Shoreline resident wins “Silver Pry Bar” in Canadian, U.S. Materials Reuse Awards

Dirk Wassink of Shoreline (right) holds his Silver Pry Bar award
while Ted Siebert holds his award (the emerald screw gun for innovation in salvage)
Photo by Elena Velkov

Co-owner of Second Use Building Materials Dirk Wassink wins award for involvement in the Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) biennial conference

Second Use Building Materials co-owner and Shoreline resident Dirk Wassink received international recognition for his work in the salvage industry Tuesday, when he received a quirky award for his assistance with a Seattle conference this week.

“To me, this [silver pry bar] is a recognition of the vital contributions of people in the Pacific Northwest to the advancement of building materials, salvage and reuse nationally,” Wassink said.

The Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) is a nonprofit educational and research organization that advocates for deconstruction and recovery of building materials, to divert reusable materials from the landfill. The organization spans the U.S. and Canada.

The awards ceremony, where Wassink won the “silver pry bar,” was part of the BMRA’s biennial conference, Decon ’13, which took place in Seattle this year. Attendees and presenters discussed salvage, deconstruction, sustainability, education, landfill waste, green building, waste prevention, building materials and more.

Dirk Wassink was integral to the planning of the conference, as an on-the-ground contact who worked in the salvage industry. He held a networking event and salvage project showcase at Second Use, in addition to assisting with the nuts and bolts of the conference.

"I'm so happy that our team has been able to showcase the exciting work going on here to promote reuse of building materials -- from professionals who dismantle buildings to maximize reuse, to innovative recyclers of mixed construction/demolition materials, to well-organized reuse stores, and to the artisans, artists and DIYers who creatively use salvaged materials in their projects."

Second Use Building Materials was one of the many salvage companies represented at Decon ’13.

Wassink has co-owned Second Use since 2004. He shares ownership with two other long-term employees, Michael Armstrong and Patrick Burningham.

The company’s salvaged stock includes doors, windows, cabinets, lights, sinks, tubs, toilets, flooring, lumber, appliances and hardware.

Second Use Building Materials, Inc. has worked to keep waste out of landfills and protect architectural heritage by salvaging old building materials and reselling them to the public since 1994. Each year, the company saves approximately 1,300 tons of reusable materials from ending up at the dump. The company offers a show room in SoDo, in addition to an online inventory that the company updates daily.