17.08.2026

Genie will be 60 at V Days

Genie will mark its 60th anniversary at Vertikal Days in September, which is two days before the company’s official anniversary date, the 12th of September. The company was incorporated on that day in 1966 in the Kirkland suburb of Seattle, Washington, by founder Bud Bushnell, after he purchased the inventory and manufacturing rights to the UpRight 'Air Lift', a portable single cylinder material lift powered by compressed air.

California based UpRight was more focused on its scaffold towers and other products, and never managed to create a market for it, but continued to sell the Airlifts made by Genie.

The ‘Genie’ name came from early customer reactions to the compressed air system. The first product, the Genie Hoist, was launched the same year as a lightweight, manually portable aluminium lift made in Seattle, Washington, and by 1968 the company booked a surprise order for 1,500 units from a Japanese buyer, giving the young business a real boost. In 1968 he added a work platform to a triple cylinder lift to create his first work platform.

In the 1970s, he brought his son in law Bob Wilkerson into the company, appointing him as president in 1978. Bud’s son Ward Bushnell also joined the business to manage manufacturing, while Roger Brown led the company’s sales efforts. This strong team allowed him to retire in 1982.

Over the next decade, the company expanded its range of material lifts and developed products aimed at the growing rental market. Key launches included the Super Lift and Teletower in 1974, and then in the mid 1980s pioneered the development of articulated self-propelled boom lifts with the 30ft Z-30/20 in 1984, which helped create the market for these lifts.

Throughout the 1990s, it tried in vain to develop an innovative new scissor lift concept, and purchased the rights to the Fabtek/Hyster sigma type self-propelled lifts re-engineered and improved them, launching them as the 18ft V 18 and 24ft V 24 with a narrow and wide version of each.

While they were excellent products, they were 660mm lower than the UpRight SL20 and SL26 models, and never really managed to break into a market dominated by Economy/Snorkel, MEC, UpRight and others. Eventually it just decided to design and make a really good conventional slab electric scissor lift with the GS range, and gradually carved out its place in the market.

In 2002, Genie became part of Terex, and the acquisition added telehandlers to the product line in 2003 when Genie began branding the Italian built Terex telehandlers.

Over the following decade Genie continued to expand its aerial work platform range, including the launch of the 135ft Z-135/70 articulating boom at the ARA in 2005, which introduced the swing-out chassis legs that are now the standard format for big boom lifts.

By 2010, the company was manufacturing aerial lifts in Italy, China and the US, continuing to develop higher reach and capacity models, including the 180ft SX-180 boom lift in 2013.

More recently the company made the news when Terex decided it would divest itself of the Genie business, and it currently remains up for sale as discussions are held with potential acquirers.

At Vertikal Days it will display its hybrid and electric powered boom lifts in the form of the 45ft Z-45 FE articulated unit and the telescopic 85ft S-85 XC FE.

The company will also show various GS micro scissor lifts including the 14ft GS-1432 and 19ft GS-1932 along with accessories such as Lift Guard Sense, Lift Guard Zone Lighting and the Lift Tools Integrated Access Deck. Visitors to the stand can also learn about Genie’s 360 service and support offering.

Genie president Josh Gross said: “This year we will celebrate an incredible milestone. Genie’s position in the industry has been defined by a strong partnership with our customers, a commitment to quality, and a continuous drive for innovation and improvement. We have a lot of exciting investments planned that will continue to drive us toward future success and industry leadership for the next 60 years and beyond.”

See also: Genie John moves on