CEO of Allen Engineering, J. Dewayne Allen, Dies

J. Dewayne Allen, CEO and chairman of Allen Engineering Corporation (AEC), passed away on November 15. 

A civil engineer by education, Allen worked on the construction of Interstate highways in Missouri and Illinois in the late 50s and early 60s.

In 1964, Allen started Allen-Hardin, which was a ready-mix concrete operation in his hometown of Piggott, Arkansas, with his wife, Mary Ann.  This company grew and changed over the years to eventually become Allen Engineering after operating numerous plants in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri.

In 1977, Allen designed, engineered, and manufactured his first piece of concrete equipment: the Allen, Razorback Truss Screed. Under Allen’s direction, AEC grew and developed a full line of concrete equipment ranging from walk-behind trowels to ride-on power trowels to triple-tube roller pavers.

Allen was instrumental in the evolution of the flat and level concrete floors in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was the first designer to put clip on float discs (pans) on ride-on power trowels in the USA. 

This combination of riding trowels equipped with float pans greatly improved the flatness of concrete floors as measured by F Numbers.  These riders with pans, along with laser guided concrete screeds, revolutionized the construction of flat and level concrete floors in the U.S. and around the world. Allen’s contribution to the development of flat and level concrete floors was recognized with the prestigious Sam Face Golden Trowel Award.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann; his two sons, Jay (married to Lesle) and John; and seven grandchildren.

Source: Allen Engineering