Furniture Pioneer George Gasser Dies

George E. Gasser, former CEO and youngest of the three founding brothers of Gasser Chair Company, died last month at age 80 in his home town of Youngstown, Ohio.  

Gasser built the furniture company he founded in the mid-1940s with his two brothers into one of the most successful gaming industry vendors, providing seating to casinos around the world.

The three Gasser brothers (George, Louis and Roger) founded the company in a family-owned horse barn in Youngstown, using their machinist skills to work with what was a relatively new material at the time, aluminum. Early jobs included assembling storm windows and screens, aluminum beer kegs and custom aluminum parts. The company became Gasser Chair in 1946, after it launched a line of aluminum-frame dinette sets, and took off after those products impressed attendees at the 1948 National Restaurant Show.

When casinos began to require slot stools, Gasser Chair became one of only a few vendors
to establish itself as a prime supplier to the new market.