KEN RAKUSIN:
ACQUISITION MAN A decade ago, Gordon Brush Mfg. Company President and CEO Ken Rakusin told Brushware that Gordon’s goal was to become “a dominant player in the brush industry…” En route to achieving that objective, the manufacturer of specialty and custom industrial brushes, based out of City of Industry, Calif., has acquired a dozen brand-name companies that have complemented or diversified Gordon’s product offerings. In totality, these brands under the Gordon umbrella manufacture more than 17,000 standard, specialty and custom brooms and brushes for industrial and commercial applications. That Rakusin would even become a player in the brush industry was far removed from the career path he was on 30 years ago at Xerox in Los Angeles. However, he was looking for a change because he loved LA and loathed the idea of being re-assigned to Xerox headquarters in Rochester, N.Y. Thus, in late 1989, after responding to an ad from Gordon Brush seeking a new president and CEO, he was offered the job. Initially, Rakusin declined the offer, thinking the company was “too small” and “financially struggling” with perhaps six months remaining before going out of business. But “they talked me into it, and thank God they did,” he says in reflecting on a decision that eventually would lead to his building one of the brush industry’s largest manufacturing companies.
By Bob Lawrence
18 | www.brushwaremag.com
