History
1934 – Gust C. Zarnas plays on football scholarship at Ohio State University, First Greek American selected as All American.
Gust C. Zarnas played on football scholarship at Ohio State University and was later honored as the first Greek American selected as All American. Gust also won letters in baseball and track. Gust enjoyed the company of many greats at Ohio State including Jessie Owens and was also a great friend of Ohio State head football coach Woody Hayes. In fact, Woody visited Gust in Bethlehem and together recruited players from the Lehigh Valley to play at Ohio State.
1937 – Selected to the All-American, All Big Ten, and All-Mid-West Football Teams.
Selected to the All-American, All-Big Ten, and All-Mid-West Football Teams. Chosen to play in the East-West Shrine Game,and for the College All-Stars.
1938 -1940 – Gust plays for The Chicago Bears and The Green Bay Packers World Championship Team.
Gust recruited as defensive guard and plays professionally in the NFL for The Chicago Bears and later The Green Bay Packers, where he was a member of World Championship team in 1940.
1942 – Gust serves as Athletic Officer in the V-12 program during World War II.
Gust serves as a lieutenant senior grade and an athletic officer in the V-12 program during World War II. He also plays for the Great Lakes Naval Training Center Team, which won the Armed Services Football Championship.
1946 – Gust is an instructor, wresting and football line coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY.
Upon his discharge as Lt. Senior Grade, he was instructor, wresting and football line coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY.
1947 - 1950 – Gust coaches Easton High's first wrestling team to two consecutive district championships.
Gust contacted by Easton High School to be their head football coach. Accepts position as line coach and teaches physical education and history. He also starts and coaches Easton’s first wrestling team to two consecutive district championships.
1948 - 1968 – Founded G.C. Zarnas & Co., Inc. with Bethlehem Steel as its first client; Zarnas was preferred painting contractor performing all coatings for plant operations nationwide
Founded G.C. Zarnas & Co., Inc. with Bethlehem Steel as its first client. For the next two decades, G. C. Zarnas provided high- temperature and architectural coatings to all of the steel mill’s domestic steel structures, including some of the country’s largest blast furnaces, stacks, process vessels and storage tanks.
1960 – Gust is one of the founding members of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame.
Gust was one of the founding members of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame that recognizes high school football players who exemplify excellence in athletics and academics. Gust was the annual presenter of the award and recruited famous coaches such as his good friend, Ohio State Head Football Coach Woody Hayes, to be a keynote speaker.
1968 – Steve Zarnas, Gust’s son, joins the company, works primarily to support Bethlehem Steel’s plant operations.
Steve Zarnas, Gust’s son, joins his father as a young estimator and project manager, working primarily to support maintenance work at Bethlehem Steel’s plant operations.
1972 – Gust inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame.
Gust inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame, which immortalizes the players and coaches of college football.
1977 – Steve Zarnas is instrumental in developing multi million dollar partnerships with Air Products, Pennsylvania Power & Light, Du Pont, Grace Chemicals, Sunoco and Valero.
Steve Zarnas is instrumental in developing multi-million dollar partnerships with organizations in the power, refinery and industrial gasses industries supporting companies like Air Products and Chemicals, Pennsylvania Power & Light, Du Pont, Grace Chemicals, Sunoco and Valero.
1999 – Dean Zarnas, Steve’s son, joins the family business and is successful in launching commercial projects with a focus on higher education.
Dean Zarnas, Steve’s son, joins the family business and is successful in launching commercial projects with a focus on higher education. Dean has also been instrumental in developing our Southeast territory, and was awarded several commercial projects with Walt Disney World, as well as with many resorts in the Orlando area.
2001 – G.C. Zarnas selected for stadium work expertise, performs $1 million fireproofing project on UVA’s John Paul Jones Arena, largest arena of its kind in VA.
G.C. Zarnas performs one of its first major fireproofing projects on UVA’s John Paul Jones Arena, the largest stadium of its kind in VA, and profiled by Real Estate and Construction Review.
2003 – G.C. Zarnas is well-respected for its services in Philadelphia and Delaware refineries as a result of Dean’s attention to detail and quick turnaround to support shutdowns.
