GEECO opened its doors in 1963 as a new power transmission distributor for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Located in a small office building on the 3600 block of Cedar Ave in south Minneapolis, founder Harold Gee saw the need for a dedicated PT distribution company to fill a growing OEM market. Harold broke into this market with Hayes Brakes as GEECO’s first product line, which we still represent today. Business grew modestly during that first year and Dodge Power Transmission Products was also added to the supplier list. With early success, GEECO was able to move a few blocks down Cedar Ave, into a larger facility. The new space allowed the young company to make room for additional product lines from manufacturers such as Regal Beloit, Boston Gear and Reliance Electric. The additional product lines paved the way for more sales personnel which gave GEECO the ability to serve a larger geographical area.
After about 15 years in the Cedar Ave buildings, Harold found it time to expand once again; moving the company to the 4000 block of Minnehaha Ave in South Minneapolis. The move doubled the office and warehouse space occupied in the previous building. Once more GEECO was able to expand its product lines, entering into the world of linear motion and electrical controls.
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Harold guided his company’s steady growth until his retirement in 1987. The new owner and CEO Tom Pugh, picked up right where Harold left off. No stranger to GEECO, Tom worked previously as a parts runner while in high school, then moved to the warehouse, and eventually up to city desk during summer breaks throughout college. In 1983 Tom returned to the company full time and soon began a career of guiding GEECO thru the next 30+ years. Continued growth necessitated another move; relocating to the suburb of Hopkins in 1997 doubling office and warehouse space once more, it is the building that GEECO continues to call home.
In the fall of 2013, Tom Pugh decided it was time for a change in leadership and stepped down from his role as CEO, making room for his son Steve to begin a new chapter in GEECO’s history, though he continues to be very involved in the day-to-day business. Today, GEECO partners with over 90 manufactures; providing distribution services to companies across the United States and Canada. We look forward to continuing with the vision started over 50 years ago, by serving the needs of the PT community.