Alvarado Industrial

As the name indicates, this section of Union City on its far northwestern end is dedicated to warehouses and industrial pursuits. Companies that have facilities here include WHCI Plumbing Supply (which specializes in water heaters), SigmaTron (an electronics manufacturers), J & K Cabinetry, Ariat International (an equestrian footwear maker), and Max Speed Performance (an auto parts seller).

As you have no doubt noticed these are not exactly household names. Just to the north in Hayward you have a Pepsi bottling facility and one of Macy’s logistics hq’s. In this section of Union City, however, you mostly find the kind of companies that provide services for other companies. These B2B’s are by nature smaller and focused on a niche, but they are the kinds of mid-sized businesses that create the Bay Area’s thriving and dynamic economy.

Alvarado Industrial also has some client facing businesses however such as the Dragons Den Mixed Martial Arts Studio, Cricket Strike Zone (an indoor hitting range for baseball and cricket), Pump-It-Up (a kid’s party facility chain) and an elementary school.

Although you would definitely not want to live here, I think given the economy, there are lots of folks who would love to have a job here--even with the unappealing industrial look of this place.