Flexibility Builds Businesses at Reynolds Industrial Park

GREENVILLE, Pa. – Two years ago, as Adam and Kaitlin Walker looked for a space to expand their business, they searched western Pennsylvania. The company, Tru-Fit Fabrication, had started in a garage, but quickly grew out of that space.

Eventually, the couple, residents of Greenville, Pa., settled on a space practically in their backyard: Reynolds Industrial Park.

“What brought us to the industrial park was, one, the power output the building had in the three bays that we needed,” says Adam Walker.

In a building shared with other tenants, Tru-Fit handles welding and fabrication jobs that involve steel, aluminum, CNC plasma cutting and powder coating. Part of why the Walkers chose the space in the 1,200-acre industrial park was its capacity to handle any expansion they might have.

“There is more vacancy in our building, which is another one of the reasons we chose it. The portion we rent has a section [next to] us so we could expand a little bit,” he says.

But the major reason for picking the industrial park, he continues, was management’s flexibility in working with Tru-Fit.

“If we needed anything, we could call and they’d help. They were flexible in helping us be able to grow,” Walker says.

Since he took over as the executive director of Greenville-Reynolds Development Corp. in 2001, that kind of flexibility has been a focal point for Brad Gosser. With more than 50 tenants across a wide range of industries – fabrication, machining, distribution, energy, construction and more – the development has spaces for just about everyone.

Opened in 1951 at the former site of the U.S. Army’s Camp Reynolds, a personnel depot during World War II that saw more than a million troops pass through on their way to the European theater, Reynolds Industrial Park is home to some 300,000 square feet of space for tenants.

That number will soon grow with the completion of two 16,000-square-foot buildings at the park. Gosser notes. However, they “can expand to 108,000 square feet. … We will work with interested parties to best meet their needs,” he adds.

Even with the two major projects underway, Gosser notes that Greenville-Reynolds is able to rework its existing buildings to meet clients’ needs.

“When people need more space, it’s my job to find it for them,” he says. “There are opportunities here and I just help make connections.”

With so many companies nearby, those connections have sprung up for Tru-Fit Fabrication, Walker says. While work for other tenants of the park isn’t a major part of his business, it’s nonetheless an important one.

“It may not be a business that needs welding. Maybe a machine broke or they have something they need made to provide for their business,” he says. “It has helped that we’re local and centralized.”

Among neighbors of Tru-Fit Fabrication are the oldest tenant of the park, Salem Tube Corp., electrical transformer parts manufacturer Integrated Fabrication, Greenville Wood Products, ladder manufacturer Werner, auto-parts manufacturer PennTec, precious-metals recycler Cronimet and Lanfried Paving, which often handles paving work in the industrial park. In all, 52 companies call the park – about four miles southwest of downtown Greenville – home.

For all tenants, regardless of whether their businesses are in western Pennsylvania or around the world, the location of the park is a big draw.

“We offer easy access to international airports in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Erie and Akron, with great access to Interstates 79, 80 and 376,” Gosser says. “Because of our location, half of the U.S. major markets are within a one-day drive.”

Reynolds Industrial Park is also within a Keystone Opportunity Zone, granting tenants breaks on state and local taxes, including net profits and income taxes, local sales tax and business gross receipts.

With leadership’s commitment to helping tenants nurture their businesses, Reynolds Industrial Park was a perfect fit for Tru-Fit to begin operations. And while there are no plans to move into one of the 16,000-square-foot buildings being erected across the street, there is room in the current building to expand if needed.

And just giving companies that opportunity, Gosser says, is what the Greenville-Reynolds Development Corp. is all about.

“We can provide startup businesses with spacious, modern buildings to expedite their progress,” he says. “We are here to assist business owners. Their success is our success.”

Pictured: Adam Walker expanded his business, Tru-Fit Fabrication, when it moved to the Reynolds Industrial Park in Greenville, Pa. 

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