George C. Matteson, Jr. was born in Kansas City, MO in 1929 and founded Gemaco Playing Cards in 1965. Upon earning a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business in 1950, he returned to the Kansas City area where he entered the family business and created the Gemaco® brand. He created the Gemaco name by combining the letters “G” and “E” from his first name, George, the “M” and “A” in Matteson and with the “C” and “O” from company.
The Gemaco® playing card brand was initially introduced to the promotional products industry in 1965 and then later to the casino industry in 1982. Mr. Matteson’s service in the Navy during the Korean War along with his professional experience in marketing and management enabled the Gemaco® brand to become a highly respected and significant supplier to both industries. He retired from the Gemaco in 1994 and passed away in May of 2011.
Gemaco has a long-standing reputation for product quality, innovation and cutting edge production processes. As one of the casino industry’s largest playing card and table layout manufacturers, Gemaco is known for expert printing, precision finishing, world-class customer service and on-time delivery.
As the Gemaco® brand prepares to celebrate it’s 50th year in 2015, GPI is thrilled to carry on the tradition established by Gemaco, ensuring that the brand continues the endless dedication to high-quality production standards and state-of-the-art innovation.