1930
Gordon Russell Limited is Founded
The story began when Gordon Russell was employed by Peacock Brothers Limited, an industrial supply company in his hometown of Montreal where he was exposed to the growing industry in Western Canada. It was then that Gordon Russell decided on his move to Vancouver to start his own business. Thus, Gordon Russell Limited was born.
Gordon's first order of business was to choose a gear manufacturer to represent. So, he traveled to England and visited gear manufacturers there. He met with notable brands, such as Moss, Highfield, and David Brown Radicon. In the end, he chose to work with David Brown Radicon as Gordon believed them to be the best market option for the growing British Columbia industries in forestry and underground coal mining.
1950
Moving Forward
Gordon’s eldest son, Charles, entered the business followed by his younger brother, John, six years later. By this time, Gordon Russell had moved from downtown offices to an industrial space on 5th Avenue in Vancouver, complete with a warehouse to accommodate increasing inventory.
Gordon Russell began distributing Trackmobile Product in British Columbia, initially as an agent to Whiting, Canada out of Welland, Ontario.
Eventually, Gordon Russell became the factory-authorized dealer with territory rights for the Province of British Columbia.
1960
Booming British Columbia
The 1960s were a boom decade for British Columbia Industry. The original sawmills and pulp and paper mills were predominantly clustered in the Southwest corner of the province, and the 60s and 70s saw new large mills move to the interior of the province – replacing the small mills that had previously existed.
Gordon Russell was a dominant supplier of power transmission products to these new mills, stocking components in Vancouver and assembling in the required configurations to fulfill demand.
1970
growing pains
Outgrowing the Vancouver location, Gordon Russell moved to a larger facility in Richmond. They acquired a larger warehouse and dedicated a workshop area to facilitate the growing Power Transmission and Trackmobile divisions.
A new partnership was formed with Fawick Airflex at the time. Substantial business began streaming in from the fabrication and assembly of base plate drives, complete with motor, reducer and clutches.
1990
Rising To The Challenge
The slowing growth of British Columbia’s forestry and coal industries proved a challenging decade for Gordon Russell's Power Transmission division, as large greenfield mill projects being built. The business relied on MRO business, plant upgrades, and a growing Trackmobile business.
2000
Big Moves
Gordon Russell was granted exclusive Trackmobile rights for the Province of Alberta in September 2000, closely followed by the establishment of a permanent sales / service facility in Red Deer. Alberta's booming economy during this decade brought new opportunities to Gordon Russell; Oil and Gas, Petrochemicals, Agriculture and more for all its products.
2003
Gordon Russell & Bonfiglioli
Gordon Russell has became an authorized build center for Bonfiglioli Industrial Gearing Division. Industry preferences had shifted away from inefficient Worm Gearboxes and demanded more efficient and power dense gear reducers. As an industry leader in Planetary Gearboxes, Gordon Russell became an authorized Bonfiglioli dealer and build center for the 300 series planetary gearbox.
The modularity, quality, size range and configurability of the 300 series aligns well with our core focus of keeping our customers moving. Gradual success breaking into sawmills, mining, oil and gas and mobile application provide renewed growth in our Power Transmission offerings.
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