Worthington Enterprises
Worthington Enterprises is an American manufacturer of pressure vessels, water-system equipment, outdoor living products, and other consumer and building products.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Worthington Enterprises, Inc. is an American industrial manufacturing company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It is the successor to Worthington Industries following the December 2023 separation of the former company's steel-processing operations from its consumer and building-products businesses. The company traces its origins to 1955, when John H. McConnell established Worthington Industries after identifying a market for custom-processed steel. The original business began modestly: McConnell financed his first steel purchase with money borrowed against his 1952 Oldsmobile and built a company around processing steel to customer specifications rather than simply selling raw material. The enterprise expanded through the late 1950s, the 1960s, and the 1980s by adding processing capacity and facilities. Its early corporate culture also became associated with employee participation. In 1966, McConnell began sharing company profits with employees, a practice that became an important part of the company's identity. Worthington Industries completed its first public stock offering in 1968 and moved its listing to the New York Stock Exchange in 2000. Leadership passed within the founding family in 1996, when John H. McConnell's son, John P. McConnell, became chairman and chief executive officer. Before assuming the senior role, John P. McConnell had spent more than two decades with the company, working in labor, sales, operations, and personnel functions. This succession reflected the company's long-standing combination of family influence and operational management. Over time, the business diversified beyond steel processing. Its later consumer and building-products portfolio included pressure vessels for propane, oxygen, helium, refrigerants, and industrial gases; cylinders for camping and residential applications; water-system tanks used in storage, treatment, heating, expansion, and flow-control applications; and retail products sold through several brand names. The acquisition of Amtrol in 2017 strengthened the company's position in water systems and pressure-management equipment. In 2024, Worthington Enterprises broadened its outdoor-living portfolio through the acquisition of HALO, a company known for pizza ovens, griddles, and pellet grills. The company's current structure resulted from a strategic separation announced in 2022. Worthington Industries proposed dividing its steel-processing operations from the businesses focused on consumer and building products. The separation received board approval on November 9, 2023, and was completed on December 1, 2023. The steel operations became Worthington Steel, while the consumer and building-products activities continued as Worthington Enterprises. As a result, the Worthington Enterprises name now refers to a narrower but more diversified portfolio centered on pressure vessels, water infrastructure equipment, outdoor living, and related products rather than the full historical steel-processing group. In 2024, the company also announced transactions with Norway-based Hexagon Composites. These involved the partial sale of Worthington's sustainable energy solutions business to form a joint venture and the acquisition of Hexagon Ragasco, a composite-cylinder business. These transactions indicate an emphasis on pressure-container technology, alternative materials, and energy-related applications. Worthington Enterprises therefore occupies a position between industrial manufacturing and branded consumer products: it supplies technical equipment for building and energy systems while also selling products intended for household, camping, cooking, and outdoor use.
History
Worthington Enterprises developed from Worthington Industries, founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1955 by John H. McConnell. McConnell was a steel salesman who believed that customers would pay for steel processed to specific requirements. To fund his first purchase, he borrowed $600 against his 1952 Oldsmobile. During its first year, the new company generated $342,000 in revenue and earned $11,000 in profit. It then expanded its processing facilities through the late 1950s and the 1960s. The founder's management approach included a distinctive employee-participation philosophy. In 1966, he began sharing profits with employees, making workplace participation a visible part of the company's culture. Worthington Industries made its first public offering in 1968, selling 150,000 shares at $7.50 each. The company continued to grow during the 1980s and broadened its industrial footprint. In 1996, John H. McConnell's son, John P. McConnell, became chairman and chief executive officer. He had joined the company more than 20 years earlier and had worked in several operational and commercial functions, including general labor, sales, operations, and personnel. Worthington Industries moved its stock listing to the New York Stock Exchange in 2000. The company increasingly diversified from its original steel-processing base into consumer and building products. Its portfolio came to include pressure vessels and cylinders for gases, refrigerants, camping, and residential applications, as well as water-system tanks used in storage, treatment, heating, expansion, and flow control. The 2017 acquisition of Amtrol added further scale in water systems and related pressure equipment. A major corporate transformation began in 2022, when Worthington Industries announced its intention to separate its steel-processing business from the consumer and building-products operations. The board approved the separation on November 9, 2023. The transaction was completed on December 1, 2023. The steel business became Worthington Steel, while the remaining consumer and building-products businesses adopted the Worthington Enterprises name. Following the separation, Worthington Enterprises continued to expand in adjacent product categories. In 2024, it acquired HALO, an outdoor-cooking company producing pizza ovens, griddles, and pellet grills. It also announced two transactions involving Hexagon Composites in Norway: the creation of a joint venture through the partial sale of its sustainable energy solutions business and the acquisition of Hexagon Ragasco, a producer of composite cylinders. These moves extended the company's interests in outdoor living, composite pressure vessels, and energy-related equipment. The present-day company is therefore distinct from the historical Worthington Industries organization, although it inherits its founding date, corporate lineage, and much of its consumer and building-products portfolio. Its business identity combines engineered industrial equipment with branded products sold to households, contractors, retailers, and outdoor-living consumers.
