Life is Good recently opened a 500,000 square-foot production and fulfillment facility in Hudson known as The Factory. Courtesy photo/Life is Good

HUDSON – Marking the company’s 30th anniversary, Life is Good recently celebrated the opening of its 500,000 square-foot production and fulfillment facility known as The Factory.

The building houses a photo studio and seven departments including Information Technology, Human Resources, Customer Care and Finance.

The Factory also has 12 direct-to-garment printing machines capable of producing thousands of custom apparel items on a daily basis. This will allow for faster turnaround times on customer orders and will reduce excess inventory.

“We’ve been part of the Hudson community for more than 20 years and now are planting our flag here as the permanent home of Life is Good. We’re excited to unveil our state-of-the-art highly automated production and fulfillment center, marrying innovation with nature on our sprawling 75-acre site, where 50 acres are dedicated to preserving woodlands and nature trails,” said Thomas Hassell, president of Life is Good. “With 102 robots and 12 industrial direct-to-garment printers, this 500,000 square-foot factory epitomizes efficiency. We’re honored to continue our legacy in New Hampshire and look forward to the positive impact we’ll make for years to come.”

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said she is pleased with the company’s Hudson expansion.

“It’s always exciting to see businesses in New Hampshire expand and grow, helping create good paying jobs, increase investment in local economies and contribute to the culture of the community,” she said. “I’m thrilled that the new Life is Good facility will be based in Hudson and I congratulate the team and local partners on the opening of this great facility.”

Life is Good was founded in the the fall of 1994 by brothers Bert and John Jacobs. They had spent the previous five years traveling up and down the East Coast selling t-shirts to college students. During one of their road trips, the brothers came up with a drawing of a smiling stick figure wearing a beret and the slogan: Life is Good. After garnering positive feedback from many of their friends, Bert and John had 48 t-shirts printed featuring the stick figure, who they named Jake, and the Life is Good slogan to sell at a street fair in Cambridge, Mass. The t-shirts were sold out in less than an hour.

Three decades later, Life is Good is valued at $100 million, has a line of 900 items and operates 4,500 stores throughout the country. The company also donates 10 percent of its annual profits to the Life is Good Kids Foundation to benefit more than one million children affected by violence and poverty.