Shaw Industries Group Inc. broke ground on a three-story, 67,000 square foot Create Centre in Cartersville, Ga. on Friday, June 24. Scheduled for completion in late 2017, the Centre will house the commercial division’s marketing, design and innovation associates which includes Shaw Contract’s marketing and product design teams.
The Create Centre will offer a stimulating, storytelling environment that is a catalyst for growth and innovation across Shaw’s commercial business. Envisioned to inspire Shaw’s talented professionals, the Centre also will serve as a tool in recruiting new talent as the company continues to grow. This new building will be located near Shaw Plant 94, where the company’s commercial design and marketing teams along with manufacturing for Shaw’s custom business are currently located. That facility will continue custom manufacturing operations and will house Shaw’s Custom Design Studio and hospitality customer service teams once the Centre is complete. The addition of the Create Centre will enhance Shaw’s ability to provide design excellence with multiple disciplines delivering against Shaw’s client-centric approach.
“We find value in locating manufacturing, design, marketing and others in close proximity to one another – in the same region, the same state or in this instance the same county,” said Shaw President Randy Merritt. “We’ve found that it sparks new ideas, greater information sharing, and more meaningful engagement with one another. The Create Centre will be an important tool in supporting our vision of growth for our commercial business including global expansion and domestic market leadership.”
The new workspace will provide a collaborative environment that facilitates the sharing of ideas; that ignites fresh thinking; that fosters Shaw’s culture of innovation, diversity and inclusion; and that showcases Shaw Contract and Patcraft’s design and performance leadership.
Designed by architecture firm Gensler, the Centre is expected to be USGBC LEED certified and will feature ample daylight and open collaborative spaces. “This building will be as beautiful as it is functional and sustainable, much like our own products,” notes Brenda Knowles, vice president of marketing, Shaw commercial division. “We are committed to continuously providing clients with the best solutions for their projects, and the Create Centre will provide the ideal setting for our talented team members to create, dream, collaborate, and solve challenges.”
This $24 million facility represents Shaw’s ongoing investment in its commercial business. In the past few years, Shaw has significantly grown its commercial sales team; opened new showrooms throughout the world; and invested more than $85 million in an additional carpet tile manufacturing facility, which will open in Adairsville, Ga. later this year.
In addition to the Create Centre, Shaw Contract maintains showrooms in Atlanta, New York, London, Shanghai, Beijing, New York and other global design hubs where Shaw Contract Group’s presence is a catalyst for for design excellence. Major Shaw Contract Group clients are located in the Atlanta area. From fortune 500 companies to local universities and hospitals, the business and organizations that impact the Atlanta economy will have access to this creative space – giving them the opportunity to work with architects and designers in Atlanta to continue developing commercial interiors which will attract employees, students, visitors and customers.
This space is designed to spur global innovation for our marketing and design teams, and to inspire visitors and the greater community. Shaw Contract is recognized as a leader in commercial design, and The Create Centre reflects the ideal environment to host clients, inform design professionals and promote our position as a global flooring provider, ” said John Stephens, VP of Marketing.
“Shaw is Bartow County’s largest employer with more than 3,100 associates working here,” said Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini. “We’re proud to see the company continue to thrive and invest in the community. It’s a demonstration of the city and county’s ongoing efforts to promote the growth of existing businesses in addition to attracting new companies and industries to the area.
