John H. McConnell was the Columbus Blue Jackets· majority owner. chairman and governor. A highly respected business leader. philanthropist and founder of Worthington Industries. he passed away on April 25, 2008, at the age of 84.

Mr. McConnell. who was born on May 10, 1923, in Pughtown, West Virginia, was the son of a steel worker and grew up during the Great Depression. He served aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga during World War II and married his high school sweetheart. Peggy Rardin, upon discharge from the Navy. He then used the GI Bill to enter Michigan State University. where he studied business and played football.

While working for Weirton Steel Corp. Mr. McConnell identified a niche in the industry for custom steel processing services. He used his 1952 Oldsmobile as collateral for a loan and, in 1955, launched Worthington Industries and the steel processing industry. Today, the company he founded in Columbus is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and employs 10,000 people in 81 facilities in 10 countries. It has annual sales of approximately $3 billion.

He served as chairman until 1996 and retired from the board in 2002. Although he stepped down from a formal leadership role in the company. Mr. McConnell's leadership style, which has been included in the business curriculum at Harvard University and praised by management guru Tom Peters, still drives the company's culture. That philosophy, based on the Golden Rule - "We treat our customers, employees, investors and suppliers as we would like to be treated" - is the subject of Mr. McConnell's 2004 book, "Our Golden Rule."

Through his humanitarian and community efforts. Mr. McConnell became widely recognized as one of Columbus· most generous citizens. His charitable contributions led to the McConnell Heart Hospital at Riverside Hospital, which provides treatment and prevention services for heart-related illnesses. The more than $15 million donation to develop the hospital was the largest gift ever received by Riverside Hospital or its parent company, OhioHealth.

In 1997, Mr. McConnell led a group of investors to bring the National Hockey League to Columbus. The Blue Jackets played their first game in September 2000. The arrival of the team brought an influx of development and community pride to Columbus. Before the team even took the ice, he made sure the Blue Jackets organization would serve its community in other ways. too. The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation was established in March of 2000 to help improve the quality of life throughout central Ohio.

Mr. McConnell also was one of the early investors in the Columbus Crew Major League Soccer franchise and previously was a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club and the Columbus Destroyers Arena Football League team.

Through his work ethic. business acumen, philanthropy, sense of community and genuine desire to do the right thing for his customers, employees and community, Mr. McConnell established himself as a leader, not only in Columbus. but also throughout the steel industry and the business world.

In September 2008, Mr. McConnell posthumously received from the United States Navy Memorial the Lone Sailor Award, "which is given to Sea Service veterans who have excelled with distinction in their respective careers while exemplifying the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment." He had previously been named Chief Executive Officer of the Year by Financial World magazine, while Industry Week magazine recognized him for Excellence in Management. He was the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award and the National Football Foundation Gold Medal Award. He received the 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, the Ohio Governor's Award and the Michigan State University Outstanding Alumni Award. He was inducted into the Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame, the Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame and the Columbus Hall of Fame.

John P. McConnell is majority owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets National Hockey League franchise and chairman emeritus of the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation. The foundation uses the unique resources of its professional athletes, coaches and staff to improve the quality of life throughout central Ohio.

McConnell is also the retired chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Worthington Industries (NYSE: WOR), the company his father, John H. McConnell, founded in 1955.  He spent 48 years at the company starting in 1975 where he began as a general laborer and worked his way up the ranks in sales and operations. McConnell served as corporate personnel director and was instrumental in administering the company's highly recognized employee-based policies.  

A member of Worthington's board of directors since 1990, McConnell became vice chairman in 1992 and was named CEO in March of 1993. In September of 1996, he was named chairman of the board.  After 27 years as CEO, he retired from that role in September 2020 and as chairman of the board in September 2023.  In December of 2023, Worthington Industries successfullycompleted the separation of its Steel Processing business into a standalone, publicly traded company, Worthington Steel, and changed the Worthington Industries name to Worthington Enterprises.  

McConnell has been active in numerous community organizations including serving as chairman of the board for OhioHealth and he also served on the boards of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the YMCA and the Columbus Zoological Association.

John H. McConnell II serves as an alternate governor for the Columbus Blue Jackets and is chairman of JMAC, Inc., the McConnell family’s private holding company.  He previously worked for the club from 2012-2014, where he focused on marketing, partnership activation and talent scouting, and co-chaired the 2015 National Hockey League All-Star Events Committee.

McConnell joined Worthington Industries in 2000 and 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 the Worthington Steel Processing business. He also worked for U.S. Congresswoman Deborah Pryce as a constituent office coordinator and for Ohio Senator Kevin Coughlin, including Coughlin’s re-election campaign as a campaign field coordinator.

He returned to Worthington in 2014 as product manager of life support technology with commercial responsibility for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) cylinders used in military and aerospace applications, as well as by firefighters and first responders. In 2019, he earned a promotion to business director of North American High Pressure Vessels, which included Type III cylinders for the automotive and aerospace markets. From 2021-2023, McConnell served as vice president of global business development, where he led the global sales strategy for the company’s Sustainable Energy Solutions business unit.  In 2023, he served on the Steering Committee to spin out Worthington Steel from Worthington Industries and rebrand Worthington Industries to Worthington Enterprises.

McConnell serves on the Executive Committees for Worthington Enterprises (NYSE: WOR) and Worthington Steel (NYSE: WS). He has a strong interest in supporting veteran issues and community development, serving on the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium as Chairman, the Columbus Partnership, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital operating boards.  He has a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration from The Ohio State University.  He and his family reside in Columbus.

Nationwide

Nationwide’s partnership with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets includes Minority Ownership, naming rights for the home of the Jackets - Nationwide Arena - as well as a top tier Championship partner of the team.