Gleco Plating was founded by Glen Gurley and his wife, Jean, in July 1979 in Garland, Texas — a 1,500-square-foot shop with a handful of employees and a simple promise about how customers would be treated.
Gleco Plating, Inc. was founded by Glen Gurley and his wife, Jean, in July 1979 in Garland, Texas. Mr. Gurley had been involved in the metal finishing industry for many years in several capacities for other plating shops. It wasn’t until his abrupt departure from one of these companies, and constant encouragement from former associates and customers that he decided to go into business for himself. Hence, the formation of Gleco Plating, Inc.
Gleco started in a 1,500-square-foot shop on Kirby in Garland, with a handful of employees. In 1981 the company moved to Rowlett, into a building of roughly 7,500 square feet, and has expanded on and around that site ever since.
Glen Gurley led Gleco until he passed away in 2002. His son-in-law, Jeff Fodge, took over the business and carried it forward.
Matt Fodge — Glen’s grandson — joined the company in 2009 and serves as President today, the third generation of the family in the business.
The Rowlett plating shop now runs 40,000 to 45,000 square feet, with a separate 2,500-square-foot chemical storage building and a further 10,000 square feet leased across the street.
In August 2024 Gleco acquired 3-D Powder Coating, a few buildings up Grisham Drive, and reopened it as Gleco Paint & Powder Coating — 7,000 square feet of coating capacity with room on the property to add 8,000 to 10,000 more.
Gleco did not go looking for the Rio Grande Valley. In 2005 a Rowlett customer with a second plant in McAllen came to us: they could not find a reliable plater anywhere in the Valley, and asked whether Gleco would lease space inside their own building and run parts for them there. We did.
What began as one customer’s parts grew into a full plating operation serving the Valley, run out of leased space for its first fourteen years.
In 2019 the company bought the plant it occupies today at 3800 W. Ursula Avenue — a 50,000-square-foot production floor with 3,500 square feet of office, 53,500 square feet in total — and began operating there in July 2020. It was built to mirror Rowlett, running essentially the same process set, with a small number of differences documented on our capability pages.
McAllen now employs 75 to 80 people across multiple shifts. Company-wide, Gleco employs 185.
The business was founded on the premise that all customers, large or small, deserve the best quality, turnaround, and overall service that Gleco could possibly provide. We still hold to those values today.
See also: About Gleco Plating · Our Culture · Locations
Send the print and we’ll tell you. Quotes typically back within one business day, from either plant.
Precision metal finishing since 1979. Plating, anodizing, coatings and passivation from two Texas plants.
Our paint, powder & Cerakote division: Gleco Paint & Powder Coating
Gleco Rowlett
2220 Grisham Drive
Rowlett, TX 75088
972-475-4300
Gleco McAllen
3800 W. Ursula Ave
McAllen, TX 78503
956-800-4069
