Company recognized for its commitment to robust ethics, compliance and governance programs A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS), a leader in water heating and water treatment, announces today it has been recognized as a 2025 World’s Most Ethical Company by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. A Read more
A.O. Smith
Company recognized for its commitment to robust ethics, compliance and governance programs
A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS), a leader in water heating and water treatment, announces today it has been recognized as a 2025 World’s Most Ethical Company by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.
A. O. Smith has been recognized two years in a row and is one of only 12 honorees in the industrial manufacturing category. In 2025, 136 honorees were recognized spanning 19 countries and 44 industries.
“At A. O. Smith, ethics is the foundation of everything we do,” said Kevin Wheeler, chairman and chief executive officer. “Being named one of the 2025 World’s Most Ethical Companies is a testament to our team’s dedication to doing business the right way and living our values every day.”
The World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment is grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, which requires companies to provide 240+ different proof points on practices that support robust ethics and compliance; governance; a culture of ethics; environmental and social impact; and initiatives that support a strong value chain. That data undergoes further qualitative analysis by a panel of experts who spend thousands of hours vetting and evaluating each year’s group of applicants. This process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify best-in-class ethics and compliance practices from organizations across industries and from around the world.
“Congratulations to A. O. Smith for achieving recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies,” said Erica Salmon Byrne, chief strategy officer and executive chair, Ethisphere. “Behind this honor is a true dedication and a commitment to advancing business integrity. This approach is good for business — employees and other stakeholders value companies that prioritize the kinds of practices we measure with our process.”
To view the full list of this year’s honorees, please visit the World’s Most Ethical Companies website, at https://worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees.
A. O. Smith will showcase two new tankless water heaters for the first time at the upcoming 2025 AHR Expo, set to kick off on Feb. 10 in Orlando, Florida. The Adapt™ NC Tankless and the Adapt™ SC Tankless will join the Adapt+™ Tankless Water Heater with X3® Scale Prevention Technology as part of the Read more
A. O. Smith will showcase two new tankless water heaters for the first time at the upcoming 2025 AHR Expo, set to kick off on Feb. 10 in Orlando, Florida. The Adapt™ NC Tankless and the Adapt™ SC Tankless will join the Adapt+™ Tankless Water Heater with X3® Scale Prevention Technology as part of the Adapt line. This expansion will add to the existing product family, offering more options for a variety of customer needs. AHR Expo attendees are invited to visit A. O. Smith’s booth and see the new technology first-hand.
Visitors can also check out other A. O. Smith products at the booth, including the newest member of the Voltex® residential heat pump water heater (HPWH) family—the Voltex® MAX. The Voltex® AL and Voltex® 120V HPWHs, as well as the Emerge™ X Commercial HPWH, will also be on display at this year’s show. Additionally, visitors can stop by the booth to learn more about A. O. Smith’s industry-leading commercial water heating technology, including the Cyclone® XL, Cyclone® LV and the Cyclone® Flex, expected to launch later this year.
Booth 701
AHR Expo
February 10-12, 2025
Orange County Convention Center – West Building
9800 International Dr., Orlando, Florida
A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS), a leader in water heating and water treatment, announces three significant updates on the North America Water Heating sales team. After 34 years with A. O. Smith, Mark Gierla, vice president of Eastern region sales, will retire on April 1, 2025. Matt Patterson, national accounts director, will be promoted Read more
A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS), a leader in water heating and water treatment, announces three significant updates on the North America Water Heating sales team. After 34 years with A. O. Smith, Mark Gierla, vice president of Eastern region sales, will retire on April 1, 2025. Matt Patterson, national accounts director, will be promoted to vice president of Western region sales in January 2025 as part of this transition. Jerry Lapour, sales director, will move into Patterson’s role.
Mark Gierla
Gierla joined A. O. Smith in 1990 as district manager. He relocated several times and assumed various sales roles along the way. In 2007, he moved to the Nashville area, and in 2010, he was promoted to the newly created role of vice president of regional sales. During his tenure, he’s helped launch some of the company’s most important product innovations — most notably, the Cyclone® commercial water heater, which still leads the industry today. Going forward, Gierla’s role will be split between the regional vice president Western sales and the regional vice president Eastern sales.
