Gar history

He entered the regular army in 1856 and served 5 years as a bugler.

After less than two years Gilliams sufficiently recovered and reenlisted in February 1864, once again in the position of bugler.

Galen Roush co-founded Roadway Express during the Great Depression in 1930 with his brother, Carroll.

Their first shipment was a load of B.F. Goodrich tires which left Akron, OH headed for St Louis, MO. By 1939, Roadway was the largest long-haul trucking company in the United States.

1950 GarKenyon officially was formed when Kenyon Instrument and the Valve Division of Gar Precision, two companies based in Brewster, N.Y., merged.

1962 GarKenyon was acquired by Heli-Coil Products of Danbury and operations were relocated to the parent company’s plant.

Established in 1967, GAR Foundation was born of the philanthropic desire of the Roush family to support the needs of those in the local community.

1970 Mite Corporation moved the GarKenyon operation to its Blake Street plant in New Haven.

1988 Mite sold GarKenyon, Amatom and Stromberg to Quincy Technologies, a holding company based in Long Island, N.Y.

Through careful stewardship and superior service, Roadway Express grew into a global transportation company servicing over 100 countries by the 1990’s.

1997 GarKenyon was purchased by Matthews Ventures Holdings of New Haven, CT.

2003 Steven Fournier, a certified public accountant who was then president and chief operating officer of Matthews Ventures, acquired GarKenyon from his employer.

New company logo updated in March 2011.