Born in Ohio in 1906 to Armenian parents, Stephan Stepanian was an inventor who created many of his patented items out of business necessity more than anything. He was the president of both Marble Cliff Quarries and the Central Ohio Concrete Company at one point in his life and he also went on to create the Arrow Concrete Company. Honored in 1954 by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association for his work, the cement mixer is just the start of the inventive journey that Stepanian walked.
Here is a look at some of his other inventions.
1. Wrenches for Grease Cups
How many times have you tried to get a grease cup out with your hands or some lackluster tool? Grease cups are an integral part of construction equipment and just like any other part, they need to be changed. If construction is your business, then the faster you can change out the faulty or worn out part, the more money you can ultimately make. That was the purpose behind this invention.
2. Sample Display Holder
If you need to sell something in order to make money, you need to be able to show it to people in an effective way. That’s true whether you’re selling ore from a quarry or chocolates in a store! Stepanian invented a sample display holder that would help his companies display specific merchandise of different weights so that people could see the materials being offered for sale first hand. It is especially notable because this display holder was the first practical way to display sand and crushed stone samples effectively.
3. Compound Adjustable Wrench
Different parts come in different sizes and it isn’t always practical to carry an entire toolbox of tools along to a job site. It also isn’t always practical to carry a full adjustable wrench in a pocket either. Stepanian invented an adjustable tool that would also double as a set of pliers and could also be taken apart if necessary. This would allow workers to carry one specific tool that could be used in a variety of ways, thereby increasing productivity even more.
4. Elevator and Conveyor
In quarry work, it is important to quickly and efficiently get the rock and ore out and processed. In order to accommodate this, Stepanian invented an elevator and conveyor combination that would help to quickly carry materials from one point to another point so that workers could better process the materials coming from the quarry.
5. Better Shirt Tails
Although guys don’t always tuck their shirts in today, that wasn’t always the standard during Stepanian’s day – especially when working in construction or at a quarry. The only problem was that modern shirts would slip out of a guy’s pants as he constantly reached up to grab a bucket or work with a cement mixer, causing lost time. The material of the shirt tails that Stepanian invented wouldn’t slip out as easily and could be adapted for sporting activities as well.
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