The Steelhouse marks nearly a year of growth for Greensboro entrepreneurs

The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship is marking nearly one year since the first phase of The Steelhouse opened on Greensboro’s former Carolina Steel campus. The project is expanding affordable space for small manufacturers and entrepreneurs while adding food production, health care and other services to the 13-acre site.

Why it matters: - The Steelhouse is giving Greensboro entrepreneurs flexible space that can support early-stage growth and business expansion. - The project is preserving a historic industrial site while creating new capacity for small business ownership, job creation and neighborhood investment. - The campus plan also brings health care and other community services to an area that has lacked nearby care for decades.

What happened: - The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship is marking nearly one year since the first phase of The Steelhouse opened on the former Carolina Steel campus in Greensboro. - The first phase converted 32,000 square feet of a century-old fabrication building into flexible space for entrepreneurs and small-scale manufacturers. - Construction began in June 2024, with D.H. Griffin Construction of Greensboro serving as general contractor. - The shell of the first phase was completed in May 2025. - Tenant improvements and the transition from construction site to operating center were completed in November 2026.

The details: - The Steelhouse is part of a broader campus plan totaling about 285,000 square feet. - The completed campus vision includes a manufacturing center, food production, a farmers market with retail space, and medical and office space. - Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine is the health care partner for the project. - TAPM plans to provide primary and pediatric care. - As a federally qualified health center, TAPM can serve insured, uninsured and underinsured patients. - First-phase funding came through grants, donations and New Markets Tax Credits. - First-phase supporters included local foundations, the City of Greensboro, Guilford County, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Golden LEAF, Truist and CityScape Capital Group. - The approximately $50 million adaptive reuse project is rebuilding an old industrial asset into a multiuse entrepreneurship campus.

Between the lines: - The Steelhouse is designed for a type of entrepreneur that often struggles to find affordable space with room to scale. - The project’s mix of manufacturing, food, health care and retail suggests the Nussbaum Center is building an ecosystem, not just leasing space. - The campus model also points to a long-term strategy for keeping businesses and services rooted in Greensboro rather than sending them elsewhere.

What's next: - The Nussbaum Center will continue developing the campus in phases. - The organization will keep recruiting businesses and community partners. - The next stage will focus on expanding the flexible infrastructure entrepreneurs need to start, grow and stay in Greensboro.

The bottom line: - The Steelhouse has moved from preservation project to working business hub, and its second year will test how much economic activity the campus can attract and sustain.