First Alert Forward: Canadian entrepreneurs bet on St. Louis region for business growth

As featured in First Alert 4 — April 1, 2026

Read and Watch the Story Here: https://www.firstalert4.com/2026/04/01/first-alert-forward-canadian-entrepreneurs-bet-st-louis-region-business-growth/ Most founders pick a city. MBS' Founder, Mark Turnbull let the city pick him. After years of building in Canada and months of scoping markets across the United States, the founder and CEO of Module Building Systems (MBS) landed in St. Louis — and he's not looking back.

This week, First Alert 4's David Amelotti featured Turnbull as part of a special report on Canadian entrepreneurs choosing the St. Louis region as their base for growth. The story captures something MBS has lived from the inside: this city has a gravitational pull that's hard to explain until you feel it.

The epiphany that started it all

Turnbull's path to modular construction began with a simple observation about complexity. Buildings are not complicated — cars are complicated. A modern automobile has roughly 30,000 parts and rolls off the line in 18 hours. A house? It's made of about 10 core components. So why does it take so long?

"You look at a car. 30,000 parts, 18 hours, it's off the line. 10 parts in a building. Why can't we do it the same?" — Mark Turnbull, Founder & CEO, Module Building Systems

That question became the foundation of MBS — a flat-pack, panelized building system designed to bring manufacturing precision to housing construction. The goal: faster builds, lower costs, and real solutions to the affordable housing crisis.

Six cities. One clear winner.

Before settling on St. Louis, Turnbull evaluated markets across the country — Bellingham, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Memphis, TN; and Nashville, TN. Each had something to offer. But St. Louis had something different: momentum.

"Everything was like a domino effect," Turnbull told First Alert 4. "The business community here is incredibly, incredibly supportive. It's like 1 degree of separation to get to Maxine Clark or Bob Clark or any of these big, big people."

From a logistics standpoint, St. Louis also checks every box. Sitting at the geographic center of the country with unmatched highway, rail, and river access, it's a natural hub for a company that needs to move materials and modular kits efficiently across the region.

Building in the Ville

MBS isn't just talking about housing — the team is actively delivering. Turnbull and his team have a multimillion-dollar deal to build new homes in the Ville neighborhood, one of St. Louis's most storied communities. The company is preparing to move nearly $2 million in equipment into production to manufacture modular home kits for the project.

It's the kind of work that connects directly to the city's most pressing need: quality, affordable housing at scale. MBS's panelized system is purpose-built for exactly this — infill lots, tight timelines, and community-centered development.

Why any founder should be here

When asked what St. Louis offers that other cities couldn't, Turnbull's answer went well beyond logistics or deal flow. It was about what it means to build something that matters.

"I don't know why you wouldn't be here. You have an opportunity to build something, to reset the community, reset the city. And to me, that's exciting. Any founder — they're building something. Do you feel like you could build a city along with your company at the same time?" — Mark Turnbull, Founder & CEO, Module Building Systems

That mindset — company and community as one project — sits at the heart of everything MBS does. Founded in 2021, MBS was built to serve the intersection of affordable housing, disaster relief, and community development. St. Louis isn't just a market. It's a mission.

Ready to build with us?

Whether you're a developer, nonprofit, municipality, or community partner, MBS is actively working with collaborators who share a vision for smarter, faster, more affordable construction. [Get in touch with the MBS team.]