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Trendler Story + Team

Our company—with a tradition of innovation, quality and service—began in 1932 with the formation of Trendler Metal Products, Inc.

Our story began in 1932 when Trendler Metal Products open edits doors on 63rd and Hoyne on Chicago’s South Side. The business began as a manufacturer of metal cabinets and other metal components. In1951, 10 years after immigrating to the U.S., Anton Gfesser Sr. got involved with the company and later acquired Trendler from the original owners in 1962, beginning the Gfesser family’s entrepreneurial success with the company.

After Anton Gfesser Sr. took over Trendler, we began creating new furniture products including kitchen cabinets. We began producing swivels when Douglas Furniture, one of the largest dinette manufacturers in the U.S. at the time, commissioned Anton to produce a swivel for their products. A couple days later, Anton had several examples and prices for them, and they loved the swivel. Since then, Trendler has innovated and created hundreds of models of swivels, mainly for chairs and barstools. By 1985, Trendler was one of the largest swivel manufacturers in the world and we continue to manufacture and provide high-quality, heavy-duty swivels to this day.

In 1985, Anton’s son Stefan Gfesser joined the company and saw an opportunity for growth by offering new metal and wood furniture components for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Within a couple of years, imports and world markets presented competition for our OEM customers. We soon began making completed furniture products, including chairs and barstools, that we provided to OEMs and wholesalers under private label. We now offered metal and wood furniture components as well as finished furniture products.

In 1988, the company began global sourcing and marketing to meet world demand for U.S. made furniture components. Our corporate name changed to Trendler Components in 1995 to reflect the changes in product offerings that now went beyond just metal. Just two years later in 1997, we moved into our current facility near Midway Airport in Chicago and changed our name once more to Trendler, Inc.

While we began offering finished furniture products such as chairs and barstools to our OEM customers in the late 1980s, it wasn’t until 2015 that we launched our line of Trendler brand products that include finished wood and metal chairs and barstools. Our Trendler brand products are available to OEMs, wholesalers, businesses, and individual buyers. No matter your application, you can expect a durable, high-quality product from Trendler.

Today, Trendler, Inc. is run by Anton Gfesser Sr.’s four sons who focus on carrying on the tradition of innovation, quality, and service.

Gfesser brothers

Trendler Team

Martin Gfesser

Martin Gfesser

President

Martin has been with our company for nearly three decades. When he isn’t ensuring our products continue to meet the high quality and reliability standards that our customers expect, he enjoys fishing, golfing and spending time with his family. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

Stefan Gfesser

Stefan Gfesser

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Stefan has been with our company for 33 years. He is student of military history, enjoys playing golf, staying up-to-date on politics and practicing martial arts.

Anton Gfesser

Anton Gfesser

Chairman of the Board

Anton has been with Trendler for over 40 years. He enjoys Harley motorcycling, traveling, fishing, hunting, the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Blackhawks and spending time with his grandchildren.

Andreas Gfesser

Andreas Gfesser

President of Crossroads, Consulting Division

Andreas has 30 years of industry experience, contributing 20 years to the Trendler team. He holds an MBA in International Commerce from Northern Illinois University. Andreas enjoys spending time with family, serving in his church, and outdoor activities.

Tom Byers

Tom Byers

Tom brings over two decades of financial, risk management and forecasting experience to the Trendler leadership team. An accomplished CPA with both industry and public accounting expertise, he is also proficient in HR management and corporate administration in a variety of industries to the benefit of the entire Trendler team and brand as a whole.

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Rosalio "Charlie" Gradilla

Rosalio "Charlie" Gradilla

Customer Service

Rosalio supports the Trendler team by serving as a customer service representative. He enjoys spending time with family and is an avid soccer player and World Cup fan.

Gabriel Ibarra

Gabriel Ibarra

Shipping & Receiving Supervisor

Gabriel supports the Trendler shipping and receiving teams, coordinating all inbound and outbound freight. He is a Chicago native and enjoys spending time with his family.

James Kauke

James Kauke

James contributes his nearly 30 years of manufacturing design experience to the Trendler product design, R&D, Fixtures, and Maintenance teams. He plays guitar, sings in a local band and enjoys rebuilding old AMX cars.

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Juan Perez

Juan Perez

Juan began his career 38 years ago in Trendler’s manufacturing division. Today, he oversees all operations at Trendler. In his free time, he enjoys soccer, playing piano and volunteering at his Church. Juan received his professional certification from DePaul University.

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Bradley Peterson

Bradley Peterson

Bradley supports the Trendler team by managing day-to-day scheduling. He has more than 30 years experience in the manufacturing industry and is from Rockford, Illinois. Bradley enjoys spending time with family, fishing, and boating.

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Araceli Ramirez

Araceli Ramirez

Born and raised in Cicero, Illinois Araceli holds a bachelor’s in psychology and brings her passion of employee relations to Trendler. As HR Coordinator, Araceli manages payroll and the staffing process including recruiting, interviewing, hiring and onboarding. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling to Mexico, trying new restaurants, and cheering for the Cubs!

Baltazar Rodriguez

Baltazar Rodriguez

Baltazar Rodriguez brings 27 years of industry experience and knowledge to Trendler. As the Production Supervisor, Baltazar effectively manages Trendler’s inventory by identifying which parts are in stock, which can be assembled and what orders can be completed to meet Trendler’s high-quality standards. Baltazar spends his free time with his wife and 3 children and enjoys working in his workshop on carpentry related projects.

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Geniene Uram

Geniene Uram

Customer Service Supervisor

Geniene quickly rose through the ranks at Trendler serving as a customer service representative, shipping coordinator, and customer service supervisor. Today, she brings her years of experience and passion for her customers to the inside sales team as Trendler’s Sales Manager.

Joe Zabransky

Joe Zabransky

Joe contributes his depth of manufacturing expertise to the production, labor management and engineering divisions at Trendler. He is originally from Burbank, Illinois and enjoys boating, skiing, golfing and ATV’ing.

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