Revolutionizing concrete formwork, founding EFCO and pioneering patented systems that shaped global industry
Inducted 2026
William Allen (W.A.) Jennings graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1939 and began his career as an engineer for the City of Milwaukee. Over the next several years, he gained experience in nearly every aspect of designing, creating, manufacturing and distributing concrete forms. That broad expertise helped him understand how formwork systems could work together more efficiently and ultimately inspired him to launch a startup in the basement of his Des Moines home.
In 1934, during the depths of the Great Depression, Jennings founded Economy Forms Company—now known as EFCO Corp. Working from his basement and garage, he set out to revolutionize the construction industry by designing more efficient concrete forming systems. His mission was to engineer solutions that would help contractors achieve the Lowest In‑Place Concrete Cost (LIPCC).
Jennings weathered the economic challenges of the era by bringing close friends and family into the business, confident that his innovations could reshape the future of form use and development across the construction industry.
He also sparked a multigenerational commitment to research and development through his sons and successors. Jennings’ foundational work laid the groundwork for EFCO’s extensive patent portfolio, which now includes dozens of engineered forming and shoring systems used worldwide. Jennings holds 11 patents, five of which remain in active use at EFCO today.
Under his leadership, EFCO secured major custom‑formwork projects, including a landmark contract in the 1960s to supply formwork for more than 1,200 Minuteman missile silos across the central United States—a project that led to the development of the PLATE GIRDER® system. The company has since grown into a global formwork engineering and manufacturing leader with operations in 14 countries.
In 1985, Jennings was inducted into the Iowa Inventors Hall of Fame for his contributions to advancing concrete form technology and serving the public welfare of Iowa. A legacy of innovation and challenging the industry to higher quality and efficiency.