NORFOLK, Va. — A tech company here is planning to develop a business campus for creative companies in downtown.
The project, Assembly, is being led by Drew Ungvarsky, founder and CEO of Grow, a creative innovation agency based in Downtown Norfolk. Grow has produced commercials and digital products for companies such as Spotify, Pinterest, YouTube, Google, Burberry, and Nike.
Assembly is described as “purpose-built to host a curated community of like-minded professionals — leading creative and technology companies, aspiring startups, and talented freelancers all sharing energy, inspiration, and resources,” according to a news release from Ungvarsky.
Ungvarsky said he and other local tech leaders felt their creative energies lacked “a center mass,” and “as a result, the rest of the world doesn’t always know about the extraordinary work being done here” in Norfolk.
“We thought to align to a broader purpose: strengthen our city, advance our industry, and plant a flag for our community that no one can miss,” Ungvarsky said.
The project “will be based in an iconic building campus” at 400 Granby St., according to a news release from the city. The building is labeled as the “Granby Municipal Building” and houses several city departments.
Ungvarsky and Grow are joined by local companies Work Program Architects, Sway Creative Labs, and Flagship Visuals as the founding tenants of Assembly.
Companies interested in becoming a tenant in the building can send an email to Assemlby. The campus is expected to open in 2020, and the city is scheduled to vote on final approval of the project on April 9.
