The Mayor and Prentiss Board of Aldermen announced in their March bi-monthly meeting that a new industry is headed to Prentiss.
Tiny House Life Space, LLC, owned by James Ray Polk, will begin production in the original KHL building at John Street Extension.

“My ancestors came here in the early 1800s. I am probably related to half the town, so it is not a random town for me to open a business, it is more like a homecoming,” said Polk

Tiny House Life Space, LLC., will produce storage sheds and tiny houses.

According to Polk, the storage sheds will pack up in kits and will be shipped off to dealers around the country. “We hope to have them in stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot as well,” he added.

Production on the storage shed units will begin within the next two to three months, employing roughly 10-20.
When asked about the tiny houses, Polk replied, “Think about a studio apartment where there is a major room, enclosed bathroom and kitchenette,” said Polk. “That’s a tiny house.”

The tiny houses will go into production after the storage sheds and will come out of the factory a complete unit.

“We plan to have a network of dealers to receive the tiny houses by year two. We are aggressively targeting international markets. We are convenient to the Port of Gulfport and from there, they can be sent anywhere around the world,” said Polk.

Five year projection is 120 employees. “We have made a commitment to hire as many people from Prentiss and Jefferson Davis County as possible,” he added.

Polk and his wife, Victoria, reside in Hattiesburg, where he is an architect. They have two sons, one a MSU graduate living in Memphis, and one currently a student at MSU.

Polk is planning to move his architecture firm to Prentiss to be located in the building where the manufacturing will take place.
“I want to be a community partner. The Prentiss Headlight will be receiving regular updates to keep the citizens informed. As soon as hiring information is complete, it will be in the paper,” said Polk.

Polk signed a five year lease for the building.

Mayor Charley Dumas concluded the meeting by saying, “We’re excited to welcome this company to Prentiss and Jefferson Davis County.  We’ve been in discussions with James since last year.  He has roots in this area and his vision for jobs and growing his company here were important factors during the process.
Our goal is to help him make his dream a reality.”