Page 31 - June 2020 - final proof - The Castle Pines Connection

Neighbors to Know31
Young entrepreneurs build ski furniture
By Steve Whitlock; photos courtesy of the Kuna family
Finding innovative ways to spend their time, Keller Kuna (13) and Aaron Perry (13) are creating outdoor furniture from recycled skis.
It was a need they readily identi ed and addressed, shared Kuna. “We saw that a
lot of people had old skis in their garages and thought we could do something useful with them,” he stated. “I remembered about the ski chairs that you would nd up in the mountains, and Aaron and I both thought that would be an amazing way to make some money and have a fun time.” There’s admittedly also an economic incentive. Perry added, “It’s a good opportunity to make a little bit of money and reuse old skis.”
These industrious young men, both of whom attend Rocky Heights Middle School, nd the work to be rewarding. Perry stated, “This has been very ful lling for the both
of us because in the end, all that hard work has really paid off, and now we get to show and sell those chairs to all of Castle Pines.” The boys have been leveraging Nextdoor to market their furniture and to request skis for donation. The response has been amazing, with more than 25 pairs of skis donated and a few sets of furniture already sold.
The boys have had some mentoring along the way, and Kuna was quick to give credit. “Our main help with this project has been my dad [Tom Kuna] and Aaron’s dad [Chad Perry]. They have both helped us work on the chairs and have taken us to pick up skis that people have donated. They have been a huge help and we would not be at this point without their help.” He was also thankful for his dad’s tool collection, which has proven handy.
When asked what they are doing with the money they’ve earned, Kuna responded, “With the funds that we make from each sale, we are donating 20% to the Colorado COVID-19 relief fund charity. With the rest of the money, I am using to invest in stocks.” That doesn’t seem to be a typical response for a 13 year old, but these young men seem to be exceptional in a few ways.
That was proven again when Kuna added, “What I want people to remember is that in hard and tough times, try and make the best of it and bene t from the stay-at-home order because you may not have this much time ever again.”
Thirteen-year-old friends and business partners Aaron Perry (left) and Keller Kuna (right) are repurposing old skis and they are creating one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture from them.
Keller Kuna (left) and Aaron Perry (right) remove ski bindings before using the skis to create unique furniture.