Face To Face: Jason Kidd

In our age of climate change and depleting resources, many feel compelled to don the uniform of the environmental steward.
This includes Del Rio’s, Jason Kidd.
Kidd is a self-taught wood craftsman who employs a practical sustainable resource intelligence to his “professional” hobby.
“It was out of necessity,” he said. “Yes, the premise and the basis was sustainable resources but out of necessity. I was a stay-at-home dad.”
Kidd was motivated by a need to “make quality of life improvements in the home to make life easier.”
He primarily builds home decor — spice racks, hat racks, removable walls — but there is a pragmatic side to his business, Creative Pallet Designs by Kidd. Attaching wheels to his creations is a prime example, such as vegetable shelves.
“How many times do you go into your house and you’re like so frustrated that it’s difficult to move an object…now you can just easily roll it away,” he explained.
Or how about a hidden compartment in a mobile waterproof trash can made from a pallet?
“What do thieves go to when they first go in? Your vault and your drawers,” he said. “Name one criminal that goes to your trash can.”
A substantial amount of money can be saved by learning how to make home decor from reclaimed wood. Kidd made a triple bunk bed for less than $200.
“You find me anywhere in town where you’re going to find a triple bunk bed, solid wood, with a rustic wood burn for $168,” he remarked. “You’re not.”
Kidd makes a serious attempt at reducing his carbon footprint by turning old tables into American flags or utilizing discarded pallets or other reclaimed wood.  
“Look at how many homes are built and if you ever drive by take a decent look at how much wood goes to waste and how many pallets are sitting there,” he commented.
He tells people to use the materials they have. He made one lady a baptismal desk from wood that came from an old church that had burned down. A literal piece of history.
“Some people have parents that have passed away. They bring me their license plates from their parents…and I make them little birdhouses with their parents’ license plate and they can have in their front yard,” he said.  
But woodworking wasn’t always a passion for Kidd.
While living in Germany he took a class on sustainable resources compelling him to ask what is sustainable. He thought of sulfur. He thought of trees.
“And I looked around because I lived next to a beer factory…and they threw away thousands of pallets everyday….and then I was like we can make homes out of those for the homeless,” he said.
He self-taught himself the art of woodworking via YouTube and tested his craftsman skill set by constructing smaller scale items like wine racks with hand tools.
Kidd, who is employed as a military police officer at Laughlin Air Force Base, was once engaged in his labor of love full time. He was all in, teaching classes, hosting a radio program dedicated to do-it-yourself woodworking and, of course, building creative decor.
But the stability of a government position took him away from that.
However, he still operates his business on a part-time basis and does plan on opening up a storefront with a shop in the back. And with all of Kidd’s clever and unique ideas, success is almost certain.  
“There’s so many things you can do with wood…it would blow your mind…that the average person doesn’t think about it,” he said.