Andrew Witherspoon

Co-founder @Chicago Furniture Bank

Chicago, IL, US

The Chicago Furniture bank is an intermediary between individuals with excess furniture and people who need it. CFB strives to provide furniture to women and families who have experienced domestic violence and are transitioning to secure, permanent housing. Responsibilities- Created a furniture distribution network to recycle and redistribute gently used furniture to clients of 400+ supportive housing social service agencies. Currently the largest furniture bank in the United States- Furnished homes for approximately people and recycled/repurposed 10M pounds of furniture. In 2022, furnished 4,200 homes and covered 94% of operating expenses through earned revenue- Developed, implemented, and oversaw all financial and accounting systems, operational procedures, banking, HR to scale fast and professionally- Led partnership with the City of Chicago and All Chicago to create a first of its kind expedited housing initiative, housing 2,800 individuals/families over 2.5 years in a pilot program- Built managerial hierarchy, hired, onboarded, and managed a diverse team of 65+ FTE, more than half recruited from workforce development agencies- Raised over $5M from grants, foundations, and high-net-worth donors; acquired 80k sq ft warehouse and adjacent property- Designed and implemented a virtual process for clients to schedule appointments and select furniture during the COVID-19 crisis- Featured in Chicago Tribune and appeared on NBC, ABC, FOX, and WGN TV news programs.

The Wharton School

Bachelor's degree, Finance