Michael Gainer is a dynamic, creative, and determined problem solver and leader.
He began life in Erie, Pennsylvania, raising horses and working on his family’s farm. He attended Penn State, where he studied to be a teacher.
After college, his life got very interesting. His rich and interesting career paths have taken him around the country and the globe, as a Wilderness EMT, a carpenter, a youth leader building trails in the Pacific Northwest, a teacher, activist, campaign manager, bed and breakfast owner, school founder and even a professional clown, traveling to China, Mexico and South America with world famous Patch Adams.
He’s been featured in the New York Times for his exciting, transformative work starting Buffalo ReUse, and recently you can spot him fighting to restore Humboldt Parkway, as a founding member of the East Side Parkways Coalition. Most importantly he’s a loving father, and his priorities have always been advocating for youth, especially those who are struggling and most at risk of falling through the cracks.
He moved to Buffalo in November 2005, with the intention of initiating a mentoring and training program for out of school young adults, but quickly got immersed in addressing the issues of building abandonment and vacancy resulting from decades of population decline and misguided government policies. With an eager and hardworking team, Gainer led the effort to start Buffalo ReUse and grew the effort from an all volunteer team to a vibrant not for profit in three years.
Since that time he has been expanding ReUse efforts (founder of ReUse Action, 2011), supporting small businesses, artists and entrepreneurs (founder of The Foundry, 2012 and The Guild @980, 2015), and has been active in the East Side community.