By: Robin Bartram-Brown, CEO of MMY US
MMY US is thrilled to call Louisville home to our first U.S. facility. Our cutting-edge 100,000 square foot advanced modular construction manufacturing facility is strategically located in Louisville’s West End and will produce up to 500 housing units per year.
As we explored where to locate our first U.S. facility we quickly narrowed in on the Midwest. As we narrowed our search further, Louisville stood out for several reasons. Our company’s leadership has a long-standing relationship with Louisville, and as we worked with Greater Louisville Inc. and Louisville Metro Government we learned about Louisville’s unmatched accessibility to the rest of the U.S. through train and interstate systems, access to skilled local labor, and friendly business landscape.
Today, there is an increasing adoption of modular construction across the US (which has grown from only 1.4% 10 years ago to over 6% of all new US construction projects today), largely driven by cost efficiencies and speed-to-market demands. MMY’s method delivers home construction in a 4-month timeline, compared to the national average of 20 months. All of these factors led to our decision to locate in Louisville; GLI and the city government were tremendous resources to identifying the ideal location.
As we expand our London-based operations to Louisville, we want to be more than an employer. We are committed to being great partners to Louisville and its thriving community. Not only are we investing in a $6.1 million facility on Beech Street, but we also plan to hire a minimum of 73 full time employees by 2025 and have set aggressive metrics to hire our workforce from neighborhoods adjacent to our manufacturing facility. We have also committed that 60 percent of all local expenditures will be reinvested in the state, and plan to offer on-site childcare for a 4 -7 pm shift to provide more opportunities for working parents.
Louisville has already welcomed MMY US with open arms and I want to specifically recognize the City Leadership & economic development organizations, development experts, and nonprofit and community leaders who have helped make this expansion possible. A special thank you to Cathe Dykstra CEO and Adam Hall Board Chair with the Family Scholar House, we would quite simply not be here without them, Marilyn Harris, director of the office of Housing and Community Development, and Mariah Gratz and her team with Weyland Ventures for their continued support as we grow our impact in the Louisville community and beyond.
Robin Bartram-Brown is the CEO of MMY US