Conner Industries
Fort Worth, US · Founded 1981 · Texas corporation · 292 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
Conner Industries manufactures industrial packaging for manufacturers, including industrial lumber, custom pallets and crates, and multi-material transportation packaging using wood, corrugate, foam, and plastics. It also offers supply chain service solutions such as 3PL, VMI, kitting, and assembly across multiple U.S. locations.
Also known as Conner · Conner Industries, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Conner Industries was founded in 1981 by Tom Rice.
Board
Investors · 5
Also in the syndicate · 4
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$6.4M disclosed across 2 of 4 rounds · 2017–2021
▶$417.1KraisedNov 2021 · 10 investors · ManufacturingRule 506(b)
- David DixonExecutive Officer
- Walter BarandiaranDirector
- Lawrence B. BurrowsDirector
- Jason T. SmithExecutive Officer
- Douglas RobinsonDirector
- Elliot ZeelanderDirector
- Gregory P. TaylorDirector
- Offering amount
- $417.1K
- Amount sold
- $417.1K
- First sale
- Sep 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Texas
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$6MraisedApr 2017 · 15 investors · ManufacturingRule 506(b)
- Stephen FowlerExecutive Officer
- Joseph McCormickDirector, Executive Officer
- William DeArmanDirector
- Walter BarandiaranDirector
- Kurien JacobDirector
- Offering amount
- $6M
- Amount sold
- $6M
- Minimum investment
- $25K
- First sale
- Mar 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Texas
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Conner Industries, Inc. is a Fort Worth, Texas-headquartered producer of industrial wood products and transportation packaging for industrial manufacturers. Its product range includes cut lumber, dunnage, banding groove lumber, pallet stock and stringers, hardwoods and panels, wholesale and bulk lumber, export-compliant lumber, standard and custom pallets, crates, skids and boxes built from southern yellow pine or hardwood, and integrated packaging systems that combine wood with corrugate, foam and plastics.
Alongside products, the company provides value-added services to its packaging customers, including packaging consultation and design by in-house engineers, unit load testing and validation conducted through independent third-party package testing laboratories, third-party logistics (3PL) and warehousing, co-locating, kitting and assembly, repackaging, just-in-sequencing, and vendor managed inventory (VMI). These services are offered only in conjunction with long-term packaging supply relationships rather than as stand-alone products.
Conner serves sectors including energy, oil and gas; automotive; aerospace and defense; chemical and plastics; pharmaceutical, food and beverage and consumer products; HVAC and appliance; heavy industrial, pipe, steel and heavy equipment; agricultural, lawn and garden; and logistics and transportation. Guardian Packaging in Garland, Texas operates as a division of Conner Industries.
Founding story
The company was founded in 1981 and has been headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas since its early years; its chief executive has credited the company's founders and investors who have supported it for more than 30 years.
Business model
Conner manufactures and supplies industrial lumber and packaging products in bulk or high volume to manufacturers, and layers supply chain services—3PL warehousing, VMI, kitting, assembly, co-locating and repackaging—onto those packaging supply relationships. It positions itself as a single-source provider spanning industrial wood and multi-material packaging, and has grown through repeated acquisitions of regional lumber and packaging businesses.
Revenue comes from sales of industrial wood products, pallets, crates and multi-material packaging to industrial manufacturers, with value-added logistics and inventory services sold as part of ongoing packaging supply agreements rather than separately.
Traction
In 2017 Conner reported more than 500 employees, over 1,900 customers nationwide, manufacturing plants in 10 states and annual processing and sales of over 300 million board feet. In 2021 it reported record sales and profitability with projected 12-15% growth for 2022. By 2025 it operated 19 plants across 13 states, and its Guardian Packaging facility capacity was increased by 53% in late 2024 with new ISO certifications supporting high-volume government contract work.
Latest developments
In March 2025 Conner acquired Kirkland Sales Inc., a custom foam fabricator based near Dallas, adding foam, gasket and plastic packaging capabilities. In October 2025 it named Kevin Kenjarski, previously a senior executive at Smurfit Westrock, Pretium Packaging and Clondalkin Group, as chief revenue officer. Former Sonoco COO Rodger Fuller joined the board of directors, and in August 2026 the company announced the appointment of Brigadier General Blaine D. Holt to its board. In May 2026 Conner received formal recognitions for its 45th anniversary from the Office of the Tarrant County Judge, the City of Fort Worth, the Texas House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Conner describes itself as a national lumber processor and a leading provider of industrial packaging solutions and industrial wood products in the United States. As of 2017 it processed and sold more than 300 million board feet annually with over 500 employees; by 2025 it operated 19 plants across 13 states as a private equity-backed private company.
The company emphasizes a combination of industrial wood expertise with multi-material packaging capability from a single source, design teams not tied to one material, nationwide plants with backup capability located near managed forest regions, and outsourcing of unit load testing to independent laboratories to avoid conflicts of interest.
