Meet Brian Lamb | Philanthropist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Lamb and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The summer before my freshman year of college I spent a lot of time traveling and soul searching. For anyone transitioning from high school to college it’s always an awkward stage of life. You ask questions like “who am I” and “what do I want to do with my life”. I came to the conclusion that I didn’t want to spend my college years living the typical college lifestyle. I decided I wanted to spend the next four years doing my best to serve others and looking back on my college years attaining something more than just a diploma.

That summer I read a book called Toxic Charity. It really opened my eyes to how ineffective the average American non-profit can be when it comes to helping others. Don’t get me wrong, every charity serves a purpose no matter what kind of positive impact it makes. However, the truth is some charities make a temporary difference, and others make a permanent one. The only way to make a permanent difference is to have a sustainable business model. A model that not only thrives on generosity, but prioritizes people over profit.

My freshman year of college, I would spend my down time going door to door selling Replenish apparel. I didn’t realize at the time, but looking back on that year it really made me grow as an entrepreneur. It helped me overcome the biggest hurdle any entrepreneur faces – rejection. Nine times out of ten people would either blow me off or completely ignore me all together. I was so passionate about what I wanted to do that it didn’t even phase me. I just kept marching from one house to the next. After a few weeks I was able to put together a team of people that saw my vision and we were able to divide and conquer. Before I knew it I was on the phone with a news producer about doing a story on Replenish to help spread the word and invite the community to join the mission. I was truly shocked how everything progressed with zero marketing budget and very limited time. It never got easier after that, but I knew that if I just kept after it more and more opportunities would open up. After just a short while, we were working with some Major League Baseball players David Murphy and Lance Berkman about raising funds for these filtration systems!

Water has always fascinated me. I mean, in every sense of the word, water is life. It’s in everything and all around us. Yet, over a billion people don’t have access to a sustainable source of it. That just doesn’t sit right with me. It’s 2023, everyone on the planet should have a clean water source and I don’t think that’s too much to ask for.

I love Jesus and the life that he led. In my opinion, nobody else in history comes close to the impact he made and legacy he left behind. I also believe his message was simple- love God and love others. That’s it. Don’t complicate it.

I never force my beliefs onto others, but my faith is definitely my “why” and the reason why Replenish exists. You could say it is the driving force behind our work. I believe we are all here on earth to love and serve others to the best of our abilities and that’s all there is to it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Founded in February 2012, Replenish is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our mission is to demonstrate God’s love by providing sustainable clean water to those in need. We provide water filtration systems to schools, churches, and businesses around the world where access to clean water doesn’t exist. The majority of our projects are on the western border of Kenya along Lake Victoria – the second largest freshwater lake in the world. The lake is highly contaminated and unsafe to drink. Millions of people in Kenya suffer from waterborne illnesses like malaria, dysentery, and diarrhea. We are doing everything we can to change that. Over the last 11 years, Replenish has helped over 220,000 people around the world gain access to a sustainable source of clean water! We partner with a company called LifeStraw who manufactures the filters we provide. They make a wide variety of freshwater filters but we focus on what’s called a Community LifeStraw Filter. They run about $300-$400 a pop, but each filter is extremely easy to use and each filter provides 75 people with clean water for 3-5 years! We strategically place them in schools because we want to encourage kids and family to attend school. Because of this approach, we have seen school attendance sky-rocket in these areas! They come for the clean water and they stay for an education. It’s a win-win. One another note, we teach the school faculty how to clean and maintain the filters for longevity. After years of use and the filter begins to fail, zero water is able to pass through so at no point is something drinking contaminated water they think is safe. When that occurs, we send a team with a replacement filter to go to that school and replace the filter. Replacement filters cost a mere $60-$80. All in all, we have found a reasonably inexpensive solution to the global water crisis. Most clean water organizations focus on drilling fresh water wells which is incredible, however it is insanely expensive to drill and maintain water wells. Those projects typically cost between $15,000 to $30,000 per well. With our model, we are able to impact the same amount of people at a fraction of that cost.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Born and raised in Arlington, I would show them around the iconic Cowboys Stadium and new Rangers ballpark. I’m also a huge fan on Fort Worth. It’s very low key and the food scene is unparalleled. My wife and I are building a house in Fort Worth and our favorite place to grab brunch is Mash’D on West 7th. I’m also an avid tennis and pickleball player so I’d have to take them to Chicken N Pickle as well.

Website: replenishwater.org

Instagram: @replenish_water

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandouglaslamb

Twitter: @replenishwater

Facebook: facebook.com/replenishwater