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Gelock... From Past...
To Present.
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Martin A. Gelock Sr. founded Gelock Heavy Movers when he was 16 years old in 1881.
The company was incorporated in 1890 as Gelock Transfer Lines,Inc. doing business
as Gelock Heavy Movers. Martin A. Gelock Jr. assumed control of the business in
1925, actively running it up to 1959. Martin Jr. had only one daughter with no sons
to pass the business onto, so he elected to sell the business.
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In May of 1959, Gerald Van Dam purchased Gelock Heavy Movers from Martin Gelock
Jr. Gerald started out at 16 years old working for his father who owned Riverside
Sand and Gravel, an excavating company. Gerald operated loaders, bulldozers, graders
and cranes. He was the top construction manager in the company and was very proficient
in what he did.
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Gerald Operating Crawler Crane in Early 1950's
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When Gerald took over Gelock, the company had four employees, a stake truck, three
and five ton Clark forklifts, and a winch truck. Gerald proceeded to quickly expand
the company with newer, larger capacity equipment with growing employment and sales.
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Today the company bears little resemblance to the Gelock of 125 years ago. For example
a typical job of the time involved the use of a truckload of blocking, gate blocks
and tackle to rig a boiler into a fourth floor window, a technique that would seem
antiquated by today's standards.
The combined rigging, erecting and heavy hauling equipment of today features hydraulic
cranes up to 365 ton, hydraulic lift gantrys up to 1000 ton, hydraulic boom lifts
up to 65 ton, and fork lifts up to 40 ton.
The operational "torch" has been passed to the next generation. Randy Van Dam is
President, John Van Dam is Vice President, with Richard Van Dam as secretary/treasurer
and General Manager.
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