History - Two Brothers and a Son

Complementary Strengths, Shared Vision

As co-founders of Interweave Solutions, brothers, Dean and Lynn Curtis and son/nephew David Curtis share more than 70 years of combined expertise and leadership in efforts to overcome poverty in developing countries and the U.S. Lynn and Dean are both internationally recognized experts and authors in their fields, and in Interweave they unite around a compelling shared vision.

Interweave Solutions has emerged from what appeared to be the two brothers’ opposing perspectives about confronting the needs of the poor. Dean had emphasized the power of business enterprise - financial capital - to reduce poverty; Lynn had focused on local participation and ownership - social capital - as a driving force for sustainable development. David - Lynn’s son, Dean’s business partner and a strong program leader in his own right - helped facilitate a bridge between the two perspectives. “We definitely have had our differences of opinion over the years, but blood and some very powerful and effective ideas are thicker than our differences,” notes Lynn. Dean adds, “Our creative tension has generated a winning pattern for the future.”

Dean came to Interweave Solutions as the founder of a multi-million dollar business that helped adults find jobs, and he has since emphasized the creation of socially-focused businesses in developing countries. For more than three decades, Lynn has advanced social action through participatory training and support with outstanding local grassroots organizations in 65 developing countries worldwide. David has advanced both charity and business - Community Action programs for disadvantaged youth, an MBA and successful real-estate management and development. Interweave integrates the best of these varying perspectives. Business accountability and practices are merged with social action and empowerment. Both approaches combined build the local human, financial and environmental sustainability that generates lasting answers to the problems of poverty.

The integration that is now Interweave Solutions began in 2000 when Lynn and Dean started exploring potential synergies through pilot collaborative manuals, training and projects in an organization that ultimately came to be known as Enterprise Solutions. In 2007, with David's leadership, Enterprise Solutions received provisional recognition from the IRS and in 2008 formal IRS 501c(3) tax-deductibility status. As of July 2008, Enterprise Solutions is now officially registered to do business under its new name - Interweave Solutions. With organizational partners and current projects in place throughout the world, Interweave Solutions represents a powerful channel for investors, donors, and volunteers to make a life-changing difference among people worldwide who face intense human need.