From a support service to a major, regional player.
Located in South Central Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, where the work ethic is strong and quality craftsmanship is a tradition, GSM Industrial has built a solid reputation as a leader in the fabrication and installation of custom industrial steel products.
The company's heritage goes back to 1946, when Fred Gooding decided to move from Philadelphia to Lancaster to pursue his dream of starting a roofing company. A true entrepreneur, he sold his vehicle to pay for the materials for his first job, and hitchhiked to the jobsite! A short time later, Bill Simpson was welcomed into the new venture since he had a truck to contribute. Later, Fritz Mackes joined the crew and brought his skills as a sheet metal mechanic - and thus the roofing company "Gooding, Simpson & Mackes" was born. In 1974, Jim Towers became head of the small sheet metal division when Fritz Mackes passed away unexpectedly. In 1983, the growing sheet metal division became a separate entity, as it began to expand into non-roofing related metal fabrication projects.
Today, GSM Industrial is a full-scale operation handling large and small steel fabrication and installation projects. Together with GSM Roofing, located in Ephrata, PA and Elkton, MD, these two companies make up The Gooding Group. Owned by two families, GSM Industrial has been led by the Towers family for more than 35 years, and GSM Roofing has been led by the Gooding family for more than 60 years.
The Gooding Group Foundation
The Gooding Group Foundation was founded in 1988 to assure that not-for-profit agencies would benefit from the philanthropic values of the Gooding family. The Foundation primarily supports non-profits in the geographic areas that surround GSM Roofing and GSM Industrial, including Southcentral and Southeastern PA, and into Northern MD and DE.
In addition to charitable contributions made by the Foundation, two other programs are supported by the Foundation to honor GSM employees. The first is a Matching Gift Program in which employees may submit receipts to be matched to their favorite charities. The second is a Scholarship Program that benefits employees’ dependents ages 17 – 21 by awarding them a scholarship to either a two-year or four-year college. These awards are given for a maximum of four years to college students who maintain a C average in the college of their choice.
Jim Towers President GSM Industrial
