diff --git a/backend/api.py b/backend/api.py
index fa0ef971..bf8ef958 100644
--- a/backend/api.py
+++ b/backend/api.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 from backend.routes.auth import bp as auth_bp
 from backend.routes.healthcheck import bp as healthcheck_bp
 from backend.utils import dev_only
+from backend.importer.loop import Importer
 
 
 def create_app(config: Optional[str] = None):
@@ -34,7 +35,8 @@ def create_app(config: Optional[str] = None):
     #     db.create_all()
 
     # start background processor for SQS imports
-
+    importer = Importer(queue_name=config_obj.SCRAPER_SQS_QUEUE_NAME)
+    importer.start()
 
     return app
 
diff --git a/backend/config.py b/backend/config.py
index 294f8602..e2205470 100644
--- a/backend/config.py
+++ b/backend/config.py
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ class Config(object):
         "http://localhost:" + FRONTEND_PORT
     )
 
+    SCRAPER_SQS_QUEUE_NAME = os.environ.get("SCRAPER_SQS_QUEUE_NAME")
+
     @property
     def SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI(self):
         return "postgresql://%s:%s@%s:%s/%s" % (
diff --git a/backend/database/core.py b/backend/database/core.py
index 3a49e4c5..7304c1df 100644
--- a/backend/database/core.py
+++ b/backend/database/core.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """This file defines the database connection, plus some terminal commands for
 setting up and tearing down the database.
 
-Do not import anything directly from `backend.database._core`. Instead, import
+Do not importer anything directly from `backend.database._core`. Instead, importer
 from `backend.database`.
 """
 import os
diff --git a/backend/import/__init__.py b/backend/importer/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from backend/import/__init__.py
rename to backend/importer/__init__.py
diff --git a/backend/import/loaders/__init__.py b/backend/importer/loaders/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from backend/import/loaders/__init__.py
rename to backend/importer/loaders/__init__.py
diff --git a/backend/import/loop.py b/backend/importer/loop.py
similarity index 72%
rename from backend/import/loop.py
rename to backend/importer/loop.py
index 68b73cd8..f5f73b2d 100644
--- a/backend/import/loop.py
+++ b/backend/importer/loop.py
@@ -1,12 +1,23 @@
 from io import BytesIO
 from logging import getLogger
+from threading import Thread
 from time import sleep
 
 import boto3
 import ujson
 
-class Importer:
+
+class Loader:
+    def __init__(self, content: bytes):
+        self.content = content
+
+    def load(self):
+        raise Exception("unimplemented; extend this class to write a load migration.")
+
+
+class Importer(Thread):
     def __init__(self, queue_name: str, region: str = "us-east-1"):
+        super().__init__(daemon=True)  # TODO: ideally we would have a function on the app to catch shutdown events and close gracefully, but until then daemon it is.
         self.queue_name = queue_name
         self.session = boto3.Session(region_name=region)
         self.sqs_client = self.session.client("sqs")
@@ -14,6 +25,10 @@ def __init__(self, queue_name: str, region: str = "us-east-1"):
         self.sqs_queue_url = self.sqs_client.get_queue_url(QueueName=self.queue_name)
         self.logger = getLogger(self.__class__.__name__)
 
+        self.loader_map: dict[str, Loader] = {
+            # this should be a mapping of s3 key prefix : loader class for that file type
+        }
+
     def run(self):
         while True:
             resp = self.sqs_client.receive_message(
@@ -36,15 +51,14 @@ def run(self):
                         fileobj.seek(0)
                         content = fileobj.read()
 
-                    # TODO: we now have an in-memory copy of the s3 file content. This is where we would run the import.
+                    # TODO: we now have an in-memory copy of the s3 file content. This is where we would run the importer.
                     #  we want a standardized importer class; we would call something like below:
-                    #   loader = Loader(content).load()
+                    #   loader = self.get_loader_for_content_type(key)
+                    #   loader(content).load()
 
                     self.logger.info(f"Imported s3://{bucket_name}/{key}")
 
-class Loader:
-    def __init__(self, content: bytes):
-        self.content = content
-
-    def load(self):
-        raise Exception("unimplemented; extend this class to write a load migration.")
+    def get_loader_for_content_type(self, s3_key: str) -> Loader:
+        # s3 keys should be of format /subject/source/time.jsonl
+        prefix = "/".join(s3_key.split("/")[:-1])
+        return self.loader_map[prefix]
diff --git a/frontend/babel.config.js b/frontend/babel.config.js
index d3a6c601..772bf826 100644
--- a/frontend/babel.config.js
+++ b/frontend/babel.config.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module.exports = {
   plugins: ["inline-react-svg"],
   env: {
     test: {
-      plugins: ["transform-dynamic-import"]
+      plugins: ["transform-dynamic-importer"]
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/helpers/api/mocks/browser.ts b/frontend/helpers/api/mocks/browser.ts
index 5e73c934..ca6ace3e 100644
--- a/frontend/helpers/api/mocks/browser.ts
+++ b/frontend/helpers/api/mocks/browser.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { handlers, rejectUnhandledApiRequests } from "./handlers"
 
 export const worker = setupWorker(...handlers)
 
-/** Starts worker, convenience for conditional import */
+/** Starts worker, convenience for conditional importer */
 export const startWorker = () => {
   worker.start({
     onUnhandledRequest: rejectUnhandledApiRequests
diff --git a/frontend/tests/helpers/api.e2e.test.ts b/frontend/tests/helpers/api.e2e.test.ts
index 61ee78d4..8c38238f 100644
--- a/frontend/tests/helpers/api.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/helpers/api.e2e.test.ts
@@ -3,5 +3,5 @@ import { server } from "../test-utils"
 /** Turn off API mocking for the test so we use the real API */
 beforeAll(() => server.close())
 
-/** Re-import the main test file to pick up the tests */
+/** Re-importer the main test file to pick up the tests */
 require("./api.test")
diff --git a/requirements/docs.txt b/requirements/docs.txt
index cdaf7f87..88aef5fb 100644
--- a/requirements/docs.txt
+++ b/requirements/docs.txt
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ pymdown-extensions==10.8.1
     #   mkdocs-material
 python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
     # via
-    #   ghp-import
+    #   ghp-importer
     #   mkdocs-macros-plugin
 pyyaml==6.0.1
     # via