Rain Bird Corporation is an international privately held manufacturer and provider of
irrigation products and services for landscapes, golf courses, sports fields, and agriculture which are designed to minimize water consumption. The firm is headquartered in
Azusa, California
Azusa (Tongva language, Tongva: ''Asuksa-nga'') is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located 20 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles.
...
, with offices and manufacturing facilities in Tucson, Arizona;
Steele, Alabama
Steele is a town in northeastern St. Clair County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1952. At the 2010 census the population was 1,043, down from 1,093. The town is a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Ar ...
; Mexico; France; and China. Rain Bird sells its products and services in over 130 countries.
History
Rain Bird had its origins in 1933 when
Glendora, California, citrus grower Orton Englehart developed the first prototype of the horizontal action
impact sprinkler
An impact sprinkler (sometimes called an impulse sprinkler) is a type of irrigation sprinkler in which the sprinkler head, driven in a circular motion by the force of the outgoing water, pivots on a Bearing (mechanical), bearing on top of its Scr ...
. This new design offered slow rotation and more efficient watering than other sprinklers of that era, features that were long sought after by local irrigators. Orton's friend and neighbor Clement LaFetra began helping him build and market the sprinklers, and they urged him to patent the invention. was awarded on April 16, 1935. Englehart preferred farming, so in 1935, he sold the business to Clement and Mary Elizabeth LaFetra, whose descendants operated the company until January 2022.
The name
Rain Bird was taken from the Native American legend of a bird that brought rain, in reference to the bird-like appearance of the impact sprinkler in action. Since its beginnings, the firm has offered irrigation products for farms, golf courses, sports arenas, commercial developments, and residential landscapes. Rain Bird has obtained over 450 patents since its founding.
Recognition
The Rain Bird horizontal action impact-drive sprinkler head was recognized as a historic landmark of
agricultural engineering in 1990 by the
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
This invention led to sprinkler irrigation development that currently exceeds worldwide.
In 2015, the firm was recognized by National Business Research Institute with its prestigious Circle of Excellence award, based upon its outstanding employee engagement.
References
External links
Rain Bird Corporation* {{cite web, last=Howser, first=Huell, title=Rain Bird – California's Gold (12002), url=http://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2010/11/08/rainbird-californias-gold-12002/, work=California's Gold, publisher=
Chapman University
Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Scie ...
Huell Howser Archive, authorlink=Huell Howser, date=November 8, 2010
Irrigation
Companies based in Los Angeles County, California
Manufacturing companies established in 1933
Companies based in Tucson, Arizona
1933 establishments in California