I found this metal badge bent into a bracket (hence all of the holes drilled in it) in a box of stuff I picked up recently.
Garrett Manufacturing Limited was established in 1954 as a Canadian division of the Garrett Aerospace Company of Los Angeles. At its height, the Toronto operation employed 1400 people, making and repairing specialty aircraft components for both Canadian and foreign airlines. By 1968, it was down to 500 employees. It became Garrett Canada after being bought by Allied-Signal, a Fortune 500 company. Since 2000, it has only been awarded one Canadian government contract, worth about $80,000. A google search for "Garrett Canada" yields very little, so I'm forced to conclude that the company is gone.
It's still a large ongoing operation, now called Honeywell Aerospace, Mississauga
ReplyDeleteI worked at Garrett for 6 years and my father was employee number 5 when they opened in Canada. They had a plant across from Disneyland in LA
ReplyDeleteI worked there for 15 years. A really good atmosphere with great people. Sure miss the place.
ReplyDeleteGarrett Canada was at one time a fantastic place to work. It had a reputation in the aerospace industry as one of the top vendors. That was Garrett Canada. Today if you are looking for employment where hard work, dedication and loyalty are rewarded Honeywell is definitely not the place to work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. I welcome stories from these changing companies.
ReplyDeleteMy dad worked there for over thirty years
ReplyDeleteI'm always looking for stories, photos- any glimpse into life at these companies...
ReplyDeleteIn 1960 at the age of 14 I applied for a summer job at GML. Norm Spinks, a prince of a man, hired me to locate and label tools that had been used to manufacture parts for the CF100. I had to sign out drawings from the crib and use them too find the tools. Every employee I ever encountered at GML treated this young lad with consideration and respect. At the end of that first summer I was offered a job working weekends. This was immensely helpful because we were an immigrant family without significant assets. I worked summers and weekends at GML until I was 22. In those years I cleared shipments through customs, created work cards in Production, packaged products in Shipping and priced inputs in Accounting. What a fantastic practical education.
ReplyDeleteWithout GML I would never have been able to finance my university education. Since graduation I have done graduate work in Philosophy, taught at Upper Canada College, clerked for the Chief Justice of Ontario and spent 38 years as a lawyer specializing in aerospace and defence work.
If any former GML personnel read this comment, I want to thank you for making such a significant contribution to my life.
Thank you for your contribution!
ReplyDeleteI’d love to hear from anyone who worked at Garrett in the early 80s (81-82?) & remembers a building evacuation. I’m not sure if employees were given exact reasons for evac (Chemical Spill) - it may have been presented as Spontaneous Fire Drill. Could you please email me at
ReplyDeleteJezziebezzie at me dot com
if you have any recollection of this event?
Robert Hamilton here, I worked there for 20 years!
DeleteWorked at Garrett from 1978 to 1983...great place to work. My Dad ran the engineering department. He was one of the first employees in Canada,,in fact employee number 5.
ReplyDeleteWhat was his name?
DeleteBrain Fogartt
DeleteI work at Garrett my first job in maintenance, I was there 20 years, great people, great company which I could find some of the people I worked with, like a company employee list.
ReplyDeleteIt was the start in the aircraft industry and my love for space and aircraft started me on a great career, retired now after 40 years in Areospace, a college teacher and 3 licences with Garrett the foundation for my life!
I remember a lot of names, great Christmas parties, if anyone out there remembers me Robert Hamilton I was in maintenance under Roy Smith and Norm Spinkes.
Thanks
Brian Fogarty
ReplyDeleteMY DAD WORKED THERE AS WELL JOHN C BARNES - GARRET MFG HAD THE BEST CHRISTMAS PARTIES AND I THINK HE USE TO DO THE FISHING TRIPS TOO ???
ReplyDeleteMy name is Doug Fraser and I started at GML in 1978 in the Materiel Dept. My boss was Ron Ingles - other bosses were Bill Hooker, Ken Logan and of course Norm Spinks. I worked at both the 255 Atwell Drive and the 40 Voyager Court (Micro) facilities. I later transferred into the Engineering Dept first as a Technical Writer and then Configuration Management where I stayed until I left Allied-Signal. Lots of great memories. Lots of great people too. I met my second wife at Garrett. Her name was Shirley Warby then. We didn't marry until we had left the form. Shirley worked in Receiving Inspection. She came from Micro. Had the greatest respect for Chief Engineer Ron Richardson who headed Engineering until he was squeezed out by the new organization under Ken Kivenko who replaced Bill Tate. It's great to reminisce.
ReplyDeleteTo the son of John Barnes. I remember your dad and the fishing trips were special weekend getaways for Engineers only. They would rent cabins, drink, cook, drink, fish, drink and each cabin group would compete for some prize or trophy. The one fun story about John is when he and some others were on a biz trip to Phoenix/Tempe. On their way back to their hotel after dinner, John was confronted by a mugger who wanted to rob him. John just said "No" and walked by the guy. The mugger was stunned and just ran away.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad worked for Garrett Mfg. in the 1960's painting aircraft components. He always spoke highly of the company and the people he worked with.
ReplyDeleteI worked there in the Mid 60's both at Atwell Dr. and up off Kipling Ave. It was difficult for me to put the grommets in the delicate glass instruments for aircraft and I broke several. They moved me up to Kipling Ave were I was filing parts for the turbines. That didn't work out either so I was let go, rightfully. Met a nice Lady employee there I think her name was Coralea and she worked in the office portion of the Plant. Her Dad was a big shot there. Loved my time there and was sad to see it go. Went back to pumping Gas at Reg's BP then on to a career as a Police Officer in Ontario.
ReplyDeleteI worked at 255 Attwell for 8 years, from 1985-1993. Good place when I started but problems developed when Allied Signal took over. People were great to work with. was laid off in 1993 , place was downsizing and not getting contracts like they used to. Still in touch with one co-worker after 30 years.
ReplyDeleteWorked in test engineering from 1987 to 1996 GATS 10 system test and long live the GenRad 2750
DeleteGARRETT had an in-house energy saving program that was advertised by an illustrated little guy in a suit who pulled at his tie…because he was doing a good job at saving energy. Anyone remember this? What was his name? Any pics??
ReplyDeleteWas that an in-house program, or would it have been in commercial ads?
ReplyDelete