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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Nexii Building Solutions Plans Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Manufacturing Plant

04/26/2021
Nexii Building Solutions Inc. is partnering with actor and Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton, in Nexii's planned manufacturing plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Keaton, will have an ownership stake and play an active role in the new plant, to be developed by Trinity Sustainable Solutions, a new entity composed of Keaton, Nexii, and Craig Rippole of Trinity Commercial Development.

It will be the sixth plant, the second in the United States, for the fast-growing green construction technology company. It will also be the first built entirely from its proprietary, sustainable concrete alternative, Nexiite. The Nexii composite results in the creation of sustainable buildings that are cost-efficient, use less energy and are resilient in the face of climate change. Nexii products are precision manufactured off-site and rapidly assembled on-site, reducing build times and construction costs.

“Growing up, many of my neighbors worked in Pittsburgh's famous steel plants; the lore was that a businessman would take an extra white shirt to work because the one he started with would get so dirty from the mills' polluted air that he'd have to put on a fresh one to come home," said Keaton, who was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and first began acting in local theatre there. "Nexii's new plant will create more than 300 green, healthy job opportunities and help revitalize my hometown in a way that helps folks right now while paving the way for future generations."

Company officials said Pittsburgh is a fitting home for Nexii's newest manufacturing site, as the city continues to evolve from The Steel City into a more equitable Green City that's home to disruptive technology companies and industry pioneers. Slated to open in Summer 2022, the Nexii manufacturing plant will benefit from the strong local ties and expertise of co-owner Craig Rippole, President of Pittsburgh-based Trinity Commercial Development, whose company has developed over 1.5 million square feet of commercial space and has a successful track record of forming public-private partnerships to clean up brownfield sites and return them to productive use.

"Together, the building and construction industries account for 39 percent of global emissions; the time to reinvent the way the world builds is now," said Nexii CEO Stephen Sidwell. "We're honored to have so many passionate and knowledgeable champions in our corner as we scale Nexii rapidly to meet increased demand for cost-efficient green buildings."

Nexii's sister Pennsylvania plant, about to open in Hazleton, will produce the Nexiite panels and other materials used to build the Pittsburgh plant. These lightweight panels will be shipped to Pittsburgh and bolted together onsite, a process that cuts build times by an average of 75 percent and slashes on-site waste, labor costs and accidents. Nexii's two Pennsylvania plants will be able to supply eco-friendly construction materials to building and retrofit projects across the East Coast and the Midwest.

Pittsburgh Regional Alliance President Mark Anthony Thomas remarked, "Nexii's expansion instantly bolsters our region's leadership in sustainability and what's next in manufacturing. Pittsburgh natives Michael Keaton and partner Craig Rippole, following in a long line of Pittsburgh innovators, are building something truly transformative here, and we couldn't be more thrilled to continue supporting this effort."

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