Gallagher Fluid Seals recently held its 60th anniversary gala, inviting employees, family, and friends to Sunnybrook Country Club in Blue Bell, PA for a night of celebration and reflection.
As Gallagher celebrates its 60th anniversary, we've decided to use this space to look back, and discuss what the future holds.
The year was 1956. Elvis Presley owned the airwaves, and was emerging as one of the world’s first rock stars. Felix Wankel (Germany) developed the first rotary internal combustion engine. The cost of a first-class stamp was three cents. And in a small house in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with four young children and a wife, Walter B. Gallagher started Gallagher Fluid Seals.
Founded as The Walter B. Gallagher Company, the company formed an initial stronghold in the maintenance and repair requirements of large manufacturing firms throughout Philadelphia, most importantly, Philadelphia Electric and Rohm & Haas. The company moved to a larger headquarters in Conshohocken, PA in 1959 to handle the rapidly increasing business. In 1961 the company was incorporated, and in 1973, with 20 employees, the company surpassed $1,000,000 in sales.
Brian Gallagher
In 1975, Walter Gallagher’s sons Walter Jr., Joseph, and Brian joined the business. What had begun as a company focused on maintenance and repair applications was evolving to focus more on OEM accounts and solutions. In 1976, the company moved into a newly constructed 20,000 square foot warehouse and office facility in King of Prussia, PA where the headquarters of the company still resides today.
In 1983, Joe Gallagher was elected President and CEO. Under his leadership many critical milestones have been reached. These include but are not limited to the below…
- 1984 – Gallagher acquired Kim Gasket & Seal of Windham, New Hampshire, relocating it to Lowell, Massachusetts
- 1988 – In March of 1988, The Walter B. Gallagher Company became Gallagher Fluid Seals to better reflect the business and products we represent
- 1994 – Gallagher attains ISO:9001 certification, becoming the first sealing distributor to achieve this certification
- 1995 – Gallagher acquired the sealing division of Beemer Precision, Inc. of Fort Washington, PA.
- 2014 – Gallagher acquired Johnson Packings & Industrial Products of East Longmeadow, MA. With Johnson Packings being one of the largest seal distributors in New England, the acquisition was the largest in company history.
Over the years, Gallagher has continued to grow organically and establish itself as one of the largest and most technically proficient sealing experts in the United States.
Gallagher celebrates its 60th anniversary by marking a bittersweet occasion. At the end of 2016, Joe Gallagher will be retiring as the President of Gallagher Fluid Seals, and moving into the role of Chairman. His wealth of industry knowledge and business acumen will surely be missed, both internally and within the fluid sealing industry. We wish him nothing but the best in his retirement from day to day operations, as he moves into his new role.
Continuing the family legacy was a foundational goal of the company’s founder, Walter B. Gallagher. The third generation of Gallagher’s are firmly entrenched within the business. Christopher Gallagher, son of Brian and grandson of Walter, will be transitioning from his current position of Chief Operating Officer to Chief Executive Officer as of January 1st, 2017.
Gallagher celebrates its 60th anniversary at an exciting time in the fluid sealing industry. Gallagher Fluid Seals is in as strong a position as it has ever been, and sees a very bright future. We continue to focus every day on serving the needs of our customers and solving their sealing problems. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers, suppliers and employees for making it an incredible first 60 years!