G.C. Zarnas is well-respected for its services in Philadelphia and Delaware refineries as a result of Dean’s attention to detail and quick turnaround to support routine shutdowns. These projects, including tank linings and exterior tank painting, are highly demanding and require the expertise of an industrial painting company able to work successfully in high-risk operations.
2006 – Lee Zarnas, Steve’s other son, joins the family business and cultivated new customers in Baltimore, MD, ranging from chemical to power generation.
Lee Zarnas, Steve’s other son, joins the family business and cultivated new customers in Baltimore, MD, ranging from chemical to power generational facilities that require a full range of corrosion resistant coatings.
2007 – G.C. Zarnas begins serving government projects. Highlights include NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility, FAA and the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant.
G.C. Zarnas begins serving government projects. Highlights include NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant.
2009 – G.C. Zarnas preserves the history of Bethlehem Steel’s famous ore bridge at the Sands Casino.
G.C. Zarnas brings the company full circle by preserving the history of Bethlehem Steel’s famous ore bridge at the Sands Casino, which resides on the former Bethlehem Steel plant site.
2015 – G.C. Zarnas selected for preservation painting and restoration of the Divine Lorraine, one of the most historical and iconic structures in Philadelphia.
Our knowledge and expertise in cleaning, coatings, restoration, and preservation techniques have played an integral role in bringing buildings back to their original appearances. We were honored to restore and remove hazardous paints from the Divine Lorraine, the most historical structure in Philadelphia.
2016 – Lee is awarded Baltimore Gas and Electric 200th Anniversary Tank Farm Project that stands off of Interstate 95 at the city’s southern gateway.
Lee was awarded to paint the Baltimore Gas and Electric’s 200th-anniversary tank farm project that stands off of Interstate 95 at the city’s southern gateway. Featured in The Baltimore Sun and on CBS 13 WJZ-TV, the tanks are being coated and “dressed up” with colorful murals to mark this significant milestone!
2016 – Gust Zarnas, the “Father of Easton Wrestling” is inducted into Easton High School’s Wall of Fame.
Gust Zarnas, the “Father of Easton Wrestling” is inducted into Easton High School’s Wall of Fame. Gust’s grandchildren, Grace Hoyer, Christina Donahue, Dean Zarnas and Lee Zarnas, pay tribute to their grandfather and accept his award at the ceremony.
2019 - PSEG selects G.C. Zarnas as the official specialty coatings contractor for its new natural gas power plant in Bridgeport, CT
2021-2022 - G.C. Zarnas adds concrete and masonry repair and restoration services; $1 million parking deck project awarded in Philadelphia.
Our concrete and masonry repair and restoration division offers several services to containment structures, parking garages, and the preservation of historical icons. In 2022, the new division performed a $1 million multi-level parking deck project in the Philadelphia area that included concrete, structural, and steel repairs; sealant work, and traffic coatings.
2021-2022 - G.C. Zarnas selected as the commercial painting contractor of choice for Air Products & Chemicals new $400 million global HQ
G.C. Zarnas was selected as the commercial painting contractor of choice for the Air Products and Chemicals new $400 million global headquarters. Services to the 600,000 square foot structure included: commercial painting interior and exterior painting; wallcoverings; line striping; floor coatings; sandblasting
2022 - A Culture of Safety and Active Caring Presented to G.C. Zarnas Commercial Painting Division by Turner Construction for Achieving Over 12,000 Incident-Free Man-Hours on the Air Products Global HQ Project
We are proud of our safety record and the 2022 Turner Construction Leadership Team Recognition and Safety Award for achieving over 12,000 incident-free man hours on the Air Products Global HQ project. General contractors like Turner select Zarnas for our commitment to creating a safe work environment and our EMR ratings, which fall significantly below industry standards!
2023 - The G.C. Zarnas Concrete and Repair Division Receives the Alvin H. Butz Construction Special Recognition Award
Team Zarnas Concrete and Repair Division was honored to have received the Alvin H. Butz Construction 2023 Special Recognition Award for their concrete repair at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. As defined, loyalty, responsiveness, consistency, and superior service or craftsmanship are the hallmarks of the Special Recognition Award recipient.
