[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 143 (Thursday, September 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 A SALUTE TO ARTHUR C. AVRIL: 1995 GREATER CINCINNATI BUSINESS HALL OF 
                             FAME LAUREATE

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                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 1995
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a prominent 
Cincinnatian and a good friend, Arthur C. Avril, who will be inducted 
into the Greater Cincinnati Business Hall of Fame on September 20, 
1995. We thank him for the vision and service that he has so generously 
given to the business community and the entire Greater Cincinnati area.
  Mr. Avril graduated from the Ohio State University in 1925 where he 
studied mining engineering. Within 3 years of graduating, he had formed 
one of the first ready-mix concrete plants in the United States, Avril 
True Batch Concrete Co.
  Mr. Avril designed one of the first ready-mix trucks to use a rotary 
drum, which prevents concrete from settling. His company supplied 
concrete for many projects, including 500,000 tons used to build 
Cincinnati's Union Terminal in the early 1930's. This project was the 
first in the United States to specify concrete on the basis of its 
strength, rather than the proportion of its materials.
  In 1936, Mr. Avril formed a new company, Sakrete, to meet the growing 
need for smaller quantities of concrete. The secret to Sakrete's 
success was Mr. Avril's ability to recognize the needs of the do-it-
yourself trade for small quantities of concrete. Today, Sakrete has 80 
licensed operations around the world, and is a household name 
recognized for quality. Mr. Avril is also an internationally known 
inventor. He is the holder of 18 patents, including two new patents 
approved this year. Still working at 94 years old, Mr. Avril 
personifies the American dream.
  All of us in Cincinnati congratulate Mr. Avril upon his induction 
into the Greater Cincinnati Business Hall of Fame. It is a deserved 
recognition of his many accomplishments.


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