Worthington Industries implements board transition plan

January 12, 2023 By Brian Richesson

Worthington Industries appointed John H. McConnell II, vice president of global business development, sustainable energy solutions, to its board of directors, increasing the board to 12 members. John P. McConnell, executive chairman, intends to step down from the board in June in alignment with the company’s fiscal year-end.

John P. McConnell

“I am pleased to welcome John H. to the board of directors,” says Worthington’s Executive Chairman John P. McConnell in a company news release. “This is a natural opportunity for a transition given the pending separation of our steel processing business. I am proud of all we have accomplished since I joined Worthington nearly 50 years ago and believe now is the right time for me to pass the baton to the next generation. I look forward to remaining a meaningful, long-term shareholder of both new Worthington and Worthington Steel, and watching the continued success of both companies.”

McConnell II was named vice president of global business development, sustainable energy solutions, in June 2021. He leads the global sales and growth strategy for Worthington’s sustainable energy solutions business unit.

John H. McConnell II

McConnell II joined Worthington Industries in 2000 and has served in several capacities across the company, including corporate communications, transformation and commercial roles. As a transformation analyst, he helped drive continuous improvement efforts across Worthington’s steel processing business. McConnell left Worthington in 2012 to join the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he focused on marketing outreach and partnership activation. There, he also co-chaired the NHL All-Star Events Committee and was an amateur and professional talent scout. McConnell also worked for U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce as the constituent office coordinator and for Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin, including Coughlin’s reelection campaign as a campaign field coordinator.

McConnell II returned to Worthington in 2014 as product manager of life support technology with commercial responsibility for Worthington’s self-contained breathing apparatus cylinders used in military and aerospace applications, as well as by firefighters and first responders. In 2019, he was promoted to business director of North American high pressure vessels, which included Type III cylinders for the automotive and aerospace markets.

McConnell II is the grandson of the late John H. McConnell, founder of Worthington Industries and the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has a strong interest in supporting veteran issues and community development, serving on the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and the Cohesion Foundation boards. He has a bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration from The Ohio State University and resides in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and their two children.

“I am honored to join the board and to continue my father and my grandfather’s nearly 70-year legacy of operating Worthington based on a people-first philosophy, rooted in the golden rule, focused on driving shareholder value,” John H. McConnell II says. “The opportunity ahead for Worthington is bright, especially as we embark on our Worthington 2024 plan, and I am excited to be a part of it.”

John P. McConnell began his career at Worthington Industries in 1975 as a general laborer in the Louisville, Kentucky, steel plant. He also worked as a sales representative for two of Worthington’s divisions. McConnell served as corporate personnel director and has been instrumental in administering the company’s highly recognized employee-based policies. He was appointed vice president and general manager of the company’s largest steel facility in Columbus, Ohio, in 1985.

A member of Worthington’s board of directors since 1990, McConnell became vice chairman in 1992 and was named CEO in March 1993. In September 1996, he was named chairman of the board. In September 2020, he was named executive chairman.

McConnell has been active in numerous community organizations, previously serving on the boards of OhioHealth, the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the YMCA and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. He is majority owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets and chairman emeritus of the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation.

“John H. has been a valued member of the Worthington team for many years, including in his current role spearheading our growing sustainable energy solutions business unit,” Worthington President and CEO Andy Rose says. “He has attended board meetings for the last couple of years, and his intimate knowledge of the company and passion for our business and philosophy will serve us well.”

Rose continues, “I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to John P. for his many years of service. During his nearly 50-year tenure with the company and more than 30 years on the board, John P. has been instrumental in making Worthington what it is today. He has mentored me throughout my 15 years with the company, and we remain committed to upholding his legacy. We wish him all the best when he moves on to his next chapter.”