Raining Rose, the Cedar Rapids-based personal care product manufacturer, announced today that it has purchased the former Color Web Printers facility at 4700 Bowling St. SW.
The company plans to transition its warehouse from a leased location on Rockwell Drive to the new, 198,884 square-foot facility on 34.59 acres.
Raining Rose will maintain its current manufacturing headquarters at 100 30th St. Drive SE, which was completed in 2012. The company also completed a $2.5 million expansion to its production and blending capabilities in 2019.
With expansion opportunities limited near its headquarters, Raining Rose needed to secure offsite warehouse space, company officials said in a news release.
“We have been leasing external warehouse space to support our growth since 2015,” said Chuck Hammond, CEO of Raining Rose. “This property came available at the right time, and makes good sense for our future, both financially and strategically.”
The Bowling Street site has a long history for Cedar Rapids. Most recently, Color Web Printers produced The Gazette, along with several other publications, with a 442-ton Goss press. That facility was opened in 1999 and ended operations Aug. 31, 2021.
In the 1920s, the acreage was the site of Hunter Field, the first airport in Cedar Rapids.
Raining Rose employs more than 300 employees in the Cedar Rapids area through its contract manufacturing and promotional supply divisions. The company produces more than 237 million units of product annually, including lip balm, lotion, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, deodorant, soap and other personal care formulas.
