GLENWOOD, Ill. (March 12, 2008) — Emil B. Jensen, founder of B&J Manufacturing Co. and a member of the Tire Industry Association Hall of Fame, died March 11 at his home in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 99.
Mr. Jensen, who was born in Denmark in 1909, migrated to the U.S. in 1927 and was unable to speak English or find a stable job. Years later in 1941, he and his wife Mae began the E.B. Jensen Co., supplying equipment to tire shops, retreaders and rubber processors.
In 1942, Mr. Jensen partnered with Roy Barnes to form B&J Manufacturing, and the pair developed a new rasp/blade combination for retreading that is still used today.
Since his start in the tire industry, Mr. Jenson experienced a range of success, eventually being inducted into the Tire Industry Association Hall of Fame in 1988. His business has grown into an international company, adding offices and manufacturing facilities in several locations around the globe.
Mr. Jensen is survived by his wife, his daughter Lucille Persson and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.