John Calvin Jureit
John Calvin Jureit (July 24, 1918 – September 9, 2005) was an engineer and the inventor of the Gang-Nail connector plate, used in building construction. This invention has been widely credited for the boom in affordable housing, productivity increases and improved building durability.
Early life
J. Calvin Jureit (pronounced JOOR-ee-ut) was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Lillian and William Jureit. His father was a baker who emigrated to the United States from Germany before J. Calvin was born. In 1922, the family moved to Miami, Florida, where his father's bakery flourished.
Military service
After graduating from Miami Senior High School 1935, Jureit studied art before enrolling at the University of Miami to study accounting and chemistry. In 1942, Jureit enlisted in the Navy Seabees and was stationed at Camp Perry in Williamsburg, Virginia. There he met his future wife, Mildred Hildebrand, who was working as a secretary at the local USO.
Jureit was trained as a cartographer and sent to Australia, where he was employed making relief maps from plywood and clay for use as pilot briefing tools. Following his six-month stint in Australia, he was sent to New Guinea for an additional six months. Jureit never saw combat but the experience sharpened his desire to become an engineer.
Gang-Nail, Inc.
Upon his discharge at the end of World War II, Jureit enrolled at Georgia Tech on the G.I. Bill and studied engineering. In 1955, Jureit patented the most famous version of his Gang-Nail plate, the first tie that required no nails, screws or glue. The Gang-Nail plate is a sheet of galvanized steel with triangular pointed prongs that are cut and bent perpendicular to the plate face, allowing it to be hammered or pressed into a number of surfaces simultaneously. Starting with this patent, Jureit founded Gang-Nail, Inc, later renamed Automated Building Components, Inc.
Prior to his invention, roof truss production was difficult and time-consuming, requiring highly skilled carpenters to make precise cuts and toe-nail two adjoining pieces of wood together. Small mistakes would cause serious time delays as well as weaken the truss. The improved strength of the Gang-Nail plate was evidenced in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew destroyed many homes in South Florida but homes built with Gang-Nail plates were far more likely to survive than those with toe-nailed trusses.
Gang-nails can also be used to strengthen the ends of railroad sleepers, reducing their tendency to split when spikes are driven.
In an interview with the Georgia Tech alumni newsletter, John A. White, former dean of engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, commented that "The whole notion about affordable housing and productivity increases came about because of [Jureit's] invention." In the same article, Jureit stated that the idea for the connector plate came to him during a church service.
Business
Automated Building Components, Inc went public in 1961 and grew to have operations around the world manufacturing connector plates, machinery, roof/floor trusses, and roof tile, as well as providing computerized engineering services. It was acquired by Redlands Corporation (a large European manufacturer of cement roof tiles) in 1979. It was later sold to a group of investors and renamed MiTek. MiTek is currently owned by investor Warren Buffett.
Later life
Jureit's first wife, Mildred, died in 2001. Jureit later married Dr. Marie Garritson. In 2005, J. Calvin Jureit died at age 87 from head injuries sustained as the result of a fall.