Pioneering Equipment

GBI flexes its Muscles

In 1951, the United States was back on its feet after the end of World War II, and people were re-investing in the strength of the country. That’s when the four Ghilotti brothers decided to invest in their future by purchasing seven pieces of heavy construction equipment from a Navy auction in Port Wynemie in Southern California. This purchase was a huge undertaking. The brothers lacked the capital to cover this kind of expenditure, so it was only through the faith of Bill Murray and Burt Kirchner at the Bank of Marin that GBI was able to finance their first big equipment purchase.

That acquisition was the beginning of a fifty year love affair with construction equipment, especially Caterpillar equipment, which affectionately became known as “yellow fever.” Having a substantial fleet of equipment gave GBI the strength to take on new and challenging construction project. Ever since then, the Ghilottis have made owning late-model, reliable, and innovative equipment a top priority of the company.

Today, GBI has one of the largest and best maintained fleets in Northern California. With over 200 pieces of equipment and trucks, valued in excess of $20 million, GBI has the capability to handle any size and type of general engineering project. Optimism for the future continuously pushes GBI to purchase millions of dollars’ worth of equipment annually. The fact that 90% of its fleet is less than six years old further strengthens GBI’s claim of having one of the largest and most modern fleets in the industry.

Pioneering Moments

1. nvented the scoop mobil, one of the first pieces of equipment to get concrete to higher elevations other than by hand (1940).

2. First in North Bay to purchase a TD9 Hydraulic Bulldozer/International Harvester (1952).

3. First in North Bay to use a crane for demolition (1953).

4. First fleet in North Bay with 2-way radios with mobile units (1956).

5. First in North Bay to buy a truck-crane, a hydraulic crane mounted on an international truck called a “Hydrocrane” (1958).

6. First in North Bay to buy and use specialized scrapers: DW10 scraper (1962, pictured); later, push-pull 627 scrapers (1974).

7. First in North Bay to purchase and use a concrete curb and gutter machine (1962).

8. First in North Bay to purchase a concrete pump for placing concrete on various inaccessible locations (1967).

9. First in North Bay to purchase a portable crusher (1968).

10. First construction company in Bay Area to have an environmentally-friendly self-contained grease truck, the McClellan Super-luber (shared in the design process) (1980).

11. First in Northern California to purchase a D11 Dozer (1987).

12. First in North Bay to use GPS for grading operations (1996).

13. First construction company in Bay Area to have a complete line of 6’ and 7’ wide Caterpillar asphalt profilers (2004).