The story behind Sparta Wood B-

I’ve spent much of my life helping people turn complicated problems into something that works.

Across healthcare, higher education, financial services, and small businesses, that has usually meant building and implementing technology. In higher education alone, a system I worked on served hundreds of small colleges and hundreds of thousands of students over the years. Behind every project were people trying to do something better, and I enjoyed figuring out how to help them get there.

That belief also runs through my work with Forage Vector, where I build tools that help people recognize the value of their contributions and approach their next opportunity with confidence.

Sparta Wood B- asks a little of that same confidence from me.

For several years, I talked about putting my creative work out into the world. There was always another project, another responsibility, another reason to leave it for later. Eventually, I had to acknowledge that my runway is shorter than it used to be. If I wanted to do this, I needed to give it a real chance.

Encouragement from my best friend and family helped me take that step.

Putting something you’ve made on display feels surprisingly vulnerable. People can pick it up, look closely, love it, or walk right past it. It feels personal because it is.

My friend pointed out that I’d been putting my work in front of people for years. Customers depended on the systems I helped build. Colleges and students used them every day. I already knew how to make something, share it, listen, and improve it. This was another opportunity to trust that experience.

So here I am, making things in Sparta, Tennessee.

Wood, resin, and paint give that curiosity somewhere new to go. Sometimes it becomes a useful piece for someone’s home. Sometimes it becomes a cat-shaped birdhouse that makes someone laugh. I like making things with character—pieces someone notices and thinks, “That’s perfect for me,” or, better yet, “I know exactly who would love that.”

The name carries my signature—and a little of my outlook. I sign most of my emails “B-,” and quite a few people simply call me B. The “Wood B-” also nods to the carpenter bee, making a place for itself in the material it knows.

There’s something about that determined little builder I connect with. It keeps working, even when the world puts obstacles in its way. The armor in the logo is a playful expression of that resilience: a little protection, enough courage to keep going, and room to meet the next challenge with grace.

Putting your work out into the world takes some of that. You care about what you make. You learn as you go. And you keep building.

Sparta Wood B- is me finally giving those ideas a place beyond my own workshop, with a little encouragement from the people who know me best.

I hope you find something here that makes you smile.

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