Technology
Conner operates lumber mills and remanufacturing plants that produce cut lumber, panels, pallets, crates and custom wood packaging, complemented by foam, gasket and plastic fabrication capabilities added through the Kirkland Sales acquisition. In-house design teams and packaging engineers develop multi-material designs, while unit load testing and validation are performed by independent external package testing laboratories. The company cites ongoing investment in operational excellence and automation, and ISO certifications obtained with the Guardian Packaging expansion to support government contract work.
Go-to-market
The company sells through its own sales offices and account managers, supported by design teams and packaging engineers who take a consultative approach to specifying packaging. It uses quote requests and a content program of industry insights on its website, and launched ConnerPackaging.com in 2024 as a dedicated platform for its protective packaging offering. In 2025 it appointed a chief revenue officer to oversee sales, key accounts, commercial operations and pipeline development, with emphasis on defense, aerospace and industrial manufacturing markets.
Industrial manufacturers and large manufacturing operations requiring bulk or high-volume protective and transport packaging, across energy and oil and gas, automotive, aerospace and defense, chemicals and plastics, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, consumer products, HVAC and appliance, heavy industrial, steel and pipe, agricultural, and logistics markets. As of 2017 the company served more than 1,900 customers nationwide.
Geography
Headquartered at 3800 Sandshell Drive, Fort Worth, Texas, with sales offices and manufacturing facilities in Texas (Fort Worth, Haslet, Conroe, Garland), Oklahoma (Tulsa, Stilwell), Kansas (Valley Center), Nebraska (Hastings), Kentucky (Guthrie), Tennessee (Fayetteville, Lewisburg), Virginia (Chester), South Carolina (Lugoff), Georgia (Hogansville), Alabama (Montgomery), Colorado (Denver) and Florida (Panama City). Reporting in 2025 counted 19 plants across 13 states. The company delivers coast to coast and internationally by truck, rail and boat.
History
Conner Industries was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. By 2017 it had completed acquisitions of Golden Triangle and Continental Timber and operated plants in 10 states; a 2018 release described remanufacturing plants in eight states (FL, GA, MI, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA). The company relocated its Panama City manufacturing plant in 2021, marked its 40th anniversary in 2021 with record sales and a $25 million equity infusion, opened a new manufacturing facility in southern Kentucky in 2023, expanded its Guardian Packaging facility by 53% in late 2024, and acquired custom foam fabricator Kirkland Sales Inc. in March 2025 — its fifth acquisition within the integrated packaging division. In 2026 the company marked its 45th anniversary.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 15
launches, deals, and filingsConner received formal recognitions from the Office of Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare, the City of Fort Worth, the Texas House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives in honor of its 45th anniversary.
Conner named packaging industry veteran Kevin Kenjarski, formerly of Smurfit Westrock, Pretium Packaging and Clondalkin Group, as chief revenue officer overseeing sales, key accounts, commercial operations and pipeline development.
Conner acquired Kirkland Sales Inc., a custom foam fabricator based near Dallas, adding foam, gasket and plastic packaging capabilities. It was the fifth acquisition within Conner's integrated packaging division.
In late 2024 Conner expanded its Guardian Packaging facility by 53%, increasing manufacturing capacity and earning new ISO certifications to support high-volume government contract work.
The company launched ConnerPackaging.com, a platform highlighting its protective packaging capabilities across materials and sectors.
Conner announced record sales and profitability and a $25 million equity infusion, projecting 12-15% growth in 2022 as it marked its 40th anniversary.
$25M source ↗
Conner moved its Panama City, Florida manufacturing plant to a new location.
The facility comprised an $18 million revolving line of credit and a $3 million real estate term loan, to refinance the existing credit facility, support working capital and fund growth. Concurrently, certain existing shareholders increased their financial commitment from $10 million to $15 million.
$21M source ↗
Conner announced a growth capital investment led by Argentum, joined by existing shareholders, new investors and members of management including the chairman, CEO and certain executives. Proceeds were designated for working capital, manufacturing plant upgrades and strategic acquisitions.
New investor Hugh F. Culverhouse, a former federal prosecutor, joined the company as General Counsel.
Concurrent with the growth capital investment, senior lender Wells Fargo renewed Conner's $18 million line of credit.
$18M source ↗
Conner reported having recently completed two acquisitions, Golden Triangle and Continental Timber, prior to the April 2017 financing announcement.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Conner Industriesconnerindustries.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Conner Industries do?
- Fort Worth-based manufacturer of industrial lumber, custom pallets, crates and multi-material transportation packaging.
- Who founded Conner Industries?
- Conner Industries was founded by Tom Rice in 1981.
- Who are Conner Industries's investors?
- Conner Industries's investors include The Argentum Group.
- How much funding has Conner Industries raised?
- Conner Industries has disclosed $6.4M raised across 2 of its 4 known rounds.
- Where is Conner Industries headquartered?
- Conner Industries is headquartered in Fort Worth, US.