Andy Zimmerman is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the Triad,. He has translated his exit as founder of the kayak maker Confluence Water Sports into numerous investments re-purposing legacy real estate in the Lewis Street are of Greensboro into entrepreneurial centers. His projects over the last few years include HQ Greensboro, the Forge and now the 106,000 SF Gateway building.
The following is excerpted from a Triad Business Journal Article
"The Gateway Project is going to be HQ Greensboro on steroids," Zimmerman said. But the expansion is just the beginning of Zimmerman's plans for the former denim overalls manufacturing plant.
"Greensboro needs an innovation district and I think South Elm is the place for it," he said. "The Gateway will be an asset to completing this. Coupled with what's going on at Union Square, this is where I want to put a stake down and create it."
The man whose name has become synonymous with South Elm Street is investing more than $9 million into the Gateway Building, with hopes of creating an innovation district, catering to the creative class. Zimmerman's plan calls for designing a campus with expansive natural areas that would connect the Gateway Building with several of his other nearby properties, including the Forge, the former Gibbs One Hundred location, HQ Greensboro and Boxcar Bar + Arcade.
"I really want to 'cool up' this place," Zimmerman said. "I want this place to have a lot of creative energy."
His plan to 'cool up' the Gateway Building will cost $1.5 million in historic tax credits that Zimmerman decided against pursuing. He said he didn't want to be limited in making changes to the building's appearance and materials being used.
It's not that he doesn't appreciate the building's history. Several historic photos of the building in its earliest days as the Blue Bell Overall Co. line shelves in his office above HQ Greensboro, and his enthusiasm is hard to miss when he spoke of the hundreds of sewing machines that filled the massive space in its heyday.
AZ Development
CEO
Andy Zimmerman is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the Triad, translating his exit as founder of the kayak maker Confluence Water Sports into numerous investments in repurposing legacy real estate in the Lewis Street are of Greensboro into entrepreneurial centers. His projects over the last few years include HQ Greensboro, the Forge and now the 106,000 SF Gateway building.
T…
Andy Zimmerman is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the Triad, translating his exit as founder of the kayak maker Confluence Water Sports into numerous investments in repurposing legacy real estate in the Lewis Street are of Greensboro into entrepreneurial centers. His projects over the last few years include HQ Greensboro, the Forge and now the 106,000 SF Gateway building.
The following is excerpted from a Triad Business Journal Article
"The Gateway Project is going to be HQ Greensboro on steroids," Zimmerman said. But the expansion is just the beginning of Zimmerman's plans for the former denim overalls manufacturing plant.
"Greensboro needs an innovation district and I think South Elm is the place for it," he said. "The Gateway will be an asset to completing this. Coupled with what's going on at Union Square, this is where I want to put a stake down and create it."
The man whose name has become synonymous with South Elm Street is investing more than $9 million into the Gateway Building, with hopes of creating an innovation district, catering to the creative class. Zimmerman's plan calls for designing a campus with expansive natural areas that would connect the Gateway Building with several of his other nearby properties, including the Forge, the former Gibbs One Hundred location, HQ Greensboro and Boxcar Bar + Arcade.
"I really want to 'cool up' this place," Zimmerman said. "I want this place to have a lot of creative energy."
His plan to 'cool up' the Gateway Building will cost $1.5 million in historic tax credits that Zimmerman decided against pursuing. He said he didn't want to be limited in making changes to the building's appearance and materials being used.
It's not that he doesn't appreciate the building's history. Several historic photos of the building in its earliest days as the Blue Bell Overall Co. line shelves in his office above HQ Greensboro, and his enthusiasm is hard to miss when he spoke of the hundreds of sewing machines that filled the massive space in its heyday.
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