The last original industrial anchor and oldest ongoing business in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown, Federal Corporation, is set to move to a new location just west of downtown.
Founded in 1918, the Federal Corporation at 120 E Main, specializing in boilers, piping and fittings, was led by three successive generations of the Loeffler family until it was sold to new owner John Lippe just weeks before the start of the pandemic in 2020.
The company’s upcoming departure has more than the blessing of Alan Loeffler, the last of his family to lead the company. He is also a mentor and friend to Lippe.
“We had no control over the new owner or over what might happen,” Loeffler said. “I didn’t think John was going to grow the business as fast as he has and outgrow the facility.”
Bricktown was a bustling warehouse and industrial district when it was chosen as the company’s home by the founder of Federal Corporation, Louis Loeffler Sr.
The city itself was not even 30 years old at the time. Louis Loeffler Sr. had learned about steam heating while working in Chicago and was fortunate in his timing to establish his business in Oklahoma City.
His earliest jobs included the state Capitol, followed by the county courthouse and the Civic Center buildings. The company expanded in place, adding a second floor that rose against the Walnut Avenue bridge spanning a busy rail yard.
When Alan Loeffler, the third generation to lead the company, joined in October 1976, the district was “scary.” It was still home to some lingering warehouse and industrial companies. But the district itself was dark, many of its buildings showing years of neglect, and streets so unsafe that female employees had to be escorted to their cars at night.
The Bricktown Lippe is saying goodbye to is one filled with hotels, restaurants, shops, entertainment, offices and housing. It’s an entertainment district where a California developer has drawn worldwide headlines with his plans to build four skyscrapers, one of which, if built, will be the tallest in the United States.
Looking back, Loeffler believes the sale of the company, and its upcoming move, was inevitable. His son, Daniel Loeffler, was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and died two years later as the company celebrated its centennial.
“I was the third generation Loeffler,” he said. “My son Daniel was the fourth. When he contracted colon cancer and died, we had to jump back in the saddle.”
Daniel Loeffler was an attorney and had discussed selling the business before his death. As Alan Loeffler and his sisters returned to lead the business, they began to look at how best to find a buyer.
Lippe, a Tulsa native, was running a company in Kansas City at the time but wanted to return to Oklahoma. Armed with a Harvard MBA, Lippe had learned how acquiring an existing business can be a preferable alternative to starting from scratch.
“I looked at a bunch of companies,” Lippe said. “I wanted to be an owner-operator. I reached out to hundreds of companies and fell in love with Alan and his family’s values.”
Lippe himself had a background in mechanical engineering. Loeffler, meanwhile, connected with one of Lippe’s mentors who was among those advocating entrepreneurship through acquisition.
“I connected with Alan in spring of 2019,” Lippe said. “I told him my story. We were both in scouts, we were both Christians. We had similar values.”
Visiting last week outside the business, Lippe was reminded of the relationship the Loefflers formed over the years with their customers when one visitor picking up parts discussed how he first started patronizing Federal Corporation in the 1970s.
That relationship, Lippe said, kept him afloat during the darkest days of the pandemic.
“It was scary,” Lippe said. “But It’s a great company, it has great customers, and we had a previous owner supportive of me to get through the tough times.”
Lippe’s expansion of the business includes going back to the original vision of Louis Loeffler that combined manufacturing and distribution of equipment and parts.
Finding an industrial location within proximity of downtown wasn’t easy, but last month Lippe closed on the purchase of the former KP Supply at 5 N Pennsylvania Ave. The property has twice the space of the historic home of Federal Corporation with enough land for expansion.
“We were very intentional,” Lippe said. “I’ve been looking for a while. I knew we were outgrowing this space. I talked to all of our customers and while they love the history of the location, it’s hard to get in and out of. They have trailers, and they have these semis dropping off inventory.”
Lippe said customers informed about the move like the new location with its proximity to Interstate 40. Lippe recently filed building permits for the new location that includes renovation of customer interaction spaces and the addition of a training room.
The future of the historic property, meanwhile, is uncertain with the Loefflers looking at what to do next.
Photos and mementos displayed by the Loefflers over the decades remain in place at the offices in Bricktown and will be displayed again at the new headquarters, Lippe said.
“I want to do my best to keep the Loeffler legacy alive,” Lippe said. “I want to keep it going another hundred years.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Bricktown’s last link to its industrial past to move out in 2025
