Our company was founded in 1892 by Edward
Gornell (pictured in photo at left) in downtown Chicago, Illinois. At that time the company produced
hand-laced and cement set industrial brushes for the jewelry and tanning
industries.
Edward Gornell brought his
son Raymond into the business at a very early age.
Raymond
Gornell was a grammar school student when he began delivering packages for the
family business, E. Gornell & Sons, Inc.
, a small, west side Chicago brush
factory.
Raymond Gornell nurtured the
business and became president and owner. From
there it quickly grew to be a well respected company with a reputation as a
custom designer and manufacturer of brushes for industry and maintenance.
Mr. Gornell helped develop E. Gornell & Sons, Inc. into one of the oldest
and most successful brush companies in the United States with exports worldwide.
His employees, some having been with the company for over 30 years, described Ray as
"loyal, kind...a gentle man."
Raymond Gornell was president and owner of
E. Gornell & Sons, Inc.
for over thirty years and
passed away November 17, 1998 at the age of 83.
Gornell & Sons still remains as it was in 1892, family operated, with Gus Treslo
(president) and Marjorie Gornell (vice-president) now running the business.
Since its early days,
Gornell & Sons established itself as a brush engineering firm, as well as a
manufacturer, and has taken pride in its ability to turn a customer's
simple drawing into products. As the company's turn-of-the-century
advertisements read, "Send us a diagram or sketch of the brush
desired. We can duplicate or modify any style brush from a sample, blue
print or sketch."
 Today
We have come along way since
the hand work that was done in 1892. Today, our company has the latest
computerized automated equipment
for high speed production of quality brushes. Changeover times are greatly decreased
allowing us to manufacture small quantities with minimal setup charges.
We are a proud member of:
The Greater North-Pulaski Development Corporation  
U.S. Chamber of Commerce  
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THE U.S.A