Celebrating 75 years, Swagelok is a Strongsville community advocate — and its longtime talent and expanding workforce are a testament to the company’s success. The business started with a $500 loan from founder Fred A. Lennon’s wife’s uncle in 1947. Today, it’s a global manufacturing corporation that goes to market through more than 200 authorized sales and service centers in 70 countries. Its headquarters is in Solon, and it employs some 300
associates in its Strongsville facility.
Its presence in the city was a result of acquiring Hy-Level Industries in 2008. “It was a strategic investment,” says Lindsay Domingo, vice president, talent and communications.
Swagelok develops fluid system products, assemblies and services for the oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical, semiconductor and transportation industries.
“We are very diversified in the markets we serve, and we are seeing growth due to the semiconductor industry boom as a result of COVID and the demand for chips, since there is still a chip shortage,” Domingo says. “We are seeing strong sales in that area, and also the emerging clean energy market are all driving growth for us.”
This means expansion in Strongsville. Swagelok will hire up to 75 associates in the next 18 months to push the plant to full capacity, which is 360 associates, 325 of whom are manufacturing professionals. Recruiting in Strongsville is supported by the Polaris Career Center, located just a few miles from the facility. “It’s a great feeder, especially of young talent coming out of high school,” Domingo says.
And the city continuously asks, “How can we help you? How can we make sure people know you are hiring in the city?” Domingo relates. “That type of support and their willingness to use their platform and their voice to help employers in the city is priceless.”
A Supportive Environment
Swagelok has 118,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Strongsville in its 154,000 square-foot facility.
“When we think about where we want to locate our facilities, especially within Northeast Ohio where our population is based, we want access to supportive business environments, which is what Strongsville is,” Domingo notes. “They have great infrastructure, a location where we can draw talent locally and from neighboring suburbs, and there is a strong offering of amenities for our associates. They continue to invest in the city, which is very important to us and most business owners. We want to see a city continually investing in not only businesses by offering goods and services, but also in amenities for its residents.”
Domingo points to the Town Center project as an example of giving businesses an even greater ability to attract valuable team members — and retain them. Since acquiring Hy-Level Industries and merging the operations there, 90 Hy-Level associates are still with the business. And in 2007, there were 250 people employed in the Strongsville operation.
“Over that time period, we were able to retain that great talent,” she adds. “So when you think about why you move to a city, it’s really about that access to great people, services, location and support.”