TULSA, OK – On Wednesday, October 29th, Aquestia will honor the Founder of OCV Control Valves,
R.E. “Tex” Radford, with the unveiling of a distinct bronze sculpture of his likeness that is situated in
the original factory location in Tulsa. The ceremony celebrates Mr. Radford’s ingenuity and vision to
become a world leader in the valve industry and is a culmination of a 3-year project involving the
collaboration of Aquestia USA Marketing, members of the Radford family, and the chosen local
artist, Denise Ford.
“Tex” Radford established a one-man, one-room machine shop in 1942 in Tulsa. In 1952 he
expanded this business by founding OCV (Oil Capital Valve) and began building control valves for the
fueling industry. The first OCV valve was designed as an OEM component for packaging fueling
stations in the Aviation industry. Later, OCV’s product line expanded to hydraulically operated,
diaphragm-actuated, automatic control valves designed for fluid control solutions within a number
of other industries, including Waterworks, Fire Protection, and Mining. By 2021, OCV had merged
with two complimentary companies specializing in liquid conveyance systems – A.R.I. Optimal Flow
Solutions and Dorot Control Valves. Together these three companies formed Aquestia. Aquestia,
headquartered in Israel and owned by MatHolding (Spain), boasts of more than 10 subsidiaries
around the world, with OCV’s original Tulsa factory being the home of Aquestia USA.
The ceremonial unveiling will be held at 7400 East 42nd Place at 2pm. The artist, representatives of
Aquestia, MatHolding, and the Radford family will be in attendance, along with current and former
employees.
Demise Ford, the sculptor, has been professionally creating unique designs since 1996. Her work
includes sculptures at Oral Roberts University, 1st Presbyterian Church in downtown Tulsa, as well
as projects for the City of Tulsa.
Aquestia – Advanced hydraulic solutions for optimal management of liquid conveyance systems.
For more information: www.aquestia.com
About the Author
Dave Staddon - Publisher
Co-Founder of MDM Publishing Ltd. He has worked in fire publishing for close to 30 years. The company's portfolio includes International Fire Protection, International Fire Fighter, Asia Pacific Fire, Gulf Fire & UK Fire.
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