Lulu Press Center

LULU TURNS A NEW CHAPTER: Local self-publishing company moves into new headquarters

LULU TURNS A NEW CHAPTER
Local self-publishing company moves into new headquarters

March 11, 2009 (Raleigh, NC) Lulu.com, the marketplace for digital content on the Internet, has moved into its new global headquarters at 3101 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh.  The 28,000 square foot brick warehouse building has been completely renovated and is now the workplace for Lulu’s 79 U.S. employees.  The company, with a total of 127 employees also has offices in Toronto, London and Bangalore.

In 1940, the North Carolina Equipment Company purchased the 1.12 acres and made it their company’s home for 56 years, complete with the big yellow tractor on the roof, which quickly became a Hillsborough Street icon.  Lulu Founder and CEO Bob Young bought the building in 1997 and renovations began shortly afterward.

“Of course we’re keeping the tractor,” said Young.  “It is not only a great way to direct people to the new office, but it speaks to the creative, offbeat culture that is Lulu.”

“We needed the additional space to accommodate the increasing volume of authors and publishers using Lulu to reach their readers.  Even in a tough economy, or maybe because of it, there is an increasing demand for new books from technical manuals to poetry,” Young added.

In addition to the tractor, the building now features a full two-story glass curtain wall, which forms the face of the atrium lobby, giving the space an open feeling.

“It is an exciting to be here on Hillsborough Street,” said Florence Lively, Lulu’s VP of Human Resources.  “We look forward to being a part of this neighborhood and community.  The proximity to N.C. State, Peace and other colleges and universities make it a tremendous employment recruiting opportunity for us as well.”

Raleigh –based Davidson Jones is the contractor and Integrated Design is the architect/design firm.

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About Lulu: Lulu.com (www.lulu.com) has over 820,000 recently published titles, and more than 5,000 new titles added each week, created by people in more than 80 different countries.  With over two million registered users, and two million site visitors each month, Lulu is changing the world of publishing by enabling authors to publish their work themselves for free with complete editorial and copyright control and empowers them to sell directly to their customers and the rest of the Lulu.com global marketplace.  With free web storefronts, social networking offerings and available services and global distribution, Lulu authors are fully supported to profit from their work.


About Davidson Jones: Started by James A. Davidson in 1918 as a residential builder in Raleigh, NC, Davidson and Jones Construction Company has enjoyed a long and distinctive history as one of North Carolina’s oldest construction companies.  Under the guidance of Seby B. Jones and Robert (Roddy) L. Jones the firm became known for the quality and performance, which has become synonymous with the Davidson and Jones name.   Landmark local projects include Crabtree Valley Mall, The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and Rex Hospital.  The standards set forth by the founders are carried on by Robert D. (Rob) Jones and Mark Striebel.

About Integrated Design: Integrated Design is a multi-disciplinary firm designed to bring a comprehensive team to fulfill any concept.  The company offers creative solutions to the ever-changing built environment while drawing from the wealth of over 35 years of broad and diverse project experience.  The company’s integrated approach brings together architects, civil engineers, landscape architects and interior designers to coordinate projects from site to interior space design to the building design and construction.