Stephen Stepanian (February 28, 1882 – October 1964) (Armenian: Ստեփան Ստեփանեան) was an Armenian American inventor and owner of numerous patents including the Elevator and Conveyor, Compound Tool, and the Wrench. He is also accredited as the inventor of a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that was the predecessor of the concrete mixer truck. [1] [2] [3] Stepanian is often called the " father of the ready-mix concrete industry." [4]
Of Armenian descent, Stepanian moved to Grandview Heights, Ohio, in 1906. [5] He is credited with rescuing 13 people from a tree using a makeshift raft during the 1913 flood in Columbus, Ohio. They had been in the tree some 48 hours when Stepanian used a raft he made from floating timbers and a pole to navigate them, 2-3 at a time, to safety. [6] He resided on Glenn Avenue near Bluff. Stepanian became president of Marble Cliff Quarries and the Central Ohio Concrete Company. Eventually, Stepanian founded the Arrow Concrete Company, a company that is still in service today. [7] He was elected as an honorary member of the board of directors for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. [8]
Stepanian was honored by the 1954 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association annual convention which named him an honorary lifetime member. [7] In 2004, Stepanian was selected as one of the Top 100 Transportation Private Sector Professionals by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. [7]
Stephen invented a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that was the predecessor of the concrete mixer truck and applied for a patent in 1916. [2] However, the patent was rejected in April 1917 by the patent office because it was believed that a truck could not support the weight of a concrete mixer on top of it. [5] The patent office also noted that there was no previous patenting information that proves integration was possible with both the mixer and the design of the truck. [7] Other sources suggest that the patent was rejected because Stepanian was not an American citizen. [2] However, on December 21, 1928, Stepanian reapplied for the patent and received approval on November 21, 1933. [9]
In 1916, Stephen Stepanian of Columbus, Ohio, developed a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that is considered the predecessor of the modern ready-mixed concrete truck.
When one starts to chronicle the story of ready-mixed concrete in the light of the development of the ready-mix trucks themselves, one must inevitably start with Stephen Stepanian, often called the father of the ready-mix industry.
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Stephen Stepanian (February 28, 1882 – October 1964) (Armenian: Ստեփան Ստեփանեան) was an Armenian American inventor and owner of numerous patents including the Elevator and Conveyor, Compound Tool, and the Wrench. He is also accredited as the inventor of a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that was the predecessor of the concrete mixer truck. [1] [2] [3] Stepanian is often called the " father of the ready-mix concrete industry." [4]
Of Armenian descent, Stepanian moved to Grandview Heights, Ohio, in 1906. [5] He is credited with rescuing 13 people from a tree using a makeshift raft during the 1913 flood in Columbus, Ohio. They had been in the tree some 48 hours when Stepanian used a raft he made from floating timbers and a pole to navigate them, 2-3 at a time, to safety. [6] He resided on Glenn Avenue near Bluff. Stepanian became president of Marble Cliff Quarries and the Central Ohio Concrete Company. Eventually, Stepanian founded the Arrow Concrete Company, a company that is still in service today. [7] He was elected as an honorary member of the board of directors for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. [8]
Stepanian was honored by the 1954 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association annual convention which named him an honorary lifetime member. [7] In 2004, Stepanian was selected as one of the Top 100 Transportation Private Sector Professionals by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. [7]
Stephen invented a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that was the predecessor of the concrete mixer truck and applied for a patent in 1916. [2] However, the patent was rejected in April 1917 by the patent office because it was believed that a truck could not support the weight of a concrete mixer on top of it. [5] The patent office also noted that there was no previous patenting information that proves integration was possible with both the mixer and the design of the truck. [7] Other sources suggest that the patent was rejected because Stepanian was not an American citizen. [2] However, on December 21, 1928, Stepanian reapplied for the patent and received approval on November 21, 1933. [9]
In 1916, Stephen Stepanian of Columbus, Ohio, developed a self-discharging motorized transit mixer that is considered the predecessor of the modern ready-mixed concrete truck.
When one starts to chronicle the story of ready-mixed concrete in the light of the development of the ready-mix trucks themselves, one must inevitably start with Stephen Stepanian, often called the father of the ready-mix industry.
{{
cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(
help)