Memphis Company Receives OPIC Small Business Loan:
There’s No Place Like Dome

For developing countries in need of efficient, inexpensive housing, a Memphis company has just the thing: domes. In fact, domes are what the company is all about.

Domes International manufactures the bulbous structures out of molded fiberglass. Some look like igloos, others big marshmallows. Among the most attractive benefits is that they require little maintenance. Energy efficient, the domes also provide protection against dangerous weather conditions such as severe monsoons, which cause horrific damage and loss of life in certain areas of the world.

For more than five years, Domes International has been a client of the U.S. Commercial Service (CS). It was through the CS that the company was able to begin exporting its dome houses to India. Domes International uses a number CS products including BuyUSA.com, an on-line service that matches U.S. suppliers with qualified buyers vetted by the CS, and Commercial News USA, a magazine that is distributed to thousands of buyers around the world.

Steve Pope, who does marketing for Domes International, says that India is in need of several million houses right now. “In all my years of experience, I have never seen a product that has the appeal and demand that this product has produced,” he said.

After its initial success in India, the company decided to establish a manufacturing facility there, in order to better accommodate its new Indian customers, and with the possibility of later supplying nearby countries such as like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In addition to selling houses worldwide, Pope says that the company is also donating homes to needy areas of the world.

According to Ree Russell, the U.S. Commercial Service’s trade specialist in Memphis who works with Domes International, “What’s so impressive about Steve (Pope) is that he takes the time to go to these places.” Where next? “We’re trying to finalize a deal in Nigeria,” said the globe trotting Pope.

Pope and his colleagues are making use of other government assistance to grow their business through exports. With the help of the CS, Domes International received financing for $1.2 million from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). “This project offers many developmental benefits to the region,” OPIC President and CEO Dr. Peter Watson said. “It will serve a market of 50 million people by providing affordable housing that will survive even the harshest conditions, and could further support businesses and even schools and farms with much-needed facilities and storage.”

Pope adds that Domes International also builds domed warehouses and water collection facilities, among others. “We can fit so many needs for different countries.”

The success of Domes International can be traced back to its founder, Joel Nickels. Said Pope, “He invented these designs, then manufactured, perfected and sold the houses out of his barn for 18 years.” Was the barn a dome? No, but that’s not a bad idea for the “genius and artist” who’s introducing dome living to thousands of grateful people all over the world.