Douglas Gessford:  

Life After gradutating from Ohio Institute of Technology in Columbus OH, I went to work for IBM in Rochester, MN as an Electrical Engineer. When Carol and I started to have children (4 girls in all), We moved with IBM to Lexington, KY. After 9 years with IBM, in 1986, I was sent back to obtain my Master's Degree from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. This degree was an interdisciplinary degree in all phases of engineering along with busniess and financial accounting. Upon returning to Lexington, my career started to climb by way of moving back and forth between NY and KY with stops in NC. This all changed in 1991 when IBM sold our division and it became Lexmark International, Inc. My career continued to grow and I became plant manager of the laser pritners having manufacturing and product responsibility in Lexington KY, Boigny FR and Jarfalla Sweden. It was then in 1994, I decided to take a new job as Executive VP and General Manager for Beach Mold and Tool in New Albany, IN. After 5 short months, I discovered that their business ethics did not match mine and I decide for the first time in my life to quit a job. I was, for the first time in my life, unemployed. 7 loooong months later, I started Gateway Manufacturing Inc. in Mount Sterling KY. This business was started as a contract manufacturing business which manufactures products for other businesses. We have since bought our own product line and now manufacture and distribute a full line of wood pressure and expansion gate products for children and pets to Wal-Mart, Ace and True Value Hardware stores under the names Guardmaster and Keepsafe with the GMI(R) logo. We still derive approximately 50% of our business from contract work for Corning, ITW Ramset, Iceberg and others. It has been a busy 10 years!!!! Workplace After gradutating from Ohio Institute of Technology in Columbus OH, I went to work for IBM in Rochester, MN as an Electrical Engineer. When Carol and I started to have children (4 girls in all), We moved with IBM to Lexington, KY. After ...Expand for more