispanic community.
So there are just so manystories in that to tell.
Just hearing the history aloneis something that a lot of folks
who are native to Kansas City,missouri, don't know about, and
I think that's sad because,within those native stories, I
think about James Baldwin, who'sfrom my community.
(25:15):
He grew up in St Joe, which isabout 30 to 45 minutes from
where I am right now, and, asI've learned more about him
through my partner, chris, it'sbeen affirming to understand
that greatness can come fromyour own community.
And even if you don't go on tobecome James Baldwin, there are
(25:35):
tons of other people who havesimilarly meaningful stories
that could really change the waysomeone sees themselves or sees
others in society and thereforehow they choose to move through
the world.
So that's why I think art isone of the most powerful tools
we have as humans.
Period.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
So for folks out there who are in the area and
eventually looking for one ofyour homes to come up so they
can purchase any idea about whatyou're going to charge for both
products, Bold Park.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
So I will say candidly right now I'm in
discovery phase.
I'm aiming to deliver a mudhome for between 50 to $65,000.
And that would get you a homethat's turnkey ready.
All you have to do is bringyour furniture and decorate.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
We're there.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Finance and option.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Are you in my email?
Short answer guess.
I'm working on one.
There's a really innovativeentrepreneur in my community
who's found a novel way toinvent the least own model, and
it's technology driven.
So I'm meeting with him in thecoming weeks to figure out how
(26:53):
we could work together to makeit even more accessible for
people who are renting or livedon a fixed income.
Beyond that, I am talking withcommunity development financial
institutions, or CDFIs, becausesome of them have programs to
help in redlined or opportunityzone communities and just trying
(27:15):
to figure that out.
But right now I think thetraditional financing method
will be my default option, andthen I'm striving to offer more
innovative, equitable solutions.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Okay, so we know we're still in the world of
discrimination and all sort ofcrazy stuff.
So did you get any pushbackbased on your sexual orientation
?
We get in the business started.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Yes.
So I again have always wantedto be an entrepreneur, have
always wanted to be a businessowner.
It just fascinates me.
The idea of building a productthat satiates a mass market need
is thrilling.
So to that end, I tried to bereally strategic about how I
siloed my thinking about whatbusiness I could start.
(28:06):
Obviously, I had to havepassion for it and some degree
of expertise to understand itand learn about it more deeply
than anyone else could.
But I also really wanted to tryto focus on an industry that
was right for reinvention.
So the construction industry isone of the last legacy
industries to really have anymajor advancements.
(28:28):
So that's why you're seeingfolks hop into 3D printed homes
prefab homes are blowing up likegangbusters and new
technologies to make thebuilding process more efficient
and cost effective.
So I thought I am this gaylittle black boy who has a
degree in architecture andunderstands and loves cities.
(28:52):
So you know, check, check.
That's great.
So how could I apply my livedexperience to spot a problem in
this industry that I have theskills to solve?
I've always loved houses.
My family and I used to drivearound and I was a little boy.
We'd hop in the car, get icecream and drive around and look
(29:13):
at houses, and that's somethingI continued to do throughout my
whole life and it's what led meto go to school, what led me to
want to work for a city.
But all of that to say becauseit is one of the last, I would
say, like vanguard industries tomodernize, it's still
controlled by folks who, in mydescription, are old, pale and
(29:35):
male.
And I think if you talk toanyone who works in design,
architecture, construction, whois not a man period, or not
specifically a white man, theywill feel ostracized and like an
outsider and like they have tofight to be heard and validated.
So in that, my tactic was to getahead of that by becoming
(29:59):
extremely knowledgeable about myproduct and extremely
knowledgeable about my market,because when I walk into the
room I have to instantlyvalidate myself as the
appropriate messenger.
I'm also young, by a therapy.
So what do I know?
Quite a lot, but you know, intheir view, nothing.
(30:21):
So that has been hard because Ican tell when I have to win
people over.
