FRANKLIN
Highground Services Inc., a Franklin-based multi-million dollar electrical, engineering and construction company, celebrated the relocating of their headquarters to the historic former Franklin Power & Light Plant on Thursday afternoon.

According to Jimmy Strozier, Highground’s CEO, the company relocated a majority of its employees and operations to the former power plant on 500 N. Mechanic St., at the end of 2016 after over a year of renovations to the building.

Prior to moving, Highground had been a tenant of the Franklin Business Center, right across the street from their current location, and still has five employees working out of the business center office.

When Highground purchased the building in 2015, it was in a state of extreme disrepair. Strozier said renovations began in October 2015 and cost around $1.3 million — and they’re still not quite finished.

The building was originally built in 1904 and, in addition to serving as the former location of Franklin Power & Light, it was the city’s fire station during the 1920s.

The renovations have preserved the industrial character of the building in the form of exposed brick walls and rafters.

Attendees at the reception included Franklin’s mayor, Frank Rabil, city councilmen Bobby Cutchins and Greg McLemore and City Attorney H. Taylor Williams IV.

Highground was founded in 2006 by John and Rose Warren, both now retired, and relocated from its Main Street location to the Franklin Business Center in 2007. They quickly grew into a multi-million dollar company, earning $7.1 million in gross revenue last year, and began working with Amanda Jarratt of Franklin-Southampton Economic Development Inc. in 2014 to find a permanent location for their headquarters. They currently have 65 employees.