When nine companies come together under one roof, things can get a little crowded. But the new tenants of BLDG Co., located in downtown Raleigh on Mountford Avenue, have joined forces based on a common principle — to build and motivate a community.

Starting as a joint venture between CityFabric and CompostNow with Redress Raleigh as a founding tenant, BLDG Co. expanded to include Erin Sullivan White, Clyde Oak, White Whale and Boss Manatee working in the space as well. 

“We all have very new evolving companies. How we envisioned our space to how we envisioned our companies have all been part of the evolutionary process.” said Matt Tomasulo, founder of CityFabric and Walk [Your City]. “It is tough when you are operating under a business model, you add another person and shift that model … having the flexibility of the space can be tough.” 

CityFabric and Walk [Your City]’s main focus is bringing people together through civic and social innovation, as well as creating safe and walkable environments in cities all over the country. Tomasulo started the Walk [You City] initiative with Walk Raleigh and has been expanding ever since.

Together, the different companies are working on bringing awareness to different aspects of better living and working conditions locally, nationally and globally. From sustainability to urban living to the textile industry to the resurrection of broken communities, these companies are bound together to bring good to everyone they can. 

“What I like about BLDG Co. is that all of our industries have a commonality on how we want to see society progress,” said Mor Aframian, director of community relations and branding for Redress Raleigh. Aframian received her Master’s degree in the College of Textiles at N.C. State. 

Redress Raleigh focuses its attention on event planning for the fashion and textile industry and the goal of the company is to bring more responsibility through environmental and social standards. Redress Raleigh is operated by Beth Stewart, Mor Aframian and Jamie Powell, three alumni from the textiles program at N.C. State. 

Another company with environmental concerns in mind, CompostNow, is an organic recycling startup that is finding ways to collect compostables from homes and offices in order to increase sustainability and make Raleigh an environmentally friendly city. The CompostNow Crew is made up of Justin Senkbeil, Dominique Bischof, Matt Rostetter, Joe Lawson and Jay Bond.

“You can have a space with diverse backgrounds but we are starting to treat each other like a family … we are sharing the highs and sharing the lows,” said Senkbeil, co-founder of CompostNow. 

Once the three companies had settled into their new surroundings at 706 Mountford Ave. in November of 2012, they began accepting other companies under their wing. 

“I think that we definitely wouldn’t be where we are without having the creative minds around us that we have,” said Tim Reavis, founder of Boss Manatee, who graduated from N.C. State in 2012 with a degree in psychology. “Especially me not being from a business background, being an abstract thinker … being around people who have been through this process before and think more solidly than I do has helped translate a lot of the more conceptual stuff into action.” 

According to Boss Manatee’s website, the new business is a design and apparel company dedicated to the development of community consciousness and having people realize what their impact on the community can be. 

Through his “20:20 vision,” Reavis and his company invest 20 percent of profits locally and 20 percent globally. More specifically, Reavis has found a connection between the city of Raleigh and the city of Pavia in Venezuela. His first project will be to generate enough profits with his company to build a local playground for the children of Pavia. 

Other companies include Erin Sullivan White, Clyde Oak and White Whale. Erin White, who received his master’s in architecture at N.C. State in 2011, is currently working to approach the role of the architect and designer in a new way through local food systems and bring significant change to Raleigh. Clyde Oak and White Whale are run by Corey Mason, an alum from Texas A&M. Clyde Oak focuses on landscape architecture while White Whale is a line of craft cocktail mixers, a simple way to make a sophisticated drink. 

“The quality of energy around here provides many examples and the good thing about local food is that it is driven be entrepreneurs,” says White, self-employed designer who currently works part-time at N.C. State teaching architecture. “People are continuously seeing opportunities to make positive change and bringing food into our cities is a healthy, integral component.”

The companies in the BLDG Co. are all working in different, innovative ways to bring great things to our community of Raleigh, as well as communities all over the world. Through their hard work, persistence and teamwork, they continue to excel in their fields and gain popularity. 

“I inherently believe that collaborating and human energy is so vital to the success and sustained trajectory up when you are starting something,” says Tomasulo. “When you are starting something, you will have awesome days and not-so-awesome  days … it is nice to have people to support you. We all have provided tremendous value to each other.”