1930
Gordon Russell Limited is Founded
During Gordon Russell's employment at Peacock Brothers Limited, an industrial supply company in his hometown of Montreal, he was exposed to the growing industry in Western Canada. Gordon Russell decided to leave that employer, move to Vancouver, and start his own business, Gordon Russell Limited.
Gordon traveled to England to choose a gear manufacturer to represent. Of those visited - Moss, Highfield, and David Brown Radicon – he chose David Brown Radicon to market to the growing BC Forestry and underground coal mining industries.
1950
Moving Forward
Gordon’s eldest son Charles entered the business, followed six years later by his younger brother John. By this time GRL 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 the Trackmobile Product in British Columbia, initially as an agent to Whiting Canada out of Welland, Ontario, later becoming 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 their 5th Avenue Vancouver location, Gordon Russell Limited moved to a larger facility in Richmond, BC. They acquired a large warehouse and dedicated shop area to facilitate the growing Power Transmission and Trackmobile business.
A new partnership was formed with Fawick Airflex and their line of clutches and brakes. Substantial business stemmed 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 Limited Power Transmission Business, as large greenfield mill projects being built. The business relied on MRO business, plant upgrades, and a growing Trackmobile business.
2000
Big Moves
GRL was granted exclusive Trackmobile rights for Province of Alberta 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 Limited; Oil and Gas, Petrochemicals, Agriculture and more for all it’s products.
2003
Gordon Russell & Bonfiglioli
GRL became an authorized build centre 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 Limited became an authorized Bonfiglioli dealer and build centre 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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