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G. W. "Bill" Swisher

As founder of The CMI Corporation, Bill Swisher serves as chairman of this international manufacturer of automated construction equipment. He has been involved with the development and issuance of over 50 U.S. and foreign patents with additional patents pending.

His first major innovation was the first four-track automatically controlled fine grade trimmer that permitted high-production, highly accurate final grade preparation. He nicknamed this machine the Auto-Grade, which his company introduced in 1964. This development was followed by a series of automated placing and slipform concrete paving machines. Within three years after their introduction, these machines gained international acceptance and remain one of the principal means of modern expressway, highway and airport runway construction.

Bill Swisher's later innovations included the first dedicated pavement milling machine used in road rehabilitation, which he introduced in 1975. This led to his development of a split-feed, hot-mix asphalt recycling plants. Both of these prototypes became the forerunners of much of the equipment in use today.

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