Graphite Electrode Sales
Graphite Electrode Sales (GES) is an importer and distributor of industrial graphite and carbon products with headquarters at 5628 Clifford Circle, off Queenstown Road in Birmingham's Liberty Highlands neighborhood.
The business was founded as the H. M. Kearney Co. in 1958 by Harry Kearney to import electrodes from Japan. Keith Kearney incorporated the business under its present name in 1986 and is the current president. The company expanded into the South American market with the establishment of GES Brazil in 2010.
From 2012 to 2016 the company's offices were located in the Shades Brook Building at 3300 Cahaba Road.
In 2013 GES filed a federal lawsuit against a competitor under the False Claims Act, alleging that it was engaging in illegal trade with China through a scheme to warehouse products in India before import, and then falsely reported the nature of the products to avoid specific import duties. GES' attorneys, Frohsin & Barger paid investigators to document the scheme for prosecution by the Department of Justice. The case was settled, and GES was awarded $480,000.
References
- Faulk, Kent (February 23, 2016) "Birmingham company to get $480K for blowing whistle on illegal Chinese imports." The Birmingham News
External links
- GES website