Gornell Brush
Gornell Brush, founded in 1892 and now a sub-brand of Schaefer Brush Manufacturing (Blackthorne Partners portfolio), manufactures industrial and maintenance brushes — including fine wire, steel wire, welders and platers, printing, rotary, and general purpose brushes — plus custom CNC-designed brushes for industrial, welding, printing, and MRO buyers across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1892
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Gornell Brush does
Gornell Brush is an industrial brush manufacturer founded in 1892 by Edward Gornell on the west side of Chicago, now operated as a sub-brand within the Schaefer Brush Manufacturing, LLC family of products under private equity owner Blackthorne Partners (which acquired Schaefer in June 2015 and added E. Gornell & Sons via acquisition in March 2019). The company produces a six-category portfolio of industrial and maintenance brushes — fine wire hand scratch brushes, steel wire hand scratch brushes, welders and platers hand brushes, printing and graphic artist brushes, rotary power brushes, and general purpose brushes — supplemented by custom brush design services that use modern CNC equipment to manufacture brushes ranging from tiny detailing tools to large rotary discs.
Operations are anchored at Schaefer Brush's 60,000-square-foot Waukesha, Wisconsin headquarters and manufacturing facility, with a continuing Chicago operating site for Gornell Brush under Production Manager Mayra Guzman (appointed March 2022). The company's commercial model combines a direct e-commerce storefront at gornellbrush.com, phone and email purchase order intake with Net 30 terms for pre-approved B2B accounts, and industrial distribution through wholesalers. Standard items carry a $200 minimum order, custom orders require a 50% deposit before material procurement and are non-cancellable and non-returnable, and the company offers in-house engineering, prototyping, custom packaging, and private labeling as professional services.
Customers span industrial maintenance professionals, welders and metal finishers, printing and graphic arts operations, and HVAC/plumbing/MRO buyers served through distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, and direct consumers primarily in North America with a historical global export footprint. The company differentiates on its 130-plus-year brand heritage, staple-set manufacturing expertise, and ability to combine custom engineering with high-speed automated production. Leadership includes Gonzalo Martinez as President and CEO of the parent Schaefer Brush platform since December 2021, reflecting an active platform-level growth strategy under Blackthorne Partners.
Gornell Brush firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gornell Brush
- Legal name
- Gornell Brush
- Website
- https://gornellbrush.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1892
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gornell Brush, founded in 1892 and now a sub-brand of Schaefer Brush Manufacturing (Blackthorne Partners portfolio), manufactures industrial and maintenance brushes — including fine wire, steel wire, welders and platers, printing, rotary, and general purpose brushes — plus custom CNC-designed brushes for industrial, welding, printing, and MRO buyers across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Gornell Brush is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Gornell Brush business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Standard Brush Sales: Sale of standard industrial and maintenance brushes including fine wire hand scratch brushes, steel wire hand scratch brushes, welders and platers brushes, printing brushes, rotary power brushes, and general purpose brushes. Minimum order of $200 for standard items.
- Custom Brush Manufacturing: Design and manufacture of customized brushes for special applications. Requires 50% down payment before materials are ordered or manufacturing begins. Custom orders are non-returnable and cannot be cancelled.
- Personalized Services: Additional services including in-house engineering and design, prototyping, custom manufacturing, custom packaging and private labeling.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard items minimum order |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Custom items |
| Other | Annual | Payment terms |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Gornell Brush product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gornell Brush manufactures and sells industrial and maintenance brushes across six core product categories (fine wire hand scratch, steel wire hand scratch, welders and platers, printing and graphic artist, rotary power, and general purpose brushes) using filaments such as stainless steel, brass, bronze, nylon, horsehair, and Tampico. The company complements its standard catalog with custom brush design and manufacturing services, leveraging modern CNC equipment and proprietary staple-set technologies to produce brushes from tiny detailing tools to large rotary discs for specialized industrial applications.
Product overview
Gornell Brush is an industrial brush manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of brushing solutions for industrial and maintenance applications. The product line centers around six core brush categories: Fine Wire Hand Scratch Brushes, Steel Wire Hand Scratch Brushes, Welders and Platers Hand Brushes, Printing and Graphic Artist Brushes, Rotary Power Brushes, and General Purpose Brushes. These products are complemented by Custom Brush Design Services that enable specialized brush manufacturing for unique applications using CNC equipment. The company serves diverse industries including welding, plating, printing, graphic arts, and general maintenance, with filaments ranging from stainless steel and brass to horsehair and nylon.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fine Wire Hand Scratch Brushes Fine wire scratch brushes crafted for industry professionals working with automatic machinery, equipment, and hand tools. Available in welder wood handle, black plastic handle, two-sided welder, stove and appliance, typewriter utility, typewriter upright, black horsehair, and dual-end multi-purpose cleaning styles, with filament options including stainless steel, fine brass, bronze, black nylon, and horsehair.
- Steel Wire Hand Scratch Brushes Steel wire hand scratch brushes designed for light cleaning and polishing in metal plating applications. Available in curved handle, shoe handle, straight back, scraper, V-groove curved handle, rocker back, and duster wire styles, with filament options including tempered wire, stainless steel, brass wire, and phosphorus bronze.
- Welders and Platers Hand Brushes Brushes specially designed for general cleaning in the plating and metal finishing industry. Available in shoe handle and curved handle styles, plus cotton potash swabs, with filaments including fine brass wire, fine steel wire, fine stainless steel wire, pure bristle, black level nylon, and stiff white Tampico.
