IC participant breaks ground on new manufacturing facility
Hempitecture Inc., a Sun Valley, ID-based company that specializes in sustainable building materials and a participant in Cohort 5 of the “Innovation Crossroads” program operated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, broke ground on its state-of-the-art nonwoven manufacturing facility last week.
Located in the Northbridge Junction industrial park directly off I-84 and U.S. 93 in Jerome County, ID, the 21,632 square foot facility will manufacture HempWool®, a sustainable, high-performing natural fiber thermal insulation for residential and commercial construction projects. The plant-based insulation product is non-toxic and carbon negative, helping build healthier and more sustainable homes. Additionally, the facility will enable toll manufacture capabilities of nonwoven sustainable packaging insulation for the cold-freight shipping industry.
Tommy Gibbons, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Hempitecture, is the primary participant in the two-year IC program. In a recent interview with PYA colleague Kailyn Lamb, he said that the company already has a storage warehouse in Knoxville and is considering the possibility of building a second manufacturing facility here.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Mead and Gibbons are fourth from the right and third from the right respectively in the groundbreaking picture above.
