Q&A with Mike Gelskey, Jr. President & General Manager Lift-It Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Mike Gelskey, Junior, is President and General Manager of Lift-It Manufacturing Co., Inc., Pomona, Calif., the company founded by his father Michael Gelskey, Sr.

Today, Junior leads the day-to-day operations and a team by which every individual has a nickname…Power Point Princess, Big Daddy Wolf, Mr. T, Frosty, and more. The company’s approach to slings and rigging safety is a “family” approach where they build every sling with integrity, “just as if one of our loved ones were destined to use it,” says Mike, Sr.

DICA: Lift-It Manufacturing is known for promoting the use of engineered rigging gear and utilizing rigging principles based on math, logic, and experience. Tell us why that was important when the company was founded. And why it’s still important today.

Mike Gelskey, Jr: When our company was founded, our vision was to bring only the highest quality products to our customers with unparalleled level of service. This mindset has not changed 43 years later. If you do not believe me, call our emergency line at 1 AM and if it can be done, we’ll make a believer out of you!

After a few years in business, we realized there was a gaping hole when it came to information about proper use, care and maintenance of rigging gear. The market need was met by developing rigging training curriculum that spoke to the men and women using our products. It was 1981 and LONG before training was “fashionable.” Our passion to share this knowledge and wisdom sent us to the coldest places on earth in the middle of winter at our own expense in those early days. Now many companies have training budgets and strive to put safety culture at the forefront of operations. However, complacency or when companies take their eye of the safety ball, mommies and daddies will not make it home to their babies at night.

DICA: Specifically, Lift-It Manufacturing was an early leader raising awareness of the need for sling protection. Tell us why and what standards or best practices apply.

Mike Gelskey, Jr: When slings fail, we have seen it all—from property damage to injury to loss of life. When reviewed post incident, often these failures bring to light practices that at the time may have seemed like minor decisions, but which ended with catastrophic results. Using sling protection is a step that should not be skipped.

When synthetic slings are exposed to damaging edges, they are susceptible to being cut. We must remember that these slings did not “fail,” but rather, were rigged incorrectly by improperly trained users. When this occurs, many companies institute knee jerk policies to replace web or round slings with wire rope or chain slings. But that should never be the solution. All types of slings require protection. Chain slings suffer from nicks, gouges or crushed links. Wire rope slings bend, kink, and break wires when contact diameters are too small. If the practices that cause these problems do not change, wire rope or chain slings when exposed to enough tension, compression and damaging edges, will experience the same catastrophic result!

DICA: What are some of the different types of sling protection?

Mike Gelskey, Jr: I like keep things simple, which is much the same as what we teach in our rigging curriculum; Sling protection is either good or its bad and there’s no in-between. In this case, good sling protectors are engineered, with a clearly legible protection rating.

Many users recognize the need for sling protection but have not been trained and ultimately don’t choose wisely—relying on materials they have on hand, such as cardboard, tire rubber, retired slings that have been cut apart, and even hand gloves. As you can imagine these products do not have a protection rating nor the engineer pedigree to support their use as a sling protection device.

DICA: Are there different types of engineered sling protection?

Mike Gelskey, Jr: In the past 10 years, increased demand for engineered sling protection has led to the introduction of several products that rise to the occasion. In our opinion, one of the best is the LiftGuard product line, which is one of the most durable protectors on the market. Being easy to use and readily available makes LiftGuard a top shelf selection when the need for sling protection is identified. LiftGuard can be used when lifting steel plates, steel coils, I-Beams, and wood crates—anything where the damaging edge meets the dimensional criteria for proper use guidelines.

DICA: How do users decide what is the best option for their application?

Mike Gelskey, Jr: Many things must be considered, such as coefficient of friction, temperature, chemical resistance, and the list goes on. Only a Qualified Rigger performing the lift can determine which product is best suited for the specific application. We provide extensive product user manuals covering correct application, protection ratings, and warnings to assist a Qualified person with the evaluation.

DICA: Given Lift-It’s policy regarding quality, how do you select the products you sell in your catalog?

Mike Gelskey, Jr: We look for products that offer distinct advantages to the user. Every load is different, so it is important that users involved in any kind of lifting or load handling activity have as many tools as possible to choose from. Our goal is to provide customers with a 5 Star experience by providing slings and hardware which are competitively priced and delivered on time with zero defects at quality and service levels that are consistent with the expectations of our customers. To meet this goal, Lift-It Manufacturing Co. is committed to maintaining ISO 9001 and AS9100D quality management systems.

DICA: The company just celebrated its 43^rd Anniversary.  What are some of your proudest accomplishments over the last 43 years?

Mike Gelskey, Jr: I would have to say the employees and our customers. We have many 20+ year employees that make our organization a great place to work. We spend a tremendous amount of time together and it’s a blessing to come to work and enjoy the people you work with. Without them we would be nonexistent. Of course, without customers we would not have our business. I know it may sound cliché, but the relationships I have cultivated from the business are truly special! I enjoy the challenges the customers present and work very, very hard to provide a top shelf customer experience!