More than a toolbox, a Gerstner chest has become a symbol of respect and recognition in the skilled trades, and it’s changing how companies reward their people.
Inside the over 110-year-old walls of the Gerstner & Sons factory in Dayton, Ohio, there’s a certain quiet reverence in the air. For those who have a chance to visit, it isn’t just a place where tool chests are made. It’s where craftsmanship lives and a legacy is maintained. On this particular day, Ray Gurnick, president and owner of Seaway Bolt, is making a pilgrimage from Columbia Station, just outside of Cleveland, Ohio.
“I’m here to pick up a couple of boxes,” he says plainly, sitting next to one of Gerstner’s signature 2007 chests. He’s excited about it, as if it’s something far more valuable than its utilitarian name might suggest. For Gurnick, these boxes aren’t just storage solutions. They’re symbols. And they’re part of a strategy that’s reshaping how his company thinks about talent, tradition, and the power of a thank-you gift that actually matters.
A Symbol of Respect
Seaway Bolt has been shaping metal for virtually every major industry for decades. But the company’s latest initiative, spearheaded by Gurnick, isn’t about expanding markets. It’s about investing in people and continuing a tradition that goes back nearly 120 years.
“This box is going to a young engineer who just completed our apprenticeship program,” Gurnick explains. “Now that he’s finished engineering school and decided to stay with us full-time, we’re honoring him with a Gerstner chest engraved with his name.”
The gesture isn’t just symbolic. It’s a strategic edge in a fiercely competitive market for skilled engineers and is a tangible link back to the engineers and machinists who came before this current generation. For decades, the mark of a master engineer, tool and die maker, model maker, or machinist was their Gerstner & Sons Chest, and while
“A Gerstner box is kind of like bling for tool and die makers,” Gurnick says with a smile. “It’s a status symbol in the shop. When we started giving them out to new hires, word spread fast. Pretty soon, we went from struggling to find qualified talent to having people seek us out.”
In an age of onboarding kits packed with logo-covered fleeces and drink tumblers, Gerstner’s handcrafted chests, built to last a lifetime from hardwoods like cherry and oak, stand apart. They’re not just beautiful. They’re functional, heirloom-grade tools in their own right.
“They love that an employer would give them something of such high value,” says Gurnick. “ It’s not a cheesy company jacket, fleece, vest, or something. It’s an heirloom that they’re going to retain forever.”
A Legacy Etched in Wood
Gurnick’s relationship with Gerstner goes back to his childhood.
“My first Gerstner box came from my father, who was a registered professional engineer,” he recalls. “It sat on his desk, and as a kid, I wasn’t allowed to touch it. He’d tell me I didn’t understand what it was. And he was right.”
That box held his father’s most delicate and expensive measuring instruments. And more than that, it held meaning.
“When you have very expensive instruments, you want to store them in something suitable, not just a box or just a drawer,” Gurnick says. “It’s a piece of him that I cherish, and I just associate that (Gerstner) box with him.”
His father’s Gerstner Chest is a reminder of his father and the legacy that he carries forward, which is why Gurnick sees every Gerstner chest handed to a new apprentice not just as a gift, but as a torch being passed.
Investing in People, the Right Way
At a time when manufacturing leaders across America are struggling to attract and retain skilled labor, Seaway Bolt is leaning into heritage. And it’s working.
“So I started the habit of giving them really cool Gerstner boxes,” Gurnick says. “They started to tell their friends. And pretty soon, where I couldn’t get a skilled tool and die maker, I had a lot of them to choose from. They treat the Gerstner boxes with real respect.”
That mindset is paying off. For companies like Seaway Bolt, and countless others across industries, investing in quality gifts that carry meaning is more than good etiquette. It’s smart business.
Whether it’s a handcrafted machinist’s chest for a graduating apprentice, a travel bar gifted to a retiring executive, or a valet tray presented at a holiday gathering, Gerstner products speak volumes without saying a word. They tell employees that their work is valued, that their time matters, and that the company is willing to go beyond the typical branded fleece or logo pen. In a world full of disposable swag, a Gerstner is something to keep. It marks milestones. It creates moments. And most importantly, it sends a message: You belong here. We see you. And you are someone worth investing in.
