Donald Graham
Graham Engineering Corporation
Inducted 2018
Donald Graham (1945 – ) is an inventor, innovator, businessman, and founder of Graham Engineering Corporation, a world leader in manufacturing and selling high-speed plastics processing machinery.
He graduated from the University of Michigan, earning a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1955 and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering and Business Management in 1956. In 1960 he started Graham Engineering in the basement of a rented farmhouse in Dover, Pennsylvania, with virtually no capital and only one employee. From this humble start, Graham Engineering became the technological engine that enabled the development and drove the growth of his industrial businesses in packaging, machinery, recycling, and building products.
One of Don’s greatest innovations is the internationally recognized Graham Engineering Rotary Wheel Blow Molding System, one of the world’s fastest and most efficient machinery lines for extrusion blow molding of plastic containers. His companies have grown extensively through mergers and acquisitions to become multi-billion-dollar enterprises. In addition to its flagship blow molding brand, the Graham Group has acquired American Kuhne and sheet line extrusion manufacturer Welex.
Don has also served on the board of directors of numerous corporations, banks, and academic institutions.