Swope Park Industrial Association (SPIA)

Background and History
A 1950s marketing brochure promoting the Swope Park Industrial Center (now Swope Park Industrial Park - SPIA) headlines its sales presentation with, “An Industrial Park Within a Park”. The establishment of the Park began with the pioneering of the first industrial plant in the area for the now defunct Imco Container Company – which, at the time, had become a division of Rexall Drugs. The developers, then, maintained that the factors that led to the acquisition of the site for Imco spurred them to acquire additional land and create the Park. Those factors were accessibility, excellent topography, attractive surroundings, and a location in the center of the metropolitan area.

Today, many of the Park’s tenants share the sentiments of those early-day developers – notwithstanding some challenges from flooding and limited access to the Park itself. The Park’s tenants include manufacturing concerns, and service companies. Salvajor – in business since 1944 – constructed its building in 1965; Gasket Engineering Co. is now located in the former Marion Labs facilities; and Livers Bronze company occupies approximately 140,000 square feet in two buildings. Other smaller concerns are scattered throughout the Park.

A number of pressing issues prevent the Park from truly being the idyllic business location envisioned in the ‘50s marketing brochure, in which “…the site is such an integral part of (Swope Park) itself that as place of employment and industry it enjoys surroundings that are a far cry from the congested, grimy, industrial areas which are a thing of the past”. Swope Park Industrial Area is subject to periodic flooding from the Blue River. The Blue River produces flash flooding that threatens the industrial park and its employees. The entire industrial park lies within the one percent chance (100-year event) flood plain.  The result of flooding is to cut off access to and from the industrial park while inundating it, increasing the potential for loss of life. A floodwall and levee system around the perimeter of industrial park is needed to provide critical flood protection and ensure continued economic viability of this manufacturing center.

Major Businesses in Area

• Salvajor
• Gasket Engineering
• Livers Bronze