MEMBER PROFILE GMS Piling Products Grows with Allison Swindell at the Helm GMS Pi l ing Products in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, gives voice to the well-known proverb, “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.” Founded in 2009 by Gene Swindell, the deep foundation industry products company has become a major manufacturer and supplier of materials and tooling for drilling and piledriving contactors. Its ever-expanding product line includes micropile casing, pipe piling, sheet piling, DTH hammers and bits, overburden drill systems, duplex and flange adapters, rotary casing, drill rods, tooling and fabrication. That’s a pretty extensive list for a company that started with a limited range of products in a small plant in central Pennsylvania. In 2015, Allison Swindell took the reins at GMS while husband, Gene, began to focus on his new company, Piling Solutions. As is often the case with a family-style business that grows exponentially, the founders never lose sight of how it all began, often over a kitchen table. In many cases with kiddos “being kids” in the background. The Backstory From its relatively humble beginnings, GMS started growing and “outgrowing”… For a variety of reasons including market proximity, product diversification and the growth of its customer base, GMS made several physical moves. Four years after starting the business in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 2013, Gene moved the company to Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, and ultimately in 2019, to its current “home” in Hanover Township. The last move resulted in a quadrupling of the firm’s office space and a doubling of its yard. The new location provides direct rail access as well as close proximity to major highways, all of which facilitate meeting the demands of this burgeoning business. Marketing consultant Geordie Compton, who represents GMS, tells us that it is interesting AUTHOR S. Scot Litke, Hon. D.GE DEEP FOUNDATIONS • MAR/APR 2020 • 75 “I enjoy the fast nature of the industry: working with clients and customers for very specific needs that change from job to job…” to note that, “Ten years ago, Allison was working in Harrisburg for the Pennsylvania State Senate as a budget analyst, while Gene was supplying micropile casing to projects in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.” Piling Solutions was servic- ing an ever-expanding customer base. As the demands became greater and greater a transition occurred, and not just in the size of the physical plant. Gene “stepped down” from his involvement in GMS in order to handle the growth of Piling Solutions. Allison “stepped up” to the challenge of leading GMS, becoming its president. She reflects on those times, “Those were long days. They are still long days.” Today those long days include providing materials for projects across the U.S. and Canada — projects that range from the construction of a small roadway bridge replacement to handling the demands of a major construction project at MetLife Stadium, home of the National Football League’s New York Giants and New York Jets. GMS is also providing materials for a new perform- ing arts center adjacent to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. These are a sample of the large-footprint projects in which GMS is currently engaged. It’s been an interesting transition, Allison notes, from juggling orders at the family’s kitchen table to where GMS finds itself today.
