HIGH POINT — A Belgian furniture maker plans to create 113 jobs and invest more than $1.75 million at its new North American manufacturing headquarters in Guilford County.
BuzziSpace will operate out of a renovated building that once housed the operations of the Pickett Cotton Mill, which first opened more than 100 years ago, a news release said.
BuzziSpace makes workspace furniture that it says focuses on acoustics, ecology and flexibility. It also uses recycling, environmentally friendly processing of materials and the sustainable use of raw materials and energy, according to the news release.
“The High Point facility will be a reflection of who we are, what we stand for,” Tom Van Dessel, CEO of BuzziSpace, said in the news release.  “We feel strongly about creating a destination and a place that the local population will take pride in.  In this place, we can make a real difference in the community by investing in its rich history in furniture, and its skilled labor. We’d particularly like to thank the State of North Carolina, Guilford County and the City of High Point for supporting us so strongly.”
Salaries at the new plant will vary by job function, with an average annual wage for all jobs of $45,000 plus benefits.
N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory made the announcement today.
“High Point’s international reputation for manufacturing is a strong selling point for North Carolina,” McCrory said in the news release. “BuzziSpace’s project marks a giant step forward in our manufacturing comeback, transforming a once vacant property into a development-ready site that will create good-paying, permanent jobs. This will promote High Point and the Triad as a hub for manufacturing and innovation, and attract more businesses from around the world.”
The High Point facility will also assist in the marketing activities of the company’s Atlanta and Chicago showrooms, as well as conduct research and development, prototyping and oversee regulation for its North American products. 
The project was made possible in part by a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund of up to $100,000. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds.  These grants also require and are contingent upon local matches. The state grant will be based on the company creating 50 jobs over the first three years of the project.
Other partners that helped with this project include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community Colleges, Guilford Technical Community College, Guilford County, High Point Economic Development Corporation and the city of High Point.