By the 4^th decade of operation, the payroll had grown to 230 direct employees with an additional 100 trucking and logging contractors.  The modern plant had found a niche in the specialty markets.  On May 11, 1991, Gorman Bros. had a ‘family reunion’ – well, it actually was a 40^th anniversary celebration but it felt like a family reunion.  More than 600 present and past employees and their families joined in celebrating past achievements.  Cliff Serwa, member of the provincial legislature summed it up when he noted that people employed at the mill “worked with the Gormans not for them.”

By 1982 it was evident that Gorman Bros. needed more timber.  When MacGillis and Gibbs Company Ltd. of Lumby was put up for sale including the assets of 19,000 cubic meters of AAC (annual allowable cut), Gorman Bros. was interested.  They purchased these assets as well as the pole manufacturing plant, fencing plant and a small saw mill.  The pole manufacturing plant continues to be in operation today managed by Marjorie Wiens, daughter of Ross Gorman.

In 1964, John and Ross decided to set up Oroville Bin & Pallet on the American side of the border in the former Zippy building to address the demands of the American market.  The company faced many changes and challenges but its strength was in its versatility. They produced fruit bins then ammunition boxes during the Vietnam War when they were needed.  In 1999 the Oroville plant changed its name to Oroville Reman & Reload to reflect the company’s current function of producing and shipping full length Gorman Bros. boards.

The bitter winter of 1949-1950 resulted in the Gorman’s orchards being frozen so the brothers needed to find an alternate way to provide for their growing families.  Various farming options were bandied about, but ultimately, they decided to make and sell fruit boxes.  Using their father’s shed (which still stands at the entrance to the mill property) and their own practical skills and knowledge, John and Ross began their journey in the forest industry.