Guests to the celebration were treated to a picnic, tours of the plant and live music provided by the company's employees. Einar Einarsson, president, was on hand to give a welcome address and highlights of the company's history. Special guests included Abit Massey of the Georgia Poultry Federation and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
In 1944, Grover S. Harben founded Gainesville Machine Company in Hall County, Georgia. The company began as a metal working job shop, specializing in welding fabrication and machining. Over the past 70 years, the company specialized in poultry processing equipment and systems design, sales, manufacturing and distribution. In 2008, the company became part of Marel, a global provider of advanced equipment, systems and services to the fish, meat and poultry industries.
The Gainesville location has evolved into Marel's hub of activities in the North American poultry industry, employing approximately 230 people in the company's state-of-the-art 250,000 sq. ft. research, design and fabrication facility.
