PC gaming is a global growth industry, and Wake Forest’s Merritt Capital Business Park is home to one of its most prominent hardware providers. In August, PowerGPU, LLC assumed occupancy of 3,600 square feet of space at the park, where it now employs a 12-person workforce.
“Great things are definitely happening and we’re doing great year over year,” reports Stephanie Martinez, PowerGPU’s Chief Executive Officer. Martinez and her husband, Jese Martinez, established the company in 2019 and previously operated it out of space in Youngsville.
PowerGPU custom-builds gaming PCs tailored to the specific needs of gamers and content creators. The firm provides high-performance systems with premium components to global buyers ranging from casual gamers to serious enthusiasts. Buyers run the gamut. “Our customers are international – from the U.S. to Australia,” Martinez says. “There are no places off limits.”
As the company moved to its new space at Merritt Capital Business Park, it also embarked on an ambitious rebranding effort – a new logo, website, and cooperative promotions with leading PowerGPU users. The new logo emphasizes precision, power, and performance, the company says.
“The rebrand came after our decision to move locations and e-commerce platforms,” according to Martinez, who suggests more promotions are on the horizon. “It seems to be well-received by the community, and it's a symbol of new things to come,” she says. Though the firm’s sales occur mostly through e-commerce, the new space accommodates walk-in business and customers needing technical service. “We sell mostly online, but we do have some local customers who come by for either IT support for their current computer or to purchase a new one,” Martinez explains.
Jese Martinez began building PCs as a hobby in 1999. Twenty years later, he quit his day job to begin custom-building gaming computers full-time. “PowerGPU” had been his gamertag. Today, the firm builds PCs for some of the most prominent content creators in the industry, including “Mr. Beast” (a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson), the Greenville, N.C.-based YouTube sensation.
In 2024, there were nearly 1.9 billion PC gamers around the world – 30 million more than the year before, according to Semrush, a Boston-based global business intelligence firm.
PowerGPU suffered a setback a year ago when thieves broke into the company’s space in Youngsville late one night, stealing $30,000 in equipment. The company will appreciate the security at Merritt Capital Business Park (MCBP)—among its new neighbors is a Town of Wake Forest Police Department substation.
MCBP is one of several light industrial “flex” parks Baltimore-based Merritt Properties is developing in the Research Triangle Region. The 74-acre expanse sits off Ligon Mill Road east of Capital Boulevard. Merritt, which has a 58-year track record of successful commercial real estate development, is building the park across several phases. The company’s $80 million vision will ultimately place 452,000 square feet of space across seven buildings.
“It’s exciting to see scaling businesses like PowerGPU find their way to Merritt Capital Business Park,” says Jason Cannon, President of the Wake Forest Business and Industry Partnership (WFBIP). “This youthful, pioneering company represents a new generation of entrepreneurs, and their potential literally knows no borders. We look forward to the Town of Wake Forest being part of PowerGPU’s dynamic future,” Cannon says. “In turn, they will be part of ours.”
