Gunderson Marine

The Greenbrier Companies

Type	Public:
Traded as	: GBX S&P 600 Component Russell 2000 Component
Industry	Marine Engineering / Railways
Predecessor	Gunderson Bros. (1919)
Founded	1981
Headquarters	Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States
Key people	William A. Furman, President and CEO (1994-) Mark Rittenbaum, Executive Vice President
Products	Ships, railcars, freight rolling stock
Revenue	$2.61 billion USD (2015)
Number of employees	10,689 (2015)
Website	www.gbrx.com

The Greenbrier Companies is an American publicly-traded transportation manufacturing corporation based in Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States. Greenbrier specializes in transportation services, notably barge and railroad car manufacturing, railroad car refurbishment, and railroad car leasing/management services. As of 2015^[update], Greenbrier employs in excess of 10,689 people combined at its operations in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Formed in 1981 and publicly traded since 1994, the company generates revenues of USD $2.61 billion.

The company has manufacturing facilities in Portland, Oregon, Świdnica, Poland, and three railcar plants in Mexico: Monclova, Sahagun City, and Tlaxcala.

In 1919, Chester Ellsworth Gunderson, son of a Swedish immigrant, founded the Wire Wheel Sales & Service Company, acting as a distribution partner for the Houk Company, Pennsylvania, a manufacturer of wire wheels. His brother Alvin Gunderson joined the company in 1923. In 1925, the company became the Wheel & Rim Service Inc.

By the 1930s, the company expanded in other automobile parts servicing. After an unsuccessful foray into the fertilizer distribution business, the company began to manufacture trailers, the equipment for which required an investment of over $12,000. In 1937, they began manufacturing dual-axle trailers, suitable for on- and off-road use. The new design of trailers was a commercial success and in 1938, the incorporated company Gunderson Bros. was formed, with its factory in Linnton, Portland, Oregon. In 1941, the company began building ships. The company distributed, installed and pioneered the use of General Motors diesel engines.

In 1938, the company was near bankruptcy, in part due to the effects of the Great Depression, and in part due to the Gundersons' own financial mismanagement. The company's main creditor took control of their accounts, and began to pay their suppliers. However, the company's financial position remained tenuous.