By Tom Arnold, Coordinator of Economic Development for the City of Brunswick
Yes, the City of Brunswick does indeed have industrial development - and has had it for over 35 years. Not only do we have an industrial community but it is a very vibrant, productive and growing part of our corporate community. Some will be surprised to learn that we have not one, not two - but three very distinct and identifiable industrial developments. After 27 years as a resident in the Brunswick community I am still amazed that so many people I come into contact with both inside and outside of my work in city hall - some who have lived here for decades - had no idea that Brunswick has a vital industrial component as part of our corporate community.
Some explanation is clearly in order. All three of our industrial parks are zoned I-L or “Light Industrial”. You will not find any steel mills or copper smelters in Brunswick nor any other heavy impact industrial operation. But our industrial parks all offer a value laden package of location-based advantages for industrial based businesses and the city has been able to capitalize on that strength, particularly in the last ten years or so. Our three parks are rich with large and small businesses alike including warehouse and distribution, light manufacturing and assembly, tool and die, construction based businesses, information technology and computer redesign, machining and stamping, steel coatings, bar coding and scanning, chemical plating, injection molding, fabricating and welding, trade show exhibit designers, retail showcase design & manufacture, pollution control equipment, packaging materials, industrial rubber products, material handling equipment, acoustical contractors, office equipment and labeling/bar code manufacture, corporate and regional headquarters and such unique products as “cold air inflatables” (you see them as large, inflated, fabric advertising likenesses of familiar objects and characters in events such as the Rose Bowl Parade, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Super Bowl) just to name a few of the specialties calling Brunswick home.
A little history to put everything into perspective. Brunswick began working with property owner, Nationwide Insurance Company, to begin the first phase of our first industrial park in 1968. Then simply known as the Brunswick Industrial Park or Nationwide Industrial Park, the city now identifies this first venture into industrial development as the Brunswick Business Park North. That first phase was simply the construction of Industrial Parkway to dead-end at what was a cul-de-sac until 2002.
The most, and perhaps only, location familiar to many is the Skate Station facility which existed then, as today, as a tenant business in an otherwise industrial multi-tenant building. During most of the ensuing twenty years, only an occasional industrial lot was sold and developed as a new industrial business.In 1987, Nationwide completed the second phase of the then 20-year old project by constructing the next street, Nationwide Parkway, between Industrial Parkway and West 130th Street.Development continued at a slow pace until right around 1993, at which time there were still several undeveloped lots in the original Phase One area and many undeveloped lots in the newer Phase II section.
To fast-forward to today, the last 11 years have developed much more quickly. During that time, we have seen all of Phase I and Phase II completely built out, Phase III was completed and has been fully built out, Phase IV was finished in 2002 by bridging and accessing the final 20 acres of this original park on the north side of the original dead end cul-de-sac which was never completed in earlier years. One of the three lots so created has been built out while the remaining two are now accessible and marketable. The city's second industrial park, under the ownership and development of Forest City Land Group and directly across the street from the original park on the south side of SR 303, was completed in 1997 and has been approximately three quarters sold out. This industrial development is now known as Brunswick Business Park South. The city's third park, under the ownership of the Geis Company, sits directly north of the original park, was completed in 1998 and also has been approximately half sold out. This park is now known as the Brunswick Commerce Park.
At the start of 2004, our three industrial parks encompassed approximately 425 acres, represented 130 different companies operating in 93 industrial buildings, contributing approximately 3100 jobs to the city and generated approximately $79 million in wages to the city's tax base each year. Additionally, each structure contributes substantially to the real estate tax base of the city and the county in combination with a generous contribution to the tangible personal property tax base assessed on all businesses in Ohio and largely benefiting the Brunswick City Schools.
While the parks have a number of locally grown businesses, many have come to their Brunswick site from areas throughout Ohio as well as numerous other states. A recent addition came to us from a previous plant in Wichita, Kansas. Also represented are businesses that have roots or major contracts in Canada, Israel, Sweden, Mexico, England and Switzerland as well as other international distribution points. A number of our companies have a world-wide distribution network for their products.
The world has truly become a smaller place. Brunswick is proud to offer to our mix of valued corporate citizens a strategically sensitive location from which they can design, market, manufacture and distribute to the local, national and global economy.