Hall of Fame Inductee
Class of 2024
Louis Johnson
Johnson is best known for his development of aggregate processing equipment. Specifically, his contributions centered around crushing and screening.
Born in 1916, Johnson joined his father in purchasing a gravel plant in 1937. Together, they built a machine shop that later became El-Jay Manufacturing, which was officially founded in 1947 in Oregon.
Johnson developed the Rollercone roller bearing cone crusher and invented the triple-shaft horizontal screen. During his time at El-Jay, Johnson earned more than 50 patents and built the company into a world leader in rock processing equipment.
Kimball Equipment’s Cade Seeley calls the El-Jay Rollercone the forefather of the Terex Cedarapids MVP and Astec Kodiak cone crushers. Additionally, he says many leading equipment manufacturers make updated versions of the El-Jay triple-shaft horizontal screen today.
Although El-Jay was sold in the mid-1970s, Johnson remained involved in the industry with different companies. He started one called JLB alongside his son Bruce, and his final venture (Durable Crushers) involved crushing, as well.
Johnson, who died in 2007 at age 91, was also an avid golfer, turning his love of golf into a custom golf club business called Fore-Ward Gold.
“Your industry is the bedrock of civilization,” says Susan Moorhead, the daughter of Johnson who accepted the Hall of Fame honor on behalf of her late father. “They say food, clothing and shelter are the primary necessities for life. I think that’s wrong. It’s rock. Nothing else could really exist without rock.”