Company History
Early Gar Kenyon employees celebrate.
1950
Gar Kenyon officially was formed when Kenyon Instrument and the Valve Division of Gar Precision, two companies based in Brewster, N.Y., merged. Both companies specialized in the design and manufacture of hydraulic and pneumatic components for use in military aircraft.
1962
Gar Kenyon was acquired by Heli-Coil Products of Danbury and operations were relocated to the parent company’s plant. The company continued to focus on military aircraft with approximately 75% of sales originating from such programs as the A-10, F-16, F-14 and F-18.
First GK company headquarters in Brewster, NY.
1964
Heli-Coil was acquired by Mite Corporation, and the Gar Kenyon operation was combined with Amatom Electronic Hardware and Stromberg Time and Attendance Systems.
GK employees reviewing components.
1970
Mite Corporation moved the Gar Kenyon operation to its Blake Street plant in New Haven. During this decade and especially in the 1980s, Gar Kenyon became closer aligned with Piper Aircraft and began to develop numerous hydraulic components: brakes, restrictors, shuttle valves, actuators and special components.
1988
Mite sold Gar Kenyon, Amatom and Stromberg to Quincy Technologies, a holding company based in Long Island, N.Y.
1990
Quincy Technologies sold the three companies to a newly formed firm, New Haven Manufacturing Corp. This company was the result of an employee-led leveraged buyout. Unfortunately, that group was unable to execute its plan, and was forced to sell its assets. During this decade, Gar Kenyon partnered in the development of components used in various Regional Jet aircraft.
1997
Gar Kenyon was purchased by Matthews Ventures Holdings of New Haven, CT.
New owner Steve Fournier with actuator.
2003
Steven Fournier, a certified public accountant who was then president and chief operating officer of Matthews Ventures, acquired Gar Kenyon from his employer. On the same day, Fournier closed a purchase of the 44,000-square-foot former Lewis Engineering building in Naugatuck, a building that had been vacant since 1999. He moved the operation to its present home in Naugatuck in May of that year.
2005
Over the next three years, Fournier invested about $1 million into the company, transforming it into a leaner, more efficient operation. During that span, Gar Kenyon built on its solid reputation as a leading producer of high quality engineered aircraft hydraulic and pneumatic components. The company instituted lean practices and techniques that took the waste out of the manufacturing process, reduced cost and improved quality and productivity. At the same time, a renewed focus was placed on customer satisfaction, along with attracting and retaining top talent in the engineering field.
New company logo updated in March 2011.
2010
Gar Kenyon was named “Manufacturer of the Year” by the Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce.
2011
In an effort to show the cohesiveness of the new operation, the hyphen was dropped from the name of Gar Kenyon.
Nov 2011
GPC Ball Valve
Gar Kenyon expands product line with acquisition of General Pneumatics Corporation of New Jersey.