In 1955, John H. McConnell, a young steel salesman, saw an opportunity in the market for custom processed steel. He purchased his first load of steel using his car as collateral and founded Worthington Industries. A company that later would be hailed for its financial success, business philosophy and employee relations, Worthington Industries has grown to become the country's leading intermediate steel processor and manufacturer of metal related products with annualized sales of approximately $2 billion. Today, the company employs approximately 8000 people, with 61 facilities in 10 countries and 22 states.
Mr. McConnell, a native of Pughtown, West Virginia (since renamed New Manchester) and the son of a steel worker, grew up during the Great Depression. McConnell took his first job at Weirton Steel where after about a year enlisted in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga during World War II. After the war, he married his high school sweetheart, Peggy Rardin, and then went on to attend Michigan State University on the GI Bill where he played guard on the football team. In 1949, he graduated from Michigan State with a degree in Business Administration.
He went back to Weirton Steel Corporation to begin his business career as a salesman. It wasn't long before McConnell recognized a niche in the steel industry for custom steel processing services. McConnell decided to become a steel broker, serving as an independent connection between the mill and its customers. From a small apartment in Columbus and $1,200 in his checking account, he brokered his first load of steel after getting a $600 loan on his 1952 Oldsmobile. He made a $600 profit on the deal. That transaction launched Worthington Industries, a company that would satisfy increasing demand for value-added steel processing with shorter lead times, superior quality, and a plan to fill any size order – something the big steel mills did not do. The company began to take off when he put a slitter line for cutting steel into specifications in a small facility in Whitehall. Worthington Industries, which essentially started the steel processing industry, recorded sales of $342,000 during the company's first year of operation.
Mr. McConnell's business philosophy, which has been studied at Harvard University, led to Worthington Industries being named one of the top 100 Companies to Work For in America. At the core of the Philosophy is the company's Golden Rule: "We treat our customers, employees, investors, and suppliers as we would like to be treated." The company's headquarters, located just north of Columbus, includes an onsite health and wellness center with three full-time physicians, pharmacy, barbershop, and other innovative employee benefits. In 1996, Mr. McConnell handed the leadership of the company over to his son, John P. McConnell, who now serves as the chairman and CEO.
Mr. McConnell is closely associated with the remarkable success of his steel business and is now becoming widely known as one of central Ohio's most generous citizens. The most recognizable example of Mr. McConnell's charitable contributions is the McConnell Heart/Health Center at Riverside Hospital, which provides the community with a level of Heart/Health service currently not available anywhere else in the Midwest. Mr. and Mrs. McConnell contributed $7.5 million to develop the Heart/Health Center at Riverside, part of the OhioHealth Corporation. Their gift was the largest single gift ever received by OhioHealth Corporation or Riverside Hospital.
A sports enthusiast, Mr. McConnell is majority owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets National Hockey League franchise, which began play in Nationwide Arena in October 2000. He was also one of the early investors in the Columbus Crew professional soccer team and was previously a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club. Mr. McConnell's community involvement continues with the Columbus Blue Jackets through the Columbus Blue
