2015 Nevada Business Hall of Fame Inductee: Robert "Bob" Mendenhall

2015 UNLV Nevada Business Hall of Fame: Reobert Mendenhall We’ve all seen children sit on the floor and construct Lego and Tinker Toy sets but just a few children show an understanding of mechanical operations from a very early age. Robert Mendenhall was one of these exceptionally bright individuals. Fascinated by how things worked, Bob was constantly taking machines and toys apart and figuring out how to piece them back together. Although Bob was born in Canada, his family relocated to Springville, Utah when he was eight years old. His grandfather, G.W. Mendenhall, owned a construction company and Bob began working as a water boy for the family business while still a young child. In addition to this duty, he also helped construct fences and nailed barbed wire to posts, among other responsibilities. After the start of World War II, he worked for his grandfather at Utah’s Tooele Ordnance Depot, an installation used to store ammunition and other war supplies. After graduating from high school in 1947, e continued his knowledge of the construction industry working for his father, W.D. Mendenhall, at his company, Deal Mendenhall Construction Company. After that, it was on to Vernal, Utah where he worked as both a timekeeper and on a Cat DW-10 scraper building roads for the state. “All of my experience as a young man growing up was due to the knowledge I received while working with my father and grandfather,” says Bob. In June 1948, he married Paula Clements in Utah and the couple moved to Las Vegas in January 1954. In October 1958, Bob established Las Vegas Paving Corporation and became a licensed general contractor and also a general building contractor in both Arizona and Nevada. In 1961, he formed Asphalt Products Corporation in Las Vegas to engage in commercial asphalt sales for Nevada. In 1970, Mendenhall began research and development on processes and equipment for the recycling of asphalt pavements. His work led to America’s first recycled freeway being completed in 1975. Using 100 percent recycled asphalt for construction, the project was completed using equipment designed by Mendenhall. Honored by the U.S. Patent Office on December 28, 1976, Bob received the Bi- Centennial Patent No. 4,000,000 for the softening agent technology in Asphalt Pavement Recycling. He has received a total of 47 patents in his name. In February 1977, Bob received the industry recognition award for his outstanding contribution to the Asphalt Pavement Industry from the National Asphalt Pavement Association. That same year, he began developing the single port direct-fired method of recycling 100% asphalt aggregate compositions which led to the production and sales of a unique recycling plant which helped to solve the national pot hole problem – the mini cycle plant. It is self-contained and recycles asphalt for hot mix patching anywhere at any time  a revolutionary invention now used worldwide. Bob has held many distinctive titles during his years in Southern Nevada: President of the Southern Nevada General Contractor’s Association and President of the Southern Nevada Chapter of Associated General Contractors are just a few. In 1969, he was commissioned by Nevada Governor Paul Laxalt to serve a four-year term on the Nevada State Contractor’s Board and was recommissioned to that post by Nevada Governor Mike O’Callaghan. Bob believes in giving back – to his community and to the environment as well. He could be called one of the original members of the “greening of America” movement. He has continuously encouraged the asphalt paving industry to recognize the importance of conservation of natural resources through recycling. He has presented numerous papers on the subject to universities and public agencies including suggested specifications and guidelines for the entire industry to benefit from his experience. He’s made Southern Nevada a better place to live and work.