A builder of prefabricated homes is looking to build a foundation in Nashville and bring a few dozen jobs to the area, according to Nash County economic development officials and the company’s founder.
BuildLabs, a custom home designer and manufacturer with offices on Long Island and in Germany and India, has signed a purchase agreement for 5.3 acres in the Nashville Business Center at a cost of $134,000, according to Susan Phelps, Nash County’s economic development manager.
The company is in the “due diligence” phase of the purchase and hopes to close within the next 90 days, Phelps said. Groundbreaking is tentatively set for later this year. If all goes to plan, the facility will be up and running by mid-2025, Phelps said.
BuildLabs plans to invest $11.5 million in a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and customer-experience center that will employ 24 people in its initial development phase, with an average annual wage of about $60,000.
“That’s significant,” Phelps said. “In Nash County, the current average is under $50,000.”
Company representatives from Bridgehampton, N.Y., and its manufacturing hub in Germany visited the area shortly after the New Year. The company has been looking to expand into the Triangle area and after reviewing some listings with a local broker, “liked the proximity to Raleigh and the highway access” afforded by Nashville’s location on U.S. 64 near Interstate 95, Phelps said.
Punit Chugh, founder and operations director of BuildLabs, concurred, adding that the company was attracted to “the abundance of a quality workforce in the Research Triangle area” that dovetails with the high-tech precision he said the company applies to its design and construction.
“The workforce was critically a big driver” in the decision, he said, adding that the state of North Carolina is “showing high growth in terms of workforce and homes being built right now, so that provides a synergy that is advantageous to us.”
There was another, more personal reason for the choice of a North Carolina location: Chugh’s son is attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chugh said he accompanied his son while he was looking at colleges and liked what the area had to offer.
“That was the trigger point for me saying, ‘We’re going to build here in North Carolina,’” he said.
BuildLabs will use a combination of local contractors and its own resources to construct its Nashville manufacturing center, Phelps said.
“They want to build something that’s innovative and modern-looking,” she noted.
“We are finishing the architectural site plans and are waiting for the necessary approvals,” Chugh said.
The facility would produce about 150 to 200 homes and other building projects annually, with a total production output of 500,000 square feet.
In a prepared statement, Nashville Mayor Brenda Brown said, “It is very exciting that BuildLabs has chosen to locate their first U.S. manufacturing facility in Nashville. BuildLabs’ decision to select Nashville for their future home is a testament to our community’s ideal location, qualified workforce and friendly quality of life.”
Featuring the slogan “Building Beyond,” BuildLabs describes itself as “a custom design + build firm with a new vision for innovative and sustainable construction.” On its website, it says it is “driven by a deep commitment to responsibly harness our planet’s rich resources, creating sustainable and healthy homes that stand the test of time.”
Chugh said the company has been around for 10 years and currently employs a total of 35 people full-time at its three locations.
The Nashville Business Center, located at 111 Commerce Drive, currently houses Atlantic Natural Foods and ACDI, an electronics manufacturer.
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