Our story
Michelli History
The history of Michelli is a story of humble beginnings. What began as a Mom & Pop operation in 1947 has grown into 3 companies, all part of the Michelli Weighing & Measurement family. With the strong desire to continue learning, and a passion to be the best, Michelli has grown from a company made up of a hardworking man & his sons, to a leader in the industry throughout the Southeast & Western United States.
Dedication to reinvest in training & technology has allowed our team to excel, while a passion for customer satisfaction has kept them motivated to always strive for better.
If Michelli history has taught us anything, we’re not just scale distributors or calibration technicians. We’re a team of dedicated product specialists who make it our business to know yours.
Our mission is to show the world what measurement can do. We’re here to help you discover ways to use weighing & measurement to redefine your processes. We can provide the scales & measurement equipment. We can maintain, calibrate & repair that equipment, but did you know we can use it to help you learn more about your business? Our system development division exists to help our customers find ways to minimize waste & maximize efficiency.
View our timeline below for a detailed account of Michelli history.
1942
By-Pel Equipment is founded
G.T. Michelli Sr. opens his first company
G.T. Michelli Sr. opened his first company in a 600 square foot store located at 4037 Palmyra Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. He was an independent dealer for the Exact Weight scale company, and he added material handling & food processing equipment to gain a larger customer base.
The name reflected his Louisiana roots. “By” came from the word Bayou, while “Pel” came from the word Pelican.
1947
The G.T. Michelli Company is founded
G.T. Michelli Sr. focuses on scales
G.T. Michelli Sr. and his wife Amy were the only employees. He handled sales & service, while Mrs. Michelli kept the books. The scale business had gradually overtaken the cash register & material handling side of the organization.
1951
G.T. Michelli Jr. joins his father
G.T. Michelli, Jr. begins working with his father
G.T. Michelli, Jr. began working with his father while he was still in high school. He would later take over the company, after serving in the United States Army & attending Tulane University.
1957
526 Metairie Road location opens
The G.T. Michelli Company moves to a new location
The G.T. Michelli Company moved to a new storefront at 526 Metairie Road. The new space was 2,000 square feet bigger than their old location, coming in at 2,600 square feet. After much convincing, G.T. Jr. convinced his father to purchase a $300 “Michelli” fluorescent sign to hang outside, which was a huge expense for a small business at the time.
1965
G.T. Michelli Company is Incorporated in Louisiana
Ron Michelli, G.T. Michelli, Sr. & G.T. Michelli, Jr. at the Workboat Show
Both of G.T. Michelli, Sr.’s sons came to work with him. This picture is from the Workboat Show, a trade show in New Orleans, Louisiana, for the maritime industry.
1972
3922 Barron Street location opens
G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. moves to a third, larger location
The G.T. Michelli Co. moved to a 40,000 square foot, multi-unit warehouse that G.T., Sr. and G.T., Jr. built, where they occupied 7,000 square feet. (4,400 square feet more than their prior location.) Soon, they would quickly grow to occupy 9,000 square feet.
1977
Heavy duty scale calibration
Startup and final calibration of a truck scale
Before the company owned a heavy duty test truck used to calibrate truck scales & other heavy capacity equipment, they had to rent a local lift-gate truck to perform heavy capacity calibrations. They attached a Michelli sign over the rental company name on the truck. At the time, there were no CDL requirements for drivers, and a 2 wheel weight cart was used to manually move the weights around the scale.
1980
GTM opens Mobile, AL location
1981
GTM opens Jackson, MS location
1983
G.T. Michelli Company expands
The G.T. Michelli Company acquires 3 new offices
The company acquires 3 offices from Toledo Scale Co. Those offices are located in Shreveport, LA, Monroe, LA, and Texarkana, TX.
1984
G.T. Michelli Company opens Baton Rouge, LA location
1991
Current corporate location opens
The G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. moves into its current corporate headquarters
G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. moved into its corporate headquarters, 130 Brookhollow Esplanade, Harahan, Louisiana. The building is 20,000 square feet. It includes an office, an ISO 17025 accredited calibration lab, a storage area, and a warehouse.
2000
G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. is ISO Certified
Received original ISO certification (ISO 9002:1994)
G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. underwent rigorous auditing to ensure that they meet each of the 7 quality management principles. These principles include a strong focus on continual improvement through leadership, planning, support, operation & performance evaluation.
2000
GTM opens Sulphur, LA location
2001
Michelli expands into Houston, TX
2008
Final Destination 4 is filmed at G.T. Michelli Co., Inc.
The corporate office is used as a movie set
The G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. corporate headquarters in Harahan, Louisiana was used as a filming site for a scene in the movie Final Destination 4, distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures. The building was transformed into “Grandstate Customs”, a body shop featured in the film.
2010
GTM opens Olive Branch, MS location
2011
GTM opens Alexander, AR location
2011
GTM opens Springdale, AR location
2012
GTM opens Alabaster, AL location
2012
New ownership team is formed
G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. has a new ownership team
Joel McMullen (President), David Barnett (Vice President), & Bobby McDill (Corporate Secretary) become the new ownership team of G.T. Michelli Co., Inc.
2014
ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation
Received original ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Accreditation
G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. receives its ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation through the A2LA and can now perform accredited calibration services.
2014
Further expansion into the Western U.S.
Michelli Measurement Group, Inc. is formed
Michelli Measurement Group, Inc. is formed and 8 new locations are acquired in the Western U.S.
2016
GTM opens Scott, LA location
2017
Ownership Team Expanded
Southern Scales & Controls joins G.T. Michelli Co., Inc.
Southern Scales & Controls, as well as its owners Bobby Feigler & Anthony Michelli joined the G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. team at its corporate headquarters in Harahan, Louisiana.
Pictured left to right: Joel McMullen, Bobby Feigler, Bobby McDill, David Barnett, Anthony Michelli & Ron Michelli
2018
GTM opens Greenwood, MS location
2018
GTM, MMG & AMT rebrand as Michelli Weighing & Measurement
2019
MMG opens Bakersfield, CA location
2019
MMG opens Reno, NV location
2020
GTM opens Nashville, TN location
2020
GTM opens Columbia, MS location
2022
MMG acquires Bay City Scale in Hayward, CA
2022
Michelli Weighing & Measurement celebrates 75 Years Strong
2023
AMT opens Waco, TX service area
2023
MMG acquires the heavy capacity business of Balance Industrial Scales in Los Alamitos, CA
2023