History 

Strategic Plan

Inventive and enterprising industrialist Raymond John Wean established The Raymond John Wean Foundation in Warren, Ohio in 1949. Although he was a man of many talents, his primary business achievements stemmed from his incorporation of the Wean Engineering Company in 1929, where he designed and manufactured equipment for the production and finishing of flat rolled steel. Often utilizing his own patents, "Jack" Wean contributed a great deal to the modernization and streamlining of the steel industry in America and around the world. Having made his mark in the flat rolled steel processing industry, he decided to create a foundation that would serve the communities in which he had achieved such success. Jack Wean was still acting as chairman of the Foundation at the time of his death in 1980, and his wife, Sara R. Wean, would continue on the board until her death in 1986.

Jack Wean's son, Raymond John Wean, Jr., served as chairman of the Wean Foundation until the time of his death in 2006. Like his parents, he was an original board member at its creation in 1949.

R. J. Wean, Jr. served in the United States Navy and served as an officer aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Sullivans in the South Pacific.  After completing officer training, he attained the rank of Senior Lieutenant before returning to civilian life in 1946.  Mr. Wean had been associated with Wean United or its predecessor companies throughout his working career.  He served as vice president from 1948 to 1960, when he was elected executive vice president.  In 1966, he was elected president and chief executive officer, and in 1979 took on the added responsibilities of chairman of the board. 

Today, Gordon B. Wean, a third generation of the Wean family, serves as chairman of The Raymond John Wean Foundation.  The seven-member board also includes community representatives, John L. Pogue, Jennie Dennison-Budak, Patricia Sweet, Germaine Bennett, Mary R. Halfacre, and William E. Mullane.

Since 1949, The Raymond John Wean Foundation has made over $90 million in grants to a broad variety of nonprofit organizations. Today the Foundation has assets in excess of $90 million and annually grants approximately $4 million. Over the years, the Foundation has evolved from a small, board-managed organization with informal grant making procedures to a professionally staffed foundation with published guidelines and a consistent application process.

In February 2006 PolicyLink, a national research and action institute that works collaboratively to develop and implement local, state and federal policies to achieve economic and social equity, undertook a nine-month process with The Raymond John Wean Foundation to develop a community building philanthropic initiative for the Northeast Ohio communities of Youngstown and Warren.  The report presents their recommendations to The Raymond John Wean Foundation on the focus, approach, and structure of a philanthropic initiative that will support the equitable renewal of the Mahoning Valley and expand economic and social opportunities for its residents.

A Community Building Philanthropic Initiative to Strengthen the Mahoning Valley