MSL Alum Builds a Business to Help Communities Make Healthier Housing Decisions

After nearly 15 years working in renewable energy, environmental justice, community engagement, and policy, Nick Thierry, MSL ’24, saw a gap he believed needed to be addressed: people making major housing decisions often lacked the information they needed to understand how environmental conditions could affect their health, families, and communities.

His response was FrontDoorFax, a company Thierry launched shortly after graduating from Lewis & Clark Law School’s Master of Studies in Environmental Law (MSL) program.

“I built FrontDoorFax to proactively address the critical issues that were being ignored, from climate literacy and environmental justice to the built environment, health equity, and fair housing,” Thierry said. “Why should a homeowner get more information about health impacts than a renter? Why are renters and buyers only shown part of the story when they are investing large sums of money, and when a single wrong choice can harm their families?”

FrontDoorFax is designed to make environmental and health information more accessible as people decide where to live or invest. Thierry sees transparency as a tool for empowering individuals and communities to recognize potential environmental risks and advocate for healthier neighborhoods.

“FrontDoorFax gives us the vocabulary required to advocate for ourselves and our neighborhoods,” he said.

The idea grew out of Thierry’s years working directly with communities. He spent nearly 15 years listening to the concerns of grandmothers, community organizers, and city council members in the neighborhoods where he worked. His experience in renewable energy and environmental policy also shaped how he approached building the company.

“FrontDoorFax represents the greatest hits of my previous experience,” Thierry said. “I found a way to advocate and educate in a manner that is both accessible and meaningful.”

His time at Lewis & Clark also helped give him the confidence to turn the idea into a business. During the MSL program, Thierry worked full-time while taking classes and was promoted in his career before ultimately pivoting toward community-centered entrepreneurship. The relationships he developed with faculty and fellow students helped him think through the early ideas that would become FrontDoorFax.

“The MSL program and the faculty gave me confidence in my ability to push forward and make FrontDoorFax a reality,” he said.

For Thierry, legal knowledge is another important part of entrepreneurship. He views understanding the legal framework surrounding environmental issues as foundational to making decisions, managing risk, and building organizations that can have a lasting impact.

As FrontDoorFax grows, Thierry hopes it will help make environmental information a more standard part of housing decisions and give people the knowledge they need to advocate for healthier homes and communities. “It’s my hope that increased transparency leads to healthier outcomes in all decisions,” he said. “FrontDoorFax gives us the vocabulary required to advocate for ourselves and our neighborhoods.”