World’s largest 3D-printing facility opens in St. Pete, powered by AI and robots
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Inside a 32,000-square-foot industrial facility north of St. Pete’s EDGE District, towering crane-like robots are 3D printing everything from chairs to cold plunge tubs—all using sustainable, recyclable materials.
Haddy, a 3D-printed furniture company powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, has officially opened its new micro-factory at 251 10th Street North. It is now the largest 3D-printing facility in the world.
"We will have micro-facilities all over the world," said CEO Jay Rogers during the April 10th grand opening, joined by partners from Siemens AG and CEAD, a Netherlands-based tech company revolutionizing large-scale composite manufacturing.
Rogers, a Marine Corps veteran, co-founded Haddy in 2022 with CTO Kyle Rowe. Before relocating, the company operated out of a 20,000-square-foot space in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District.
The new facility, formerly home to Mayflower Transit moving company, is owned by Rick Leonard—President of Bradenton-based Sunz Insurance—and Eastman Equity, run by prominent investor Jonathan Daou.
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More than five years after it was first announced, modern Asian restaurant Kojo is finally ready to welcome diners to downtown St. Pete.
Kojo will soft open Friday, November 13th, at 5 p.m. on the third floor of Central Park, the five-story food hall at 551 Central Avenue.
Reservations for the restaurant are available through Resy.
Unlike the fast-casual food hall downstairs, Kojo will offer a full-service dining experience, seating about 115 guests in its dining room and at the kitchen counter. The restaurant specializes in modern Asian cuisine, drawing on flavors from Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan.
“Full-service restaurants are really what we have been doing as a company,” Robert Castellon, Director of Operations at Hi Hospitality Group, said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “The food hall is our first step in a different direction. We created a format where guests can build their own experience. So it feels awesome to step back into our comfort zone.”
The menu at Kojo offers plenty of options for sharing, including shrimp and pork gyoza, truffled chicken wontons, and crispy chicken wings tossed in a Sichuan soy glaze.