Roberto Valenzuela,70, assembles brushes at Gordon Brush Manufacturing Co. Inc. in City of Industry. The business is a leading manufacturer of specialty, custom, and standard brushes for industrial, commercial, and consumer purposes. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, San Gabriel Valley Tribune/ SCNG)
Gordon Brush had plenty of chances to leave.
The City of Industry-based maker of brushes for industrial, commercial and consumer use has been actively recruited by several states over the years. The company had a private meeting with the governor of Arizona and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (now the nation’s secretary of energy) also expressed interest.
But despite those offers — and an increasingly global market that has prompted scores of U.S. companies to shift their operations elsewhere where labor is cheaper — Gordon Brush has stayed put. For 67 years.
That commitment to remaining an American manufacturer has not been lost on Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-El Monte. She stopped by the 183,000-square foot manufacturing complex in late August to present President and CEO Ken Rakusin with a certificate of congressional recognition.
Sample brushes manufactured at Gordon Brush Manufacturing Co. Inc. in City of Industry are shown here. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, San Gabriel Valley Tribune/ SCNG)
The City of Industry-based maker of brushes for industrial, commercial and consumer use has been actively recruited by several states over the years. The company had a private meeting with the governor of Arizona and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (now the nation’s secretary of energy) also expressed interest.
But despite those offers — and an increasingly global market that has prompted scores of U.S. companies to shift their operations elsewhere where labor is cheaper — Gordon Brush has stayed put. For 67 years.
That commitment to remaining an American manufacturer has not been lost on Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-El Monte. She stopped by the 183,000-square foot manufacturing complex in late August to present President and CEO Ken Rakusin with a certificate of congressional recognition.
Sample brushes manufactured at Gordon Brush Manufacturing Co. Inc. in City of Industry are shown here. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, San Gabriel Valley Tribune/ SCNG)
American Commitment
“We salute his ongoing commitment to manufacturing products in the San Gabriel Valley, which supports local jobs and benefits other businesses in our region and beyond,” Napolitano said in a statement. “This well-deserved honor recognizes his extraordinary efforts to promote American-made goods and preserve the economic health of our nation.”
Rakusin said his business philosophy stems from his loyalty to country and his employees.
“Gordon Brush is proud to be an American manufacturer and has been steadfast in its commitment to manufacturing in the United States, even under competitive threats,” he said. “All of this could not have been possible without my valued, long-tenured, skilled employees.”
Founded in 1951, Gordon Brush Manufacturing Co. Inc. includes two product brands that date back to the mid- to late 1800s. The company, at 3737 Capital Ave., employs 150 full-time workers. Some have been with the business for more than 40 years.
Lots of brushes
The specialty manufacturer makes more than 17,000 types of brushes used in the aerospace, medical, electronics, janitorial, military, aerospace and pharmaceutical industries.
Duster brushes, strip brushes, bore brushes, detail brushes, flow-thru brushes … the list is long. And along the way, Gordon Brush has amassed a roster of clients that includes Boeing, McMaster-Carr, Motion Industries and Techni-Tool, among others.
“Fifty percent of our business is in custom brushes,” said Alan Schechter, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We’ve made brushes for the Apache helicopter and the lunar landing.”
At the other end of the spectrum, one of the company’s more popular products is the consumer-oriented FootMate System. The unit includes a set of brushes that are attached to a rubber base lined with small suction cups. The FootMate can be placed on the floor of a shower stall or bathroom. After a gel is applied, users can rub their feet back and forth through the brushes, which massage tender areas of the foot and remove dead skin.
Steel Tariffs
Schechter said the company is doing well, although it has been negatively impacted by the Trump administration’s 25 percent tariff on imported steel.
“Our costs have gone up as a result of the tariff,” he said. “I’ll leave it to the political powers to figure out where the balance is for the U.S. manufacturing community … where we can buy materials in a way that doesn’t put us out of business.”
By KEVIN SMITH | kvsmith@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Kevin Smith handles business news and editing for the Southern California News Group, which includes 11 newspapers, websites and social media channels. He covers everything from employment, technology and housing to retail, corporate mergers and business-based apps. Kevin often writes stories that highlight the local impact of trends occurring nationwide. And the focus is always to shed light on why those issues matter to readers in Southern California.
“We salute his ongoing commitment to manufacturing products in the San Gabriel Valley, which supports local jobs and benefits other businesses in our region and beyond,” Napolitano said in a statement. “This well-deserved honor recognizes his extraordinary efforts to promote American-made goods and preserve the economic health of our nation.”
Rakusin said his business philosophy stems from his loyalty to country and his employees.
“Gordon Brush is proud to be an American manufacturer and has been steadfast in its commitment to manufacturing in the United States, even under competitive threats,” he said. “All of this could not have been possible without my valued, long-tenured, skilled employees.”
Founded in 1951, Gordon Brush Manufacturing Co. Inc. includes two product brands that date back to the mid- to late 1800s. The company, at 3737 Capital Ave., employs 150 full-time workers. Some have been with the business for more than 40 years.
Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-El Monte, meets with Ken Rakusin, president and CEO of Gordon Brush Manufacturing Co. Inc. in City of Industry.
The specialty manufacturer makes more than 17,000 types of brushes used in the aerospace, medical, electronics, janitorial, military, aerospace and pharmaceutical industries.
Duster brushes, strip brushes, bore brushes, detail brushes, flow-thru brushes … the list is long. And along the way, Gordon Brush has amassed a roster of clients that includes Boeing, McMaster-Carr, Motion Industries and Techni-Tool, among others.
“Fifty percent of our business is in custom brushes,” said Alan Schechter, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We’ve made brushes for the Apache helicopter and the lunar landing.”
At the other end of the spectrum, one of the company’s more popular products is the consumer-oriented FootMate System. The unit includes a set of brushes that are attached to a rubber base lined with small suction cups. The FootMate can be placed on the floor of a shower stall or bathroom. After a gel is applied, users can rub their feet back and forth through the brushes, which massage tender areas of the foot and remove dead skin.
Steel Tariffs
Schechter said the company is doing well, although it has been negatively impacted by the Trump administration’s 25 percent tariff on imported steel.
“Our costs have gone up as a result of the tariff,” he said. “I’ll leave it to the political powers to figure out where the balance is for the U.S. manufacturing community … where we can buy materials in a way that doesn’t put us out of business.”
By KEVIN SMITH | kvsmith@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Kevin Smith handles business news and editing for the Southern California News Group, which includes 11 newspapers, websites and social media channels. He covers everything from employment, technology and housing to retail, corporate mergers and business-based apps. Kevin often writes stories that highlight the local impact of trends occurring nationwide. And the focus is always to shed light on why those issues matter to readers in Southern California.
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