So I face that discrimination,that judgment, pretty regularly,
I would say, but I try not tolet it get me down because I
know it's artificial and I alsoknow that when people listen to
(30:42):
me, they get it and they get onboard.
And because of that, I've hadover 150 conversations with
experts in architecture and theconstruction industry and every
single person all but literallyone has validated this business
model, has asked to stayinvolved.
(31:03):
It has asked to be notified assoon as my products are
available.
So that's kind of been how I'vetried to protect myself,
contextualize it.
Yeah, it's not great, but it'sjust a fact of the matter.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Right.
It's very unfortunate that in2023, we still have to validate
ourselves because of oursexuality in a quote unquote
first world country.
That should be enough, all andthat is screaming equality every
day in the media, right.
But with all that, you're stillstriving, you're still moving
(31:42):
forward and heading for the top.
So can you tell us about thataward you got recently with it?
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Yeah, so to that point I've been involved in my
local gay chamber.
I know how important it is foryoung folks to see people with
similar lived experiences doingthings they might think are out
of their realm of possibilities.
So I've tried to be reallycandid or visible about my
(32:13):
identity in this whole process.
But to that end I saw anopportunity with the National
Gay and lesbian Chamber ofCommerce, through their
communities of color initiative,to pitch to win money to start
my business in this newiteration.
So I applied and I got acceptedand I went to Denver and I
(32:40):
competed.
So it was two rounds.
The first round was ourcommunities of color subgroup
where I pitched against twoother individuals, one of whom
had been on Shark Tank there's agirl, oh my God and I went up
first and there were technicalissues but I worked the room and
made it fun and ultimately wonthat pitch.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
Hands down won it Like everybody.
We were all in the audiencejust talking like yeah, there's
no question.
He should happily get this, andhe did.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Ew, I was worried.
I was like are they going tomake it like a real competition
or are they going to?
You know, try to play favoritesRight?
Speaker 1 (33:22):
No, I mean it was a real competition.
Three people pitched in thecommunities of color one and I
would say there was only I mean,I wasn't a judge, but you know
again by audience feedback therewas only one other person who
even had anything that was asimpactful as what Gottfried is
(33:43):
doing.
But yes, he far surpassedeveryone in that piece of the
competition.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Well then, they don't have to play favoritism,
because you end up being thefavorite.
Exactly what do you got?
What's the award that you won?
Let's get back to that yes yes.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
And then on Thursday I won the main pitch.
So that was for a total of$50,000 in cash and prizes.
And then I also won $5,000 fromcommunities of color.
So I walked away with the$55,000 in cash and prizes that
I'm using to invest in mybusiness.
So $5,000 of it I'm using toattend the CEB certification
(34:28):
course in November, and then$10,000 I'm using as a deposit
on my production line order formy equipment to start making
blocks, and then, lastly,$10,000 I'm using to host a
community activation andfundraiser.
So this will be a chance forpeople to come out and literally
(34:48):
participate in Civic Saintscomplete business model and
either validate it or invalidateit through whether or not they
choose to give a donation.
But overall I need to raiseabout $100,000 to meet my launch
capital goal and be able todeliver on that first demo build
in April of next year and then,looking slightly beyond that,
(35:12):
be able to deliver on my firstproduct by August or September
of next year.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
So I got to ask this question.
So are there investmentopportunities?
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Oh, I need to talk to my attorney.
Short answer is yes, I'mfiguring it out.
Right now I'm not taking onequity investment.
I'm seeking the straightdonation, with the understanding
that it's an investment in meand in this idea, with the
expectation of a return otherthan seeing this business model
(35:49):
come to life and maybe a fewother French benefits like swag
here and there.
Okay, I'll give you a shirt ifyou give me $10,000.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Right, of course.
So you made your donations.
Where can people go if theywant to donate?
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Absolutely so.
