Bullard Family History

The Bullard legacy of American innovation began in 1906 when Lewis Gordon Bullard founded Bullard Industrial Corporation in Kalamazoo, Michigan. As a pioneering inventor and manufacturer, Lewis Bullard created revolutionary products including the first adjustable wrench, the first successful slot machine, the first folding day bed, the first sheet metal boat and groundbreaking medicine-to-pill developing machines for UpJohn Pharmaceutical Corporation.

The Bullard family’s connection to American transportation and industrial growth continued into the early 20th century. Lewis Bullard partnered with the Checker Cab Company, manufacturing architectural bollards for the USA booming taxi industry. This marked the family's entry into architectural products that would later evolve into Architectural Lighting. 

Under Earl and Robert Bullard's leadership, the company evolved into KSM Corporation, specializing in stainless steel manufacturing and industrial contracting. Their inventions included the first automated plastic cap system for milk cartons and pharmaceutical packaging equipment—technology still used today.

Gordon Bullard continued the family's entrepreneurial tradition in the late 1980s, establishing import-export operations in the Soviet Union. Specializing in Italian Murano glass chandeliers and technical lighting, Gordon built strategic relationships between Italy and Russia that would shape the company's future direction.

Today, Gordon Bullard and Company carries forward over 120 years of manufacturing excellence, innovation, and craftsmanship in the global lighting industry.

Company History

  • (1906) The Bullard Industrial Corporation - Established in 1906

    The Bullard legacy began in 1906 when Lewis Gordon Bullard founded Bullard Industrial Corporation in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A pioneering inventor and manufacturer, he developed groundbreaking products including the first adjustable wrench, the first successful slot machine, the first folding day bed, the first sheet metal boat, and early pharmaceutical pill-forming machinery for UpJohn

  • (1925) The Checker Cab - Taxi Stand Bollards 1925 onward

    In the early 20th century, Lewis Bullard partnered with the Checker Cab Company, manufacturing architectural bollards for America’s rapidly expanding taxi industry. This collaboration marked the family’s entry into architectural infrastructure — a foundation that would later evolve into architectural lighting and perimeter systems.

  • (1980s-2000s) From Soviet Markets to Global Manufacturing (1980s-2000s)

    Gordon Bullard's career began in the late 1980s in the Soviet Union, importing Italian lighting as Eastern European markets opened. This experience established crucial manufacturing relationships and expertise in Murano glass chandeliers and technical outdoor lighting that would become foundational to the company's future.

  • (1996) Establishing American Operations - Established in 1996

    As Russia's society changed, Gordon Bullard relocated operations to the United States, continuing lighting manufacturing and expanding the product portfolio. This transition combined European craftsmanship traditions with American innovation and quality standards.

  • (2006) Formation of Gordon Bullard and Company

    Twenty years ago, Bullard Industrial Corporation officially became Gordon Bullard and Company, focusing exclusively on comprehensive lighting design, prototyping, and manufacturing. This strategic pivot positioned the company as a specialized lighting manufacturer rather than a diversified industrial corporation.

  • (2000-Present) Building a Global Network (2000s-Present)

    Today, Gordon Bullard and Company operates seven distinct lighting brands across more than 100 manufacturing facilities worldwide. The company maintains strategic partnerships with over 120 suppliers providing materials from natural fibers to precision stainless steel, ensuring quality control and manufacturing flexibility.

    The Bullard name remains synonymous with innovation across American industrial sectors, and Gordon Bullard and Company continues this tradition by delivering specification-grade lighting solutions to architects, designers, and specifiers globally.

Our Vision

We are guided by legacy, driven by responsibility, and focused on building lighting that lasts.

Our vision is to carry forward more than 120 years of manufacturing excellence while advancing modern lighting solutions that serve architecture with precision and integrity. We believe lighting should enhance space, support performance, and be produced with thoughtful consideration for environmental impact.

Through disciplined engineering, global manufacturing coordination, and responsible material selection, we create lighting systems that balance aesthetics, durability, and sustainability. Every project is approached with long-term perspective, technical clarity, and a commitment to partnership.

Core Values

Everything we do we do our very best.

We do the "right thing".

We help and mentor others. Always be the love.

Alway be the love.

Clarity is our power.

TEAM AND FAMILY PLEDGE

I understand the company feeds my family and allows me to live my dreams and I pledge to always offer my best to the team and the company so all can live happily and successfully. I understand and will live Our Core Values everyday within myself and strive to work with my teammates to always be better and strive to live to these core values. I understand our company is only as good as the processes and communication we have between our team, our customers, our vendor partners, and our global community. I understand that we always protect our own and we do not compete or feed on our own that our enemy is not within but the ones that work to make us weaker and to take resources from us and not the ones that contribute to our success.