Gorbel Celebrates 40 Years of Manufacturing

Gorbel Inc., a Victor, NY-based manufacturer of material handling and fall protection equipment, celebrates 40 years of manufacturing excellence this year. It marked the occasion with a large celebration for employees, families, and special guests at the Fishers Run headquarters on Friday 8 September.

Gorbel was founded by Clarkson graduate Dave Reh in 1977 as a manufacturer of I-beam jib cranes. Over the years, the company expanded its product line and outgrew the original location in Fairport. Gorbel moved to the current headquarters on Fishers Run in 1990. In 2003, Dave’s son, Brian, became president.

The Gorbel product line now includes Work Station Cranes, Gantry Cranes, Cleveland Tramrail Patented Track Cranes, Tether Track Rigid Rail Fall Protection Anchor Systems, and G-Force Intelligent Lifting Devices.

In 2015, Gorbel expanded beyond the industrial realm by applying the G-Force lifting technology to the medical rehabilitation world with its SafeGait line of rehab solutions, including the SafeGait 360 Balance and Mobility Trainer, the SafeGait EMBRACE Rehabilitation Harness, and the SafeGait ACTIVE Dynamic Mobility Trainer. In fact, Gorbel founder Dave Reh recently had back surgery, and is using the SafeGait system as part of his inpatient rehabilitation at Strong Memorial Hospital.

In addition to the Victor headquarters, Gorbel also has manufacturing plants in Pell City, Alabama and Tianjin, China. Gorbel now employs hundreds of employees worldwide, including over 350 people locally.

Gorbel manufactures a range of material handling and fall protection equipment. Its free standing work station jib cranes can be bolted directly to an existing floor without adding special foundations.

“On behalf of everyone at Gorbel, we are grateful to build upon the foundation that my father, Dave Reh, set in place 40 years ago when he took the entrepreneurial leap to start Gorbel,” said Brian Reh. “Our team has been lucky to have such incredible employees and families of employees throughout the journey. From our humble roots in 1977 to the 400+ global employees who call Gorbel home today, every ounce of our success points to the values, teamwork, and growth-oriented culture that we all share. Our mission is to improve people’s lives and I can’t wait to see Gorbel’s positive impacts in the world in the years to come. Here’s to the next 40!”