Tickets are dropping at the endof this week on civicsaintcom
and information is droppingthere as well, and I'm also
extremely excited to say thatI've been working behind the
scenes to flip our brand andwebsite, so it will soon have
all the information that we'vetalked about today as well, as
(36:28):
you'll still be able to buy thatreally dope human shirt I wore
on stage, so go for it.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Sounds good.
So we've heard about how yoursexuality and even race affects
you professionally, but what hasyour personal journey been like
, with coming out and beingaccepted by friends and family?
Speaker 2 (36:50):
You know, I think I've been fortunate that my
personal journey and my comingout story mirrors more of a
modern perspective.
My family was loving andsupportive.
My parents always knew that Iwas gay or there was something
different about my orientation.
And when I started actively andopenly speaking about it to my
(37:13):
friends in middle school andthen ultimately confided in my
mother in high school, the majorconcern was my safety, because
my mother and father came of agein the 70s and 80s when
homophobia in certain places wasjust rampant and you were
literally killed for being gayor even thought to be gay and
(37:35):
let alone to be a black gayperson.
So that was always their chiefconcern, beyond me just being
happy.
So, with that said, I thinkI've been fortunate that my
extended family has been reallyaccepting and loving.
I'm also not the first gayperson in my family.
I have an uncle who's gay thatI know of, and there have been
(38:01):
others that I just don't knowbecause they perhaps weren't
talked about very much becausethey moved on to the next
chapter of life, aka they'redead.
Yeah.
So I would say for me it's beenmore like a love Simon story,
where it's been more aboutdiscovering who I am in the
midst of being gay.
(38:22):
Like you know, like any kid,and you're dumped into some big
bucket of quote, unquote popculture and identities, the work
becomes figuring out who youare in relation to those things
and what is true for you.
So I'm fortunate that that'sbeen the majority of my journey.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
That's awesome.
So thank you Thinking back,because you said you're at your
family always knew.
What do you recall as yourearliest queer memory?
Speaker 2 (38:53):
I would say my first memory was having a crush on my
gymnastics teacher.
I would have been.
I was probably still in likekindergarten or first grade and
I didn't really know, like youknow, how you have crushes on
your teachers and stuff whenyou're little and it's like you
know, I'm like, oh, he's just socute and he does the splits and
(39:14):
I can't wait till I can do thesplits like him, because that's
the whole reason I joined is Iwanted to learn how to back with
it, do the splits and do theuneven bars.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
Never got any of those, but I just remember mom
saying oh that's interesting.
You know, be careful you sharethat with was kind of the
message, just because you know.
It made me weird and differentand I remember telling one of my
(39:45):
cousins when we were playingdolls on the floor like, oh, I
think my gymnastics teacher isreally cute and I'm like that's
weird, is it?
Speaker 1 (39:57):
Okay, so I know you mentioned that your family had
safety concerns.
When you realized you werequeer, was safety your biggest
concern or did you have otherthoughts?
Speaker 2 (40:09):
You know I had other thoughts because I grew up
watching shows like Queer EyeQueer Spoke the L Word, so I
kind of knew the hard side ofwhat it could be like to be gay.
But those people were in their30s and 40s and 50s, which at
the time seemed like eons awayfrom me.
(40:30):
So I knew that there could besome risks.
But I always thought that thatwas for those older people.
It wasn't going to be like thatfor me.
I thought my challenge wasgoing to be finding other gay
people and finding a boyfriendand, you know, having a family.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
And so has that been what you felt has been the most
challenging for you.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
You know, here and there Depends on where you
travel.
I think, as a person of colorwho grew up in the Midwest,
whenever you go to the coast youfind out you're really popular.
Yeah, so I would say, you know,racism is part of dating for
every person of color,regardless of their orientation.
(41:18):
I think it's really hard fordark skin people because of
colorism and just negative, justreally stupid and negative
stereotypes.
