Kaye Stone-Gansz is President of LaGasse Machine & Fabrication, Inc. and has a long history of entrepreneurship. She grew up on a family-owned, 600-acre potato/onion/corn farm as well as a retail, sales, and service business in Upstate New York. Working on the farm, Kaye gained experience and interest in the fields of fabrication and engineering; this is where her passion for the fabrication trade began. Working on the farm she was always helping to invent new ideas, fabricate new pieces and parts to make it happen and get the job done, “so much fun”!
Kaye brings to her position as President of LaGasse Machine & Fabrication, Inc. more than 30 years of experience in engineering, design, fabrication, machining & manufacturing. While at Xerox Corporation, Kaye was responsible for bringing several product lines to fruition from idea development to engineering, design & fabrication. Her innovation spans across many industries including agriculture, industrial, office products, and more. When designing & fabricating Kaye keeps quality & customer satisfaction top of mind.
At LaGasse, Kaye is involved directly with the overall business success as well as operations. Daily she is in the field driving sales, job quoting & job estimating as well as running the shop floor. With a very keen business mind, Kaye develops and rolls out the business strategies and drives new business development for LaGasse Machine & Fabrication. She spent more than 25 years working at Xerox Corporation and this is where she honed her desire to start her own business in manufacturing, giving her a great opportunity to design, engineer and fabricating custom solutions for her own company.
In 2023, Kaye purchased GD Youngs in Sodus, New York, another fabrication shop, to add to the LaGasse group of companies. Bringing on GD Youngs has expanded the employee base as well as added more capabilities to the products / services LaGasse Machine & Fabrication can offer to the customer. This purchase add tremendous value to the LaGasse brand!
She has been featured in Money Magazine and Hard Hat News, and was honored as the 2013 New York State Female Entrepreneur of the Year. When not working Kaye enjoys traveling, boating, skiing, snowmobiling, motorcycling, and loves spending time with her family. She is married to Ross Gansz and together they have a daughter Jacquie, who keeps them extremely busy outside of work. Kaye sits on several non-profit and community boards of directors, including Lyons National Bank, the Wayne County Industrial Development Agency, and Newark-Wayne Hospital.
Ross Gansz brings to his position as Vice President of LaGasse Machine & Fabrication, Inc. more than 30 years of experience in fabrication and industrial manufacturing. His innovative product designs serve diverse industries internationally, including aerospace, automotive, agriculture, industrial, and medical. His products all share the same similarities, however, of robust quality, cost effectiveness, and ease of customer use.
Among Ross’s innovations are the country’s most environmentally friendly manufacturing site for the health and beauty industry and the first carbon-neutral manufacturing facility in the United States. He has been featured in several national and trade publications, including Procurement Magazine and Machinist Digest.
Ross has managed financials for Fortune 500 companies, in addition to overseeing design and invention. He holds a master’s degree in supply-chain management and a bachelor’s degree in business and social science. Ross is also vice president and owner of Stone Goose Enterprises, Inc. which is the umbrella company for LaGasse, Stone Goose Farms and The Apple Farm Stand.
In addition to being a business owner, designer, and fabricator, Ross is also a working farmer. He owns a 250-acre fruit and vegetable farm that he actively runs, which has led to the creation of several innovations for the agricultural industry. He works closely with educational and agricultural institutions, providing best practices in machine development and automation, from apple processing to self-driving tractors.
Whether he is wearing his fabrication or farming hat, customer satisfaction is his driving force. Ross is dedicated to ensuring every customer is satisfied with their products, arriving on time and of the highest quality.
Timothy Cornwell is the Production Manager for LaGasse Machine & Fabrication. He has dedicated his career to the company, joining the team in 1994, after studying welding at BOCES. After learning from highly experienced senior fabricators, he was promoted to Head Fabricator and eventually Production Manager.
Tim has been an integral asset in LaGasse’s business growth. He oversees all production, including managing the team, quoting new jobs, ordering materials, ensuring timelines are met, and product setup and installation.
In addition to management and offering technical guidance, Tim is also a master craftsman, creating and welding parts and assembling equipment, including specialized agricultural products and the HARDER Dump Box Spreader. He also is pivotal in the design and development of many products, furthering LaGasse’s ability to offer custom creations.
Tim also assists with sales, representing LaGasse at trade shows across the country and working directly with customers. For LaGasse he is the in-house expert on HARDER, Bandit, and Munckhof products. When not at the shop, Tim enjoys snowmobiling, hiking, and fishing.