- Printing and Graphic Artist Brushes Brushes for the printing and graphic arts industry, including anilox roll brushes made from fine wire stainless steel and brass. Available styles include plate and anilox roll, plate or halftone, dense plate or halftone, large plate or halftone, benzine, curved handle etch, finishing benzine, scouring or scrub, shoe handle, and rotary pumice or scrub.
- Rotary Power Brushes Power-driven rotary brushes for industrial applications, including rotary pumice or scrub, electrotypers scrub, and rotary mirror brush styles.
- General Purpose Brushes Industrial quality brushes for general maintenance and cleaning applications. Includes 100% stiff black horsehair counter brush, small utility brush, large utility brush, and suede and nail brushes, with filament options including crimped brass, stainless steel, white nylon, crimped aluminum, white Tampico, synthetic, black nylon stiff, and white nylon medium stiff.
- Custom Brush Design and Manufacturing Services Custom brush design and manufacturing services using modern CNC equipment, covering in-house engineering and design, prototyping, custom manufacturing, custom packaging, and private labeling for special applications ranging from tiny detailing tools to large rotary discs. Orders require a 50% down payment before materials are ordered or manufacturing begins and are non-returnable and non-cancellable.
Companies that use Gornell Brush
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Gornell Brush technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Gornell Brush partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- E. Gornell & SonscoreSchaefer Brush acquired E. Gornell & Sons, Chicago on March 1, 2019. The acquisition enables the company to provide customers with a more complete product line of industrial and maintenance brushes. Each business operates autonomously while combining unique manufacturing processes and products to provide multiple solutions for customers. Kim Erdmann serves as president and CEO of both companies. E. Gornell & Sons had been engineering and manufacturing brushes in Chicago since 1892.
- Schaefer Brush Manufacturing, LLCcoreGornell Brush is part of the Schaefer Brush family of products, acquired in 2019. Parent company was founded in 1905 and is one of the most diverse industrial brush manufacturers. Operates from 60,000-square-foot facility in Waukesha, WI. Gonzalo Martinez serves as President and CEO of Schaefer Brush effective December 1, 2021.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gornell Brush competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Lessmann: German industrial brush manufacturer with deep custom engineering capability. Geographic competitor in Europe but a direct functional peer in custom staple-set and technical industrial brushes.
Direct peers
- Koti Industrial Brushes: Industrial brush manufacturer offering standard and custom brushes for automotive, manufacturing, and surface finishing. Comparable to Gornell in custom brush design and staple-set manufacturing capability.
- Felton Brush: Fifth-generation US manufacturer of industrial and technical brushes. Direct competitor in custom brush design for industrial, printing, and specialty applications with overlapping customer base.
- Industrial Brush Corporation: US manufacturer of industrial strip brushes, cylinder brushes, and custom brush solutions. Comparable product range and custom-engineering value proposition to Gornell with strong industrial distribution relationships.
- Tanis Brush: US manufacturer of industrial and maintenance brushes serving printing, food processing, and metal finishing. Overlaps with Gornell in printing/graph arts and custom specialty brush applications.
- Anderson Products: Manufactures industrial brushes and abrasive cutting tools for welding, metalworking, and maintenance. Competes directly with Gornell's welders/platers and rotary power brush lines through industrial distribution.
- Osborn (a division of Jason Incorporated): Global manufacturer of industrial brushes, finishing tools, and surface treatment solutions. Directly competes with Gornell in industrial maintenance, welding, and metal finishing with a much broader international footprint.
- Weiler Corporation: One of the largest US manufacturers of industrial brushes, including scratch brushes, power brushes, and abrasive products. Directly competes with Gornell across welding, MRO, and metal finishing channels with broader SKU coverage and national distribution.
- Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM): Los Angeles-based manufacturer of custom and standard industrial brushes, including flex-hone and specialty hones. Comparable to Gornell in custom engineering capability targeted at industrial OEMs and MRO.
Broad incumbents
- Schaefer Brush Manufacturing: Direct parent company of Gornell Brush and one of the most diverse industrial brush manufacturers in the US. Operates from the same 60,000 sq ft Waukesha facility, making it the closest internal benchmark and a critical integration risk.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gornell Brush social profiles
Digital presenceGornell Brush financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gornell Brush leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Gornell Brush funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gornell Brush M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gornell Brush
What does Gornell Brush do?
Gornell Brush manufactures and sells industrial and maintenance brushes across six core product categories (fine wire hand scratch, steel wire hand scratch, welders and platers, printing and graphic artist, rotary power, and general purpose brushes) using filaments such as stainless steel, brass, bronze, nylon, horsehair, and Tampico. The company complements its standard catalog with custom brush design and manufacturing services, leveraging modern CNC equipment and proprietary staple-set technologies to produce brushes from tiny detailing tools to large rotary discs for specialized industrial applications.
Is Gornell Brush a public or private company?
Gornell Brush is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Gornell Brush founded?
Gornell Brush was founded in 1892. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gornell Brush based?
Gornell Brush is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gornell Brush make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Standard Brush Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Brush Manufacturing and personalized Services.
Who are Gornell Brush's main competitors?
Lessmann is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Koti Industrial Brushes, Felton Brush, Industrial Brush Corporation, Tanis Brush, Anderson Products, Osborn (a division of Jason Incorporated), Weiler Corporation and Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM). Schaefer Brush Manufacturing is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Gornell Brush have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gornell Brush.