Another Brick Has Been Laid
in the revitalization of Clayton’s Downtown. On July 1, 2016, Johnston County residents Brad and Stephanie Carroll and Reid and Jaclyn Smith announced the purchase of the NC Paper Company Building, as well as their plans to revive this landmark property and bring it into the 21st century. The building will be one of the most innovative office spaces in Johnston County, and the future home of their businesses, Dakno Marketing, One27Homes, Jaclyn Smith Properties, and their nonprofit, One Compassion.
The Building
Clayton, NC 27520
The Partners
Brad and Stephanie
Brad and Stephanie Carroll are co-owners and founders of Dakno Marketing, a Triangle-based digital marketing company.
Established in 2000, Dakno is a local marketing company that offers creative marketing strategies, real estate website design, and social media training to the nation's top real estate professionals.
The DaknoAdmin software serves more than 5000 agents across the country.
The Carrolls have been Johnston County residents since 2012.
The building was first constructed as a Model T Ford showroom where people came to see the newest innovations in technology. It's only fitting that, almost 100 years later, we are once again making it a home to innovation and bringing the building into this century.
-Brad Carroll
From the beginning, Brad and I dreamed of one day having a "home" for Dakno and our team. It's wonderful to see this now coming to fruition in our own hometown, and I love that our children will grow up knowing what it means to invest in their community.
-Stephanie Carroll
Reid and Jaclyn
Reid Smith is the owner and founder of One27 Homes, a Johnston County-based home builder. Jaclyn Smith, Realtor, owns Jaclyn Smith Properties.
Reid was born and raised right here in Clayton, and was joined by Jaclyn in 2007.
Established in 2015, One27Homes is Clayton's premier home builder of quality, affordable homes with a focus on technology-driven solutions and exceptional customer service.
Since 2015, One27Homes and Jaclyn Smith Properties have built and sold more than 160 homes together.
The building has been a part of Clayton longer than I have, and it's exciting to be able to have our business family located in the town where I grew up, in a place that I've passed by thousands of times. I’m glad that we are able to add a new chapter to such a historic part of Clayton.
-Reid Smith
I'm blessed to be able to help people find their dream homes, and now we've found the forever home for our businesses in a place that already means so much to us. We are thrilled to be contributing to the growth that will bring even more residents to the Downtown Clayton area.
-Jaclyn Smith
In addition to the the partners' businesses, the building will also be the home of OneCompassion, a faith based nonprofit that seeks to serve God by caring for the needs of those within the reach of Johnston County - To Give Local, Spend Local, and Serve Local.
It was essential for us to maintain perspective about what is really important - giving back to the community and sharing our faith with others.
- The OneCompassion Team
We are passionate about our employees, about this building, and about Clayton. Our first goal is to serve our employees by creating a comfortable and enjoyable place to come to work everyday by bringing this space back to life. Our companies are excited about the economic injection that this will have for the Town of Clayton, by bringing people that will eat, shop, live, and be a part of this community.
It's more than just business. Our companies are excited to serve the community from our new building. We can't wait to watch God's work unfold in us and through us.
-The Partners
The Vision
We want to bring jobs, people, and commerce to Downtown Clayton. Along with that economic injection, we hope to show firsthand that Clayton is up and coming, and a cool place to live and work.
-Reid Smith
It's important to us to reuse or repurpose the original materials from the space, including re-opening the windows, and using the original hardwoods. We are collaborating with the Town of Clayton to maintain as much historical character and integrity in the building as possible.
-Reid Smith
We want to create the best place to work in the Greater Triangle, and that means pushing the envelope on concepts that have always been essential to Dakno. The cornerstones of our company culture are collaborative workspaces, cutting edge technology, and cultivating a creative environment, - those are the cornerstones of this project as well.
-Brad Carroll
Progress
The Buzz
I'm excited for what will spin off of this. I know it will bring more eyes and more attention to Clayton, and I think that the vibe and liveliness that these new employees will bring will put even more strength behind the movement towards making Clayton as vibrant and diverse as possible.
-James Lipscomb, President of the Downtown Development Association
From the town's perspective, we are really excited to see the redevelopment of the Paper Company Building. It's a landmark, and as it has switched uses over the past century the character of the building has changed. We are eager to see its historic charm restored.
-David DeYoung, Town of Clayton Planning Director
It's very important for small towns like Clayton to be aware of their past, to protect and preserve their architectural heritage - especially those buildings that have aesthetic and cultural importance. Working with Brad and Reid on this project, it's clear that they are staying true to the character of the original building, and honoring its historical significance while also allowing for much needed technological, structural, and safety upgrades.
-Tony Johnson, Project Architect
This is our forever home, not a 5-year plan, and it is as much of a legacy of ours as it is the Town's. We're going into this project with the mindset that the building has been here for 100 years, and it will be here 100 years from now.
-Brad Carroll
We are passionate about investing in the development of Downtown. That's why we offer home-buying incentives to our partner companies in communities like Parkview - to encourage our employees to relocate to the area and help redefine the core areas of Downtown Clayton.
-Reid Smith
The building's design, both inside and out, reflects the partner team's desire to promote and enhance the experience for those that interact with it. For those working inside or sitting in Town Square enjoying a concert, the Paper Co. Project will form a wonderful backdrop that will connect the past to the present in a meaningful way.
-Tony Johnson, Project Architect
As a downtown business owner and advocate, I am thrilled that One27Homes and Dakno have chosen Main Street as their new home. This is the largest redevelopment project that has ever been undertaken in Downtown Clayton that I can recall of my 20 plus years of business here. Barring the renovation of the Clayton Center, this is the biggest thing to ever happen to Downtown Clayton as far as repurposing and remodeling of a historic building and bringing it into the future.
-James Lipscomb, President of the Downtown Development Association
Three new companies taking over the space will bring many more business opportunities, and the 60 plus or minus jobs that are coming mean 60 more people shopping and eating here during the workday.
-David DeYoung, Town of Clayton Planning Director
With HTR completing a retrofitting and investing into their space, Deep River exploding in popularity, and the announcements of the new drinkery and insurance building, there's been this trend of growth in our downtown. This project will continue the moment of the revitalization of Clayton, and we're going to see even more growth in the years to come.
-Reid Smith
