Submitted by Marcia Levy
Eugene Gasser (1882-1965) was born in Switzerland and immigrated to the US in 1909. He and his wife Bertha lived in Youngstown where Eugene was a machinist.
Their three sons, Roger (1912-1978), Louis (1914-1999), and George (1929-2010) founded the Gasser Chair Co. in 1946 in Liberty Township. They started making aluminum chairs in a barn that their father had purchased on Loganway in Liberty. The first floor of the barn was used for metal and wood fabricating. The second floor was used for upholstery, assembly, and shipping.
They began by making aluminum frame dinette sets. They decided to take their chairs to the National Restaurant Show in Chicago. They received many orders for their chairs because they were both durable and light weight. The company grew to over 200 employees and now makes chairs for restaurants, casinos, hotels, and banquet centers all over the world. All their chairs are made from scratch and are wooden or aluminum.
In the 1970’s George invented a protective vinyl edge for chair backs, as a result their business tripled.
Now the company is operated by George Gasser’s two sons, Gary and Mark. Gary Gasser is the CEO and lives in Liberty with his family. Mark Gasser is the President and lives in Hubbard with his family. The third generation of Gassers is now involved in the business.
