The Steelhouse Marks Nearly One Year of Expanding Opportunity for Greensboro Entrepreneurs

Historic Carolina Steel campus enters its second year as a growing hub for small-scale manufacturing, food production, health care and entrepreneurship

GREENSBORO, NC, UNITED STATES, October 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Nearly one year after opening the first phase of The Steelhouse, the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship is reflecting on a milestone year for the historic former Carolina Steel campus and looking ahead to the project’s next chapter.

The opening transformed 32,000 square feet of a century-old fabrication building into flexible space designed for entrepreneurs who often cannot find affordable facilities that grow with their businesses. It also advanced a broader vision for the 13-acre campus: preserving an important piece of Greensboro’s industrial history while creating new pathways for business ownership, job creation and neighborhood investment.

“The Steelhouse was created for a different type of entrepreneur—a small scale manufacturer who needs flexible space, room to grow and terms that make sense for a business in its early stages,” said Lisa Hazlett, president of the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship. “As we look back on this first year, we are proud that a building once dedicated to fabricating steel is again becoming a place where people make products, build companies and create opportunity.”

Construction began in June 2024, with D.H. Griffin Construction of Greensboro serving as general contractor. The shell of the first 32,000-square-foot phase was completed in May 2025, followed by tenant improvements and the building’s transition from construction site to an operating center for entrepreneurship and production in November of 2026.

That first phase is part of an ambitious campus plan totaling approximately 285,000 square feet. The completed vision includes a manufacturing center, food production, a farmers market with retail space, and medical and office space.

Community partnerships remain central to that vision. Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine is the project’s health care partner, with plans for primary and pediatric care. As a federally qualified health center, TAPM can serve insured, uninsured and underinsured patients in an area that has lacked nearby health care access for decades.

“The Steelhouse is about bringing the right partners together to meet needs that no single organization can address alone,” said Sam Funchess, CEO of the Nussbaum Center. “Our role is to build the platform, create connections and help strong partners deliver services and opportunities for small business owners and the surrounding community.”

The approximately $50 million adaptive reuse project has been supported through grants, donations and New Markets Tax Credits. First-phase funders and partners included local foundations, the City of Greensboro, Guilford County, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Golden LEAF, Truist and CityScape Capital Group.

As The Steelhouse enters its second year, the Nussbaum Center will continue developing the campus in phases, recruiting businesses and community partners, and expanding the flexible infrastructure entrepreneurs need to start, grow and remain in Greensboro.

About the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship
The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship supports entrepreneurs and small businesses through affordable, flexible space, technical assistance, shared resources and connections that help companies grow. The Center’s redevelopment of The Steelhouse extends that mission by creating a destination for manufacturing, food production, artisan enterprises, health care and community-serving partnerships.

Lisa Hazlett
The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship
+1 336-379-5001