So that stuff has gotten in myway and, yeah, I just say,
challenging people's perceptionsof what it means to be a gay
(41:38):
man period has been my biggestchallenge.
Like people always balk whenthey learn that I ride a
motorcycle or that I lovefootball, but at the same time I
love to dress up and glitterand wear heels and all that sort
of stuff and be moreandrogynous.
It's just like being a human isabout building an amalgam of
(41:59):
your interests and building acollection of what makes you
happy, and I think that in thatsense, being gay is no different
than being a human period.
We're all just really, I thinkthose of us who have the
privileges to live in a firstworld nation and yada, yada,
yada, those self actualizationchallenges really come into play
(42:24):
.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
What do you love most about being queer?
Speaker 2 (42:31):
Freedom from expectation.
In some sense, I feel likebeing queer automatically gives
me the freedom to be different,because I already, just by
definition of who I love, don'tfit into the stereotype of what
(42:53):
it means to be a man in America.
Speaker 3 (42:56):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
But I've used that after.
It was kind of a crutch or achip on my shoulder.
I really I think these pastprobably five years or so been
working to come into my own andunderstand how I can own that
and also acknowledging thatbeing gay is just a part of who
(43:19):
I am.
But I just love that thecommunity, the creativity and
just the freedom to be anindividual and push the limits
of your identity, to be who youwant to be.
Speaker 3 (43:35):
Right, so that was really well said.
The beauty of a community yougotta live it to understand it.
God for it.
What advice would you give toyour younger self?
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Oh God, I get this question often and it kind of
shifts to paint on my currentchallenge Save, save money.
I'm like I've got a little bitof savings now, but you know
when you want to start abusiness you've earned through
that quick.
But in all seriousness I wouldsay embrace your creativity,
(44:16):
trust your intuition and worryless about what others think
about your choices or how you'redoing.
Speaker 3 (44:27):
Beautiful, that's beautiful.
So we're coming towards the endof this beautiful session.
God for it.
So what last words do you haveto share with the audience?
Speaker 2 (44:39):
Probably two things.
Art is important, yes, yes.
And art is human.
So great to your creativity,because to be creative is to be
fundamentally human and younever know what you might
discover about yourself orothers through the simple act of
(45:02):
taking time to cover and givingyour brain a little bit of
respite to just be imaginativeand with that, don't be afraid
to explore who you are, yourauthentic self.
Whatever comes out of it, atthe end of the day I know I'll
be okay because I know I got me.
(45:23):
I'm fortunate to have a reallywonderful support network that
cares for and loves me deeply.
But you can only receive lovewhen you think that you're
deserving of it, and part ofthat to me has been about
learning all the parts of myselfand accepting them, good and
(45:47):
bad, and then changing thosethings that I don't like or
don't help me get further downthe road.
So I just hope that people willembrace creativity and, with
that, embrace imagination aboutwho they are and who they can
become.
Speaker 3 (46:06):
Nice.
Thank you, that was beautifuland well said.
You know, we learned a lottoday.
God free, you're the future,definitely you are the future,
I'm looking forward to seebillboards all over the United
States of America and across theworld with your name on it and
with CEB and your idea.
(46:28):
I'm telling you a lot of peopleare going to love the idea.
You're going to do great.
You're very young and have abright future and a long life.
It used to be that success.
So audience, there you have it.
God for riddle is a native ofMissouri, a black gay man and a
(46:48):
successful entrepreneur.
He's a founder of Civic Saint,an organization that will help
provide affordable homes.
He's also an award recipient ofthe 2023 NGLCC conference in
Denver, where he was awarded$55,000 in cash because of his
(47:09):
awesome invention.
God free, thank you so much andwe're looking forward to see
you be the success and that facefor every little young black
gay boy that feels like you know.
I need someone to inspire me.
You're an inspiration.
Thank you, god, for being allthat queer understanding.
Speaker 2 (47:29):
Thank you for having me.
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