Worthington Industries installs leadership teams

Worthington Industries Inc., an industrial manufacturing company, named its senior leadership teams for New Worthington and Worthington Steel, effective upon completion of Worthington’s planned separation of the steel processing business, expected in early 2024.

New Worthington leadership team

New Worthington will offer brands in the end markets of consumer products, building products and sustainable energy solutions. In addition to President and CEO Andy Rose, the New Worthington leadership team will comprise:

• Joe Hayek, executive vice president and chief financial and operations officer. Hayek has been with Worthington since 2014 and was named vice president and CFO in November 2018. Prior to Worthington, Hayek held leadership roles at PCM Inc. and spent 10 years in investment banking with Raymond James.
• Eric Smolenski, president, building products and sustainable energy solutions. Smolenski joined Worthington Industries in 1994 and has served in several leadership roles across the organization, including vice president of human resources, chief information officer and president of pressure cylinders. He was named president of building products and sustainable energy solutions in June 2021.
• Steve Caravati, president, consumer products. Since joining Worthington over 17 years ago, Caravati has taken on several roles within Worthington’s consumer products business, including national account manager, director of sales, product director, business director and general manager. He was named president of consumer products in June 2021.
• Sonya Higginbotham, senior vice president and chief of corporate affairs, communications and sustainability. Higginbotham joined Worthington in 1997, and in 1999 she helped form Worthington’s corporate communications department. She was named vice president of corporate communications and brand management in September 2018 and leads Worthington’s internal and external communications, brand strategy, marketing, government relations, philanthropic activities and, most recently, sustainability initiatives.

Worthington Steel leadership team

Following the separation, Worthington Steel will be a steel processor and producer of electrical steel laminations and automotive lightweighting solutions, positioned to capitalize on expanding opportunities in electrification, sustainability and infrastructure spending, the company says. In addition to President and CEO Geoff Gilmore, the Worthington Steel leadership team will comprise:

• Tim Adams, vice president and CFO. Adams joined Worthington as a financial analyst in 1998 and has served in multiple roles of increasing responsibility in the financial planning and analysis group. He was named vice president of strategy and corporate development for the steel processing business in 2012 and is responsible for strategic planning as well as mergers and acquisitions and business development.
• Jeff Klingler, executive vice president and COO. Klingler first joined Worthington in 1992 starting on the production floor before rising up the sales ranks. After 15 years with Worthington, he left to join Banner Service Corp. as vice president of sales, marketing and procurement. He returned to Worthington in 2014 and led the creation of steel processing’s supply chain solutions strategic business unit. In May 2019, Klingler was named president of steel processing.

New Worthington and Worthington Steel will each set its own greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets aligned with a 1.5-degree-Celsius, science-based target, with a goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the company says.