Blending Tradition with Modern Expertise: GEMCO’s Certification Journey

GEMCO, short for General Equipment Manufacturing Company, is the embodiment of family legacy and innovation. Founded in 1916 by John Muench Sr.—an inventor who revolutionized blending and drying equipment with the creation of the double cone blender and double cone vacuum dryer—GEMCO’s history is one of pioneering breakthroughs. Today, the company remains family-owned, with Casey Muench Bickhardt at the helm as CEO.

Headquartered in Middlesex, New Jersey, GEMCO now serves nearly 40 different industries, from pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals to powdered metals, chemicals, cosmetics, and beyond. This commitment to innovation and adaptability has solidified GEMCO as a trusted leader in blending and drying technology.

GEMCO faced a pressing challenge: meeting the growing demands of its clients while maintaining its reputation for excellence. The PMP® (Project Management Professional) certification emerged as a pivotal requirement, not just as a credential but as a stepping-stone to growth. For GEMCO, achieving this certification was key to maintaining competitiveness and unlocking opportunities across their diverse client base. Recognizing the importance of this investment, CEO Casey Bickhardt set out to find a resource capable of delivering not just training, but a tailored approach that would empower her team to thrive in a demanding industry.

To tackle the challenge head-on, GEMCO partnered with NJMEP, part of the MEP National Network™ and a trusted resource for manufacturers navigating complex certification processes. NJMEP provided the support and expertise GEMCO needed to streamline the path to PMP® certification, offering their PMP® Certification Exam Prep Course which totaled 48 hours of training over 6 days. The comprehensive training covered essential project management principles, from realistic planning and progress tracking to effectively managing stakeholder expectations and ensuring timely completion of deliverables.

“We’re not reinventing a wheel, we’re leveraging resources from NJMEP who’ve already done it before,” said Bickhardt. “Your instructors were super valuable to us in obtaining the certifications that our clients were asking for.”

NJMEP’s expert instructors broke down complex concepts into actionable strategies, empowering GEMCO to not only secure the certification on their own terms but also maximize its value within their client base. This collaborative approach allowed GEMCO to meet industry demands while continuing to focus on delivering the exceptional service their clients had come to expect.