Demonstrated Community Commitment
Birmingham, Alabama
Phillip McWane joined McWane, Inc., a global manufacturing company focused on delivering clean drinking water around the world, in 1980 after earning a bachelor’s in industrial management from Auburn University. McWane has held several management positions, including executive vice president and president across his tenure. He has served on the board of the company since 1986, and is currently chairman of McWane, Inc.
McWane is the fourth generation to lead the family-owned company that has grown into a multi-billion dollar enterprise, employing 6,000 people in 25 manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and four countries. Founded in 1921 as McWane Cast Iron Pipe Co., the company’s products now include ductile pipe, soil pipe, valves and fittings, fire hydrants, fire extinguishers, pressure tanks and poles. Auburn University Vice President for Philanthropy Rob Wellbaum said, “The company’s products are known for their quality and reliability, and have helped to improve the infrastructure of communities around the country.”
McWane credits what the company has accomplished under his direction, in part, to the efforts of his father, other family members, and colleagues over the last 102 years. He explained that his father brought company revenues from $30M in 1970 to $850M in 1997, an increase made possible in part by the acquisition of other firms and growth in the company’s waterworks infrastructure business.
In 1998, when McWane was 40, revenue at the company stood at $850M; by 2022, revenue had reached $3 billion.
According to Harbert Business School (Auburn University) Regions Bank Professor and Interim Dean Joe Hanna, “Despite facing challenges in the industry, [he] has steered McWane, Inc. through tough times with a strategic and forward-thinking approach, ensuring the company’s continued success and longevity.”
The state of Alabama remains McWane, Inc.’s headquarters, with the location of Amerex in Trussville, and Tyler/Union and M&H Valve in Anniston. These three locations include roughly 1,500 of the 6,000 team members. Most recently, the company has begun investments in real estate, concentrating in the hospitality, industrial, and self-storage sectors under the Highline name. Also included is the Publix in downtown Auburn. These investments promise growth and diversification for future generations to come.
In addition to the continued success of the companies that he oversees, McWane invests his time and treasure by serving his community and state. He serves or has served on the boards of Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Sloss Furnaces Foundation, the McWane Science Center, PreSchool Partners Advisory Board, and the Birmingham Business Alliance Executive Committee. McWane is a member of the Birmingham Rotary Club and Leadership Alabama.
He and his wife, Heather, have three children, Laura, Katie, and Will, and five grandchildren.
