G&T Celebrates the Life and Accomplishments of Two of our Founders

November has been a trying month for the G&T family. We have lost two of our founders, Bob Wood and Ken Tarbell.

Karl Kenneth “Ken” Tarbell ll passed away on November 16, 2015. Ken partnered with Bob Greiner to create G&T Industries in 1954 to produce office seating foam. Ken and Bob soon began expanding their business into other industries like automotive and medical packaging.

Ken made a positive impact on many G&T employees. “Ken was a kind and gentle man. Slow to anger, full of encouragement and humor, generous, loved to hunt and fish, and a great example of what an owner of a company should be like”, said David Hoekstra, Engineer, “I took from him his leadership skills and his work ethics – working hard but also playing hard as well. A one of a kind man whom I admired greatly and will miss.”

Robert “Bob” Wood, age 84 passed away on Saturday November 7, 2015. In 1957 Bob joined Bob Greiner and Ken Tarbell, the founders of G&T Industries as a partner. Bob became president of G&T in 1977. In 2005, Bob was instrumental in creating our ESOP by selling the business back to G&T employees.

G&T will forever be thankful for the great leadership and opportunities Bob provided us. “Bob Wood gave all G&T employees a wonderful opportunity when he sold G&T Industries to our ESOP in 2005 even though he had other options for the potential sale of the company.  Our futures as employee/owners now are all brighter and more predictable due to Bob’s vision, foresight, and generosity”, said Rol Grit, President and CEO.

Ken and Bob worked hard to create a sound foundation for G&T. We look forward to carrying on their legacy.

G&T Industries, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned company (ESOP) that has been solving complex problems for over 60 years. The company uses a people-centric philosophy and unmatched capabilities in foam and rubber fabrication, contract assembly, global sourcing and order fulfillment to create innovative solutions for customers in the automotive, medical, furniture and marine industries. Headquartered in Byron Center, Michigan, the company also operates facilities in Reading, Pennsylvania, Jasper, Indiana, and Ningbo, China.

For more information, please contact G&T Industries at 1-800-968-6035.