In 1946, immediately after his discharge from the Marines, Walter W. Gauer purchased, with his mustering-out pay, a surplus military truck and started a company with his brother Edward Gauer and machinist Eugene Wroble. Walter Gauer being the youngest and most agressive partner, began taking on the duties of sales along with running the deliveries during the day, then would join his partners and help process parts at night. The company began working primarily making hotplates, doing general machining, building bakery racks, early gravity flow (or carton flow) shelving, and conveyors.