A manufacturer of modular buildings currently based in Brooklyn, N.Y., announced Monday that it would relocate all of its operations to Hamden, along with 100 jobs to start.
FullStack Modular, which currently occupies 100,000 square feet and employs 250 people at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, has started transferring people and manufacturing operations to 30 Edmund St. in Hamden, according to founder and President Roger Krulak.
“It’s an honor to call Connecticut and Hamden home,” Krulak said. “We are thrilled and honored to have Governor Lamont welcome us into a region that is pro-business and just as dedicated as we are to creating solid jobs for families and individuals of all backgrounds.”
FullStack plans to invest $8 million to $12 million in new production facilities in the state, Gov. Ned Lamont said at a news conference announcing the company’s relocation.
Founded in 2016, FullStack manufactures modular structures that require no concrete core. Target customers include multifamily developers, hotels and student and affordable housing projects. Electric Boat’s recent expansion in the New London area presents an opportunity for the company, Krulak said.
As part of relocating its headquarters, FullStack will occupy 50,000 square feet in Hamden with plans to employ 100 people. Some New York employees are relocating and others will be hired in Connecticut, Krulak said.
Key to the decision to relocate were the facilities at Gateway Terminal, the deep-water port in New Haven, Krulak said. FullStack has long-term plans to build a manufacturing facility in the port area, he said.
With the massive cargo ships Aegean Wave and Crystal Confidence in the background at Gateway Terminal’s docks, state and local officials celebrated the relocation as a sign that Connecticut’s business-recruiting efforts are working.
“This is an amazing company. They could have gone anywhere, you know, in the world,” Lamont said. “I look forward to seeing their continued growth here.”
AdvanceCT President John Bourdeaux said the state’s business recruitment arm and state and local leaders played key roles in FullStack’s decision.
“We bring resources and assets together like no other state,” Bourdeaux said. “We have extraordinary assets that we’re able to bring to bear when a company is coming to look at our state and tell them how we’re going to make them successful in business, and about how choosing Connecticut is the best business choice that they can make.”
Specializing in bulk cargo, New Haven’s port is an ideal arrival and departure point for the materials needed for FullStack’s housing, said Matthew Satnick, co-CEO of Enstructure, Gateway Terminal’s parent company.
The planned dredging of New Haven Harbor navigation channels to a depth of 40 feet in the coming years will add to the marketability of the port, Satnick said.
Gateway Terminal officials are actively seeking property in the port area as operations expand, Satnick added.
“We are continually either buying property or leasing property and we’ve been very active in the past few years,” he said.
Bulk and break-bulk cargo volumes were not as seriously impacted by pandemic-related supply chain issues, Satnick said, allowing for steady growth at the terminal.
“It’s been pretty much a steady-as-you-go market,” Satnick said.
Satnick added that FullStack was a welcome addition to Gateway’s roster of clients. “We are proud of the relationship we have built with FullStack Modular, and we look forward to using our best-in-class services to support their growth and success.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
