History: 90 Years Of Achieving Quality
Leading the way for decades...
The year was 1916. Amid the turbulence of the First World War, the
port of Norfolk, Virginia was growing by leaps and bounds. It was here
that Earl Thomas Gresham settled with his bride, and here that he founded
the company which still bears his name.
In those early days, construction materials were delivered by horse-drawn
wagon. Sensing an opportunity for improvement, "E.T." traded
in his car as down payment on one of the area's first motor trucks and
embarked upon a successful hauling operation.
Delivering brick, sand and gravel was one thing, dealing with heavy
machinery quite another. So early on, rugged "winch trucks"
joined the scene. They were outfitted with power capstans and all manners
of lifting and loading gear. Thus, "rigging" became part of
the Gresham capability. However, the giant step in lifting and rigging
methods came in 1925, when Gresham introduced the first revolving truck-mounted
crane to the region.
Such pioneering was typical of the young entrepreneur. When existing
equipment couldn't meet job demands, E.T. either improvised upon what
he had or developed new techniques and gadgetry. Like rigging up Norfolk's
first snowplow. Or fitting out cranes with pneumatic tires instead of
solid rubber. Such inventiveness earned the Gresham Company a reputation
for doing jobs that others couldn't.
In answer to a rapidly growing need in the 1920's, Gresham began building
gas stations throughout the Virginia's. That early venture soon grew
into a full fledged construction capability. Today, the firm handles
a wide variety of general contracting, working with modest budgets or
building multi-story structures costing millions. "Achieving Quality'
in the construction of 'high quality- limited use' facilities is the
overall focus of E.T. GRESHAM
COMPANY, Inc.. Drawing on the talents of its other departments gives
Gresham a special edge in the integration, quality and cost control
of general contracting work. A reputation for top performance and integrity
has earned much negotiated work from both new and repeated customers
and the respect of architects, engineers and fellow contractors throughout
the industry.
It has been over ninety years since E.T. Gresham traded in the family
car for a truck. But his legacy of integrity and innovation remains.
The history of the company is one of skilled people teaming up the latest
techniques with old fashioned know-how to provide creative solutions
for each assignment.
