Asher Rodriguez-Dunn boasts a prodigious and accomplished career that makes it hard to believe he is not yet 30 years old. His company, Studio DUNN, has attracted accolades and awards for beautifully handcrafted wood furniture and lighting designs. That work landed him on Vogue’s 2013 list of “Ten Contemporary Designers to Collect Today,” and in 2014 Forbes named him one of their “30 Under 30.” Not content to simply succeed on his own, Asher has dedicated his talents and resources to helping others in their creative and entrepreneurial pursuits, founding Keeseh Studios, a community woodworking space providing tools, machinery, and education, and ANCHOR, a start-up incubator offering workspace and shared resources to entrepreneurs. Asher embodies design not just as a creative endeavor, but an economic driver for a city still striving to revitalize its industrial past. “He’s got a unique combination of youth with a prolific track record,” said the selection committee. “It’s not just the quality of his work, but the fact that he’s making woodworking accessible to anyone and trying to help other businesses grow. We’re impressed by what he’s doing now, and looking forward to what he’s going to do over the next five to ten years.”
