This post is part of an ongoing series of manufacturer profiles. The blogs will cover some of the many names in manufacturing in the state of Nebraska. Check back later for more posts in the series. To see previous posts in the series, click here.

Family-owned and operated Nebraska manufacturers have a special place in our heart– after all, our booming manufacturing economy and increased business in Nebraska are due to the hardworking families that have developed their trade into an in-demand industry. Take , for example. Company history explains that back in November of 1943, founder George Graske and his brother Gus decided to start a basement business producing piston rings for locomotives. The basement work lasted until George’s wife Florence got tired of the noise and sent the brothers out to build their company in another location.

The brothers moved into a rented garage on 21st and Cumming Street in North Omaha with some rickety tools and dedication. All these years later, G&G (named after George and Gus) operates from a 220,000 square foot and seven story building company that sends their products throughout North America. The company has also developed from focusing on agriculture components to supplying products used in coal mining, recreation, home building, the food industry, and more. It’s the perfect story of how ingenuity and hard work can grow a business, and Nebraska is truly the perfect place to do that.

Although they’ve grown significantly over the years, some aspects of the business are still the same. George and Gus’ grandchildren, the third generation of the Graske’s, are now heading the company and providing Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors with power transmission components. G&G products include everything from sprockets to jacks to adaptors, including standard stock and custom made parts. Tubing, wheel hub assemblies, and more are all produced out of the company’s plants to serve a wide variety of markets.

If you aren’t familiar with power transmission components like the ones G&G manufactures, what you need to know most is that the parts are necessary to run machines in many different industries. For Nebraskans, agriculture is certainly an important one, as many farms both small and large rely on G&G parts to operate. G&G products are also found in mining, from coal mines to salt mines, and air, land, and sea needs of the military. The key component binding all of these industries together is that these parts are used in important machines with heavy operational use– in other words, if the parts aren’t high quality, the machinery will suffer. In military land navigation– this can be deadly. It’s a big job, and we’re lucky to have a company with such a strong family history to step up to the challenge.

If you want to learn more about this Omaha born-and-bred company, or feel free to leave a comment any time! 

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