Past Leland Swanson formed the company in 1969, but the genesis of the company began long before then. According to Ken Harris, CEO of Swanson Health Products, Leland began taking vitamins “to make his life better and help his golf game.” What started out as a lifestyle change for Leland quickly grew into something much more. Leland and his son Lee Jr., who is now the President of Swanson Health Products, began to operate the business as a small mail order supplement company. It became too big for their small storefront, so they opened up a warehouse in the Fargo Industrial Park. Over the next 20 years Swanson grew to be a powerhouse in the vitamin supplement business.
present In 2001, Swanson Health Products opened up its 200,000 square foot headquarters located at 4075 40th Ave. SW, Fargo. They recently underwent a 6,100 square foot expansion. Along with warehouses in Harrisburg, PA, and Sparks, NV, the company does north of $300 million in profit every year and is growing steadily at 10 percent a year. All of the numbers are impressive, but there is one aspect of the company that is more important to Harris. “I think the thing that we’re most proud of is the fact that we’re homegrown in this community,” Harris said. “We’re, I think, in the top 20 employers in Fargo … We’re very pleased to be here today.” The company shows its support for the community through a number of ways. Swanson Health Products is a major sponsor of the Fargo Marathon. It supports various charities like the United Way, American Red Cross, Hospice, Dakota Medical Foundation and many more.