DFI Magazine March/April 2020 - 75

MEMBER

PROFILE

GMS Piling Products Grows with Allison Swindell at the Helm
G M S P i l i n g P ro d u c t s i n H a n o v e r
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

"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 servicing 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 performing 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.

S. Scot Litke, Hon. D.GE

DEEP FOUNDATIONS * MAR/APR 2020 * 75
DFI Magazine March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DFI Magazine March/April 2020
