"Jaipur Living's story began with two looms in a small community in India," Chaudhary told the collected government officials, Jaipur executives, and visiting dignitaries during the ceremony. Now, she said, the company is one of the largest exporters of rugs and textiles and boasts a partnership with over 50,000 artisans.
"We stand here today literally on top of our future -- the very site that will house Jaipur Living's new global corporate headquarters and distribution center in Cherokee County, where metro meets the mountains," she said. "We love this phrase given its parallel with our own story, which centers on the intersection of our global business at the doorsteps of our artisans, and truly succeeding together through partnership."
Jaipur Living President Asha Chaudhary addresses attendees at the site of the company's new corporate headquarters during a groundbreaking ceremony on August 23, 2016.
Located at the Cherokee 75 Corporate Park, which sits along Highway 92 east of Interstate 75, the new Acworth facility will move Jaipur from its current location in Norcross, Ga., closer to the nexus of Georgia's rug industry. It consolidates the current three distribution centers into one distribution center and corporate office facility.
The first phase, the $12-million, 180,000-square-foot headquarters and distribution center, is slated to be completed by summer 2017. Phase two will increase the total office and warehouse space to over 350,000 square feet and will be finished by 2020. The total capital investment for the project is $22.3 million.
From left, Buzz Ahrens, Chairman, Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, with Jaipur Living's Archana and Asha Chaudhary and Marshall Day, Chairman, Development Authority of Cherokee County.
In addition to Chaudhary's remarks, select local dignitaries were invited to speak, including:
-Buzz Ahrens, Chairman, Cherokee County Board of Commissioners
-DV Singh, Head of Chancery, Consulate General of India
-Marshall Day, Chairman, Development Authority of Cherokee County
Other participating officials and Jaipur Living brand executives included:
-Steve Holcomb, Vice Chairman, Development Authority of Cherokee County
-Misti Martin, President, Cherokee Office of Economic Development
-Pam Carnes, President, Cherokee Chamber of Commerce
-Matthew Thomas, Economic Development Manager, City of Canton
-Archana Chaudhary, Director of Supply Chain, Jaipur Living
-Ken Taylor, Chief Financial Officer, Jaipur Living
-Michael Callaghan, Vice President of Sales, Jaipur Living
-David Wise, Product Development Director, Jaipur Living
-Wendy Cooley, Director of Customer Service, Jaipur Living
-Shahrzad Nadizadeh, Director of Marketing, Jaipur Living
Jaipur Living's president Asha Chaudhary, sales rep Ken Markham, and vice president of sales Michael Callaghan at the groundbreaking ceremony for the company's new facility.
Attendees from several of Jaipur Living's key business partners in the development of the new facility included BB&T Bank, Pattillo Construction, architecture firm Cooper Carry and CPA firm Windham Brannon.
With the move, Jaipur anticipates adding between 10 and 15 jobs annually over the next four years. Chaudhary says the jobs will be within numerous departments, including marketing, creative, product development, customer service, accounting and more.
Both existing staff and new hires will benefit from the many features incorporated into the new workplace, including an exercise room, showers, lounges, a community center, outdoor greenspace, and more. "We are hoping we will create an environment that encourages people to want to work with us, and who will flourish here," said Chaudhary.
Renderings show the exterior of the new Jaipur Living corporate facility in Acworth, Ga., designed by prestigious architectural firm Cooper Carry.
The new facility will also continue Jaipur Living's mission to be more automated and efficient for faster production and distribution. The company recently redid its ERP system to become completely paperless; information is transmitted via scan guns and computers. "We feel we have one of the best customer service teams," said Chaudhary. "With this, we can be faster in every aspect of production."
As for whether the new facility will gain Jaipur Living entry into new product categories, Chaudhary said that the company will continue to focus on growing its textiles business, as well as other existing categories.
"This year has been an exciting time of change, seeing us through a rebrand to Jaipur Living, underscoring our vision to serve our customers as a true lifestyle brand -- one that will continue to revolutionize the home industry with a transformative business model centered on our passion for people, product and design," Chaudhary added. "As a global brand and business, our new facility will position Jaipur Living to better serve our international customer base while sustaining and supporting the company's steady growth."