A company manufacturing 3D-printed houses is moving its headquarters from Iowa City to Greeley. 

Alquist 3D, which created the nation’s first 3D-printed owner-occupied home in 2021, announced the move on Friday. The company will expand its Greeley operations to include a new showroom and production facility to print housing and other infrastructure. The headquarters relocation will be complete this fall.

Company leaders said they chose Colorado for the expansion – over the other contenders, Iowa and Virginia – because of the state’s commitment to developing affordable housing. 

“There is nowhere else on the planet where so much is happening all in one place to move structural 3D printing forward,” said Alquist 3D founder Zachary Mannheimer. “We’re excited to have a home where all the pieces of the puzzle to commercialize this industry are coming together. We’re thankful to Colorado for sharing in this vision.”

This comes as Colorado is in the midst of a housing crisis. 

Nearly one in three Coloradans spend over 30% of their income on housing, qualifying them as cost-burdened, according to state estimates. That makes Colorado the eighth-least affordable state in the country. State leaders have named housing among their top policy priorities in recent years. Legislative efforts such as banning local growth caps passed earlier this year, though other efforts including requiring zoning for greater residential density failed. 

Alquist 3D is working with the Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity on plans to 3D-print structures for a local housing project. The company is also working to print curb systems with integrated drainage to be installed in Greeley. 

“Colorado faces a housing supply shortage and we need action,” Gov. Jared Polis said. “Solving our housing crisis is all hands on deck and innovative solutions like Alquist 3D and communities like Greeley are crucial to our success in lowering construction costs for housing and infrastructure.” 

Alquist 3D expects to create 79 new jobs with the Greeley expansion, including managers, executives, manufacturing workers and business services. The average worker pay is estimated at $73,987. 

Greeley is providing $2.85 million in tax incentives for the company. The state approved up to $1.4 million in income tax credits for the company based on its performance generating jobs over the next five to eight years. 

Aims Community College is also partnering with Alquist 3D to incorporate the company’s 3D printing technology into its curriculum, teaching students how to operate a 3D printer for residential construction, design 3D-printed buildings and program the robots used for the printing. 

“The city of Greeley is thrilled to welcome Alquist to our community,” said Greeley Mayor John Gates. “Alquist will bring with them the ability to provide more affordable housing in our community, job opportunities for our residents, career pathways for our students and economic prosperity over the long term.”