- 2024
HALO acquisition and Hexagon transactions
[1]Worthington Enterprises acquires HALO and announces transactions involving Hexagon Composites and Hexagon Ragasco.
- 2023
Board approves corporate separation
[1]The board approves the separation on November 9, 2023.
- 2023
Worthington Enterprises begins as a separate company
[1]The separation is completed on December 1, creating Worthington Enterprises and Worthington Steel as separate companies.
- 2022
Separation plan announced
[1]Worthington Industries announces plans to split its steel-processing operations from its consumer and building-products businesses.
- 2017
Amtrol acquisition
[1]Worthington acquires Amtrol, strengthening its water-system and pressure-equipment portfolio.
- 2000
New York Stock Exchange listing
[1]Worthington Industries moves its stock listing to the New York Stock Exchange.
- 1996
John P. McConnell becomes chairman and CEO
[1]Leadership passes to John P. McConnell, who had held a range of operating and commercial roles at the company.
- 1968
First public stock offering
[1]Worthington Industries completes its initial public offering, selling 150,000 shares at $7.50 per share.
- 1966
Employee profit sharing begins
[1]The company begins sharing profits with employees, an early expression of its distinctive corporate culture.
- 1955
Worthington Industries is founded
[1]John H. McConnell establishes the company in Columbus, Ohio, beginning with custom-processed steel.
Products and positioning
A diversified manufacturer combining engineered pressure and water-system equipment with branded consumer and outdoor-living products.
Industrial pressure equipment
Pressure vessels and industrial cylinders
The company manufactures pressure vessels and cylinders for propane, oxygen, helium, refrigerants, and other industrial gases. These products serve industrial, commercial, residential, and specialty applications where gases or liquids must be stored and transported in purpose-built containers.
Consumer and residential equipment
Camping and residential cylinders
Worthington's cylinder portfolio includes products designed for camping, household, and residential use. These offerings connect the company's industrial pressure-vessel capabilities with retail and consumer applications, particularly portable fuel and gas-storage needs.
Building products
Water-system tanks
Water-system products include tanks and related equipment for storage, treatment, heating, expansion, and flow control. The portfolio supports building, plumbing, water-management, and mechanical-system installations and was expanded through the acquisition of Amtrol.
Outdoor living · 2024
HALO outdoor-cooking products
HALO products broaden Worthington Enterprises' consumer offering into outdoor cooking. The acquired brand is associated with pizza ovens, griddles, and pellet grills aimed at residential outdoor-living and cooking use.
Composite pressure vessels · 2024
Composite cylinders
Through the announced acquisition of Hexagon Ragasco, Worthington Enterprises expanded its interest in composite cylinders. Composite construction can serve pressure-storage applications while complementing the company's established cylinder and vessel activities.
Brand decisions
2024
Expansion through HALO and Hexagon transactionsM&ABackground
Following the corporate separation, Worthington Enterprises pursued growth in outdoor living, sustainable energy, and composite pressure-container markets.
Action taken
The company acquired HALO, announced a joint venture-related partial sale of its sustainable energy solutions business to Hexagon Composites, and announced the complete purchase of Hexagon Ragasco.
Aftermath
The transactions broadened the company's consumer outdoor-cooking portfolio and its industrial capabilities in composite cylinders and energy-related applications.
2022
Plan to separate steel processing from consumer and building productsStrategyBackground
Worthington Industries determined that its steel-processing operations and its consumer and building-products businesses could operate as separate publicly traded companies.
Action taken
The company announced a planned corporate separation into a steel business and a consumer-and-building-products business.
Aftermath
The board approved the transaction in November 2023, and the separation was completed on December 1, 2023, creating Worthington Steel and Worthington Enterprises.
2017
Acquisition of AmtrolM&ABackground
Worthington sought to expand its water-system and pressure-equipment activities.
Action taken
The company acquired Amtrol.
Aftermath
The transaction added water-system products to the company's broader consumer and building-products portfolio.
Acquisition price. $283 million (2017)
Recent events
- 2024
Worthington Enterprises acquires HALO outdoor-cooking business[1]
M&A · Product launch
Worthington Enterprises acquired HALO, an outdoor-cooking company whose products include pizza ovens, griddles, and pellet grills.
- 2024
Worthington announces transactions with Hexagon Composites[1]
M&A
The company announced an arrangement involving the partial sale of its sustainable energy solutions business to create a joint venture and the acquisition of Hexagon Ragasco, a composite-cylinder business.
- 2023
Board approves separation into Worthington Enterprises and Worthington Steel[1]
Leadership change
Worthington Industries' board approved the planned separation on November 9, 2023, clearing the way for the corporate split.
- 2023
Worthington completes separation into Worthington Enterprises and Worthington Steel[1]
M&A
On December 1, 2023, the former Worthington Industries completed its separation. Worthington Enterprises retained the consumer and building-products businesses, while Worthington Steel became the separate steel-processing company.
- 2022
Worthington Industries announces separation of steel-processing and consumer-products businesses[1]
M&A
The company announced plans to separate its steel-processing operations from its consumer and building-products businesses into two independent publicly traded companies.
- 2017
Worthington Enterprises acquires Amtrol[1]
M&A
Worthington Industries acquired Amtrol, expanding its portfolio of water-system and pressure-management products.
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