Author: Julie Sweany

Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2013 LeRoy Hagenbuch, co-founder and president of the engineering firm Philippi-Hagenbuch, introduced the first commercially available tailgate, the Autogate, for off-highway haul trucks. Hagenbuch is credited with other inventions and refinements, as well, including specialized liner packages to mitigate the weight consumed by liners and on-board weigh systems commonly found…

Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2013 Emil Deister, the founder of Deister Machine Co., served as the company’s president and general manager from 1912 until his death in 1961. Under Deister’s leadership, the company began manufacturing vibrating screens in 1926 for the separation of materials according to particle size. Seven years later, Deister introduced a…

Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2014 Ralph Rogers laid the groundwork for what is now one of the largest privately owned aggregate companies in the United States. Rogers and his partners were among the first road builders involved in President Dwight Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System, supplying stone and building major interstate sections in Alabama,…

Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2014 Bruno Nordberg, a Finnish-born immigrant, founded the Nordberg Manufacturing Co. in 1886 and first achieved success and recognition in the field of steam engines. He later expanded into a range of products that included crushing, grinding and screening equipment for the aggregates and mining industries. Nordberg Manufacturing later…

Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2014 Chuck Lien established Pete Lien & Sons in 1944 with his father, Pete, and brother, Bruce. The company grew from one of three employees and one location to a company with nearly 400 employees across 30 sites in three different states. Lien reinvested the company’s earnings into reserves…

Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2014 Howard Hall, founder and president of Iowa Manufacturing/Cedarapids Inc., enters the hall of fame posthumously. After serving in France during World War I, Hall started his business career in 1919 by buying Iowa Steel & Iron Works in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Four years later, he and associates formed…

Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2014 Bernie Grove, former chairman of the National Stone Association, grew up in the industry, as his family owned the M.J. Grove Lime Co. in Frederick, Md. As chairman of the National Stone Association, Grove was an advocate for community outreach. He formed the association’s Public Affairs Committee to…

Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2014 J. Don Brock, chairman and CEO at Astec Industries Inc., founded his company in 1972. Under his leadership, Astec grew into a family of 17 companies – 13 of which are located in the United States. Astec also has companies in Australia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa. Brock presently…