Junior Brody Leerssen starts woodworking business

Intern

SHERIDAN — At the end of his sophomore year in April, young entrepreneur Brody Leerssen started Leerssen Woodworking, creating custom cutting boards and planters, among other items, to pursue his passion in woodcrafting.

The concept first came about when Leerssen and a family friend worked together, allowing each other to build whatever they desire out of wood. From there, Leerssen took a variety of classes at Sheridan High School to expand his skills.

“From there, I started building my own shop to the point where I was able to take what was a hobby and turn it into my passion,” Leerssen said.

At the moment, Leerssen works out of his parent’s garage; however, he has high hopes for the future, opening his own shop.

“In the near future, [I will still be] in my mom’s garage,” Leerssen said. “Later, I hope to ship things out of the state and expand beyond the town as a whole. Hopefully, it can become its own entity outside of the garage.”

Leerssen first started with custom planters, receiving positive feedback from the community. Leerssen expanded, creating cutting boards and charcuterie boards. On average, it takes Leerssen around two days of work to finish one cutting board, including drying time.

“It (takes) four hours per board and then add up 20 to 30 boards, it keeps me busy,” Leerssen said.

Leerssen displays his work at the Big Horn Y and offers cutting boards to realty companies as closing gifts. Sheridan Honda General Manager Candice Crane commissioned Leerssen to create a Plinko board for the business’ 3rd Thursday Street Festival booth.

“We wanted something we could engage the crowd with, so we started asking around our team if anybody knew of anyone who could do some custom woodworking and Brody’s name came up so we got in contact,” Crane said. “I walked him through what we were looking for and what our budget was and it was super simple.”

Leerssen said he had never created a Plinko board before, giving him a new challenge. Despite his inexperience, Crane was thoroughly impressed by his craftsmanship.

“The product we were super happy with,” Crane said. “We have got a lot of attention for it on 3rd Thursday. Kids love it and adults love it. It is something different for us.”

Leerssen actively manages his social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. Leerssen also recommends contacting him directly at 307-763-8957 for any custom work.

Marly Graham is an intern with The Sheridan Press.

Intern