Gary and Rose Poborsky being inducted into Johnstown Hall of Fame as company continues growing
GapVax founder Gary Poborsky and his wife, Rose, will be inducted into the Greater Johnstown Cambria County (GJCC) Business Hall of Fame in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on April 15.
The GJCC Business Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made a lasting impression on the region, through business contributions or efforts to improve the area. The Poborskys will be the first husband and wife inducted.
The couple started their business venture out of necessity after Gary lost his job selling farm equipment in 1977 when a flood devastated the city. Gary purchased a 1,500-gallon septic truck from the same company he sold farm equipment for and began cleaning the debris from the flood, and GAP Pollution and Environmental Control was born.
GAP P.E.C. now has four locations and over 200 employees and continues to grow as an industrial service company.
Gary became dissatisfied with the equipment on the market after using many different brands of vacuum equipment for his GAP P.E.C. fleet. After many alterations and modifications to existing equipment, Gary began manufacturing his own industrial vacuum trucks, establishing GapVax Inc. in 1989.
The company is now a manufacturer of industrial and municipal vacuum equipment nationally and internationally and has over 100 employees.
Gary says his biggest influence has been his wife: “She’s so organized and productive.”
GapVax has added 160,000 square feet of additional space to increase production in order to meet demand for faster lead times. The expansion will keep manufacturing jobs and create more employment in the Johnstown area. GapVax has also added a second location in Deer Park, Texas, that operates as a sales, service and parts facility.
Rose says that Gary is a visionary and optimist: “He is the risk-taker.”
The Poborskys attribute their success to the supportive family they are surrounded with and skilled, hardworking employees, several of whom have been with the company for 20-plus years.
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