ARMENIAN INVENTOR STEFAN STEPANIAN

In 1916, Armenian inventor Stefan Stepanian’s patent for the first truck with a concrete mixer was initially rejected, reportedly because he was convinced that the truck would not support the weight of the concrete mixer, according to other sources because Stepanian did not have US citizenship. However, in 1928, Stepanian re-applied and in 1933 the patent was approved. In 1954, Stepanian was honored by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association at its annual meeting, which named him a lifetime honorary member. In 2004, Stepanian was selected as one of the Top 100 Private Transportation Professionals by the American Highway and Transportation Builders Association.