Stokeyard Development & Advisory
We build, advise, and activate spaces that bring people together around heat, ritual, and shared experience.
Founded by John Pederson and Rodney Buhrsmith, Stokeyard has been behind some of the Upper Midwest’s most influential sauna and thermic bathing projects for over a decade.
Our work spans:
- Community cooperatives
- Hotel rooftop programs
- Sauna villages and festivals
- Facility launches and brand positioning
- Cultural and operational consulting
Stokeyard is the studio behind Thermaculture, a nervous-system-rooted framework for modern thermic practice.
Introducing
What We Do
1. Concept & Activation
From early-stage vision to full cultural activation, we help spaces clarify purpose and deliver experiences that feel coherent, intentional, and repeatable.
2. Cultural Infrastructure
We work with hospitality venues, bathhouses, and developers to build training systems and practice frameworks that outlast individual staff members.
3. Long-Term Partnerships
we've been at this for awhile now...
Legacy Snapshot
Over the past decade, Stokeyard principals have:
- Co-founded the 612 Sauna Society Cooperative
- Helped create and scale the Great Northern Sauna Village
- Consulted on and activated the Hewing Hotel rooftop sauna
- Supported emerging bathhouse concepts across the Midwest
- Developed the Thermaculture methodology
This body of work helped shape the modern sauna movement in Minneapolis and beyond.