“We thank Mark for his dedication to our organization, his tenacity and his skill to drive the business forward,” said Chuck Dean, vice president of wholesale sales.
Matt Patterson
Patterson has been with the company for 12 years and has worked as a technical sales specialist in factory sales in Tennessee, a regional sales manager in the Northwest U.S. and most recently as national accounts director. He also spent two years on the A. O. Smith mobile marketing vehicle showcasing new products to wholesalers around the country.
Lapour joined A. O. Smith in 2023 and comes with many years of industry experience. He most recently worked for Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, managing the north central region. Prior to that, he worked with Elkay Manufacturing for 17 years, with responsibilities including regional sales manager for the North Central U.S. and national account responsibility for Winsupply, where he received the “Account Manager of the Year” award in 2020. LaPour is also a veteran and served with the XVIII Airborne Corps in Desert Storm.
Jerry Lapour
“Having experienced leaders ready to assume these new roles is of great benefit to the organization and I am confident these transitions will be seamless,” said Dean.
Shedeur Sanders has won the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award®, presented annually by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and A. O. Smith Corporation to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement. Sanders is the first University of Colorado Buffalo to win this celebrated award. Throughout his Read more
Shedeur Sanders has won the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award®, presented annually by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and A. O. Smith Corporation to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement. Sanders is the first University of Colorado Buffalo to win this celebrated award.
Throughout his college career, the Texas native has completed 1,217-of-1,744 passes (69.8%) for 13,707 yards with 127 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. At Colorado in 22 games, he has completed 601-of-843 passes for 6,718 yards with 57 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In two years at CU, he ranks fifth in Buffalo history for completions, seventh for attempts, sixth for passing yards, and fourth for passing touchdowns. He has thrown a touchdown pass in 47 straight games, the longest streak in NCAA D1 (FBS and FCS) history, second longest streak in NCAA history and it would be tied for the fourth longest streak in NFL history with Johnny Unitas. In his 2024 season alone, through 11 games, he has completed 303-of-413 passes (73.4%) for 3,488 yards with 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Sanders journey not only highlights his athletic talents, but also underscores his dedication to carrying forward his family’s football legacy.
Sanders’ achievements will be honored on Friday, December 6, in Baltimore, MD. This year the Golden Arm Educational Foundation alongside presenting partner A. O. Smith are honored to welcome former Golden Arm Award winner, Gino Torretta, as their keynote speaker. Torretta also won the Heisman Award, the Maxwell Trophy and the Davey O’Brien national quarterback award. The 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award presentation celebrating Sanders will be livestreamed on the Golden Arm Award YouTube channel.
The candidates are selected by the distinguished Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, and former players. The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. Candidates are chosen based on player performance on-and-off the field.
Giving life to the commitment to give back, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and presenting sponsor A. O. Smith continue to promote football on all levels by providing financial aid to deserving young scholar athletes.
Sharing a tradition of innovation with Johnny Unitas, who invented football’s two-minute drill, A. O. Smith has been an innovator in its industry for 150 years. What began as a small machine shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1874, has evolved into a leading global water technology company committed to improving the lives of its customers by ensuring access to clean, safe, hot water.
For more information on the Golden Arm Award, please visit: Golden Arm Award. Additionally, follow the conversation throughout the college football season on X, @GoldenArmAward, and use the hashtags #GoldenArmAward and #InnovationLeaders.
Sponsors of the Golden Arm Award Presented by A. O. Smith Corporation include: MedStar Sports Medicine, The Babe Ruth Museum, Comcast, Dunbar Security Solutions, Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, Haddock Investments, Silver Star Properties, HMS Insurance Associates, Inc., Milwaukee Tool, Encore, TRAY, AE2 Creative, Wolf Professional Security, Jostens, and Extraordinar Luxury Transportation.
A.O. Smith will celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Thursday, Sept. 19. The festivities will focus on A. O. Smith’s rich history, the employees, its innovative transformations and the promising future ahead. The event will also celebrate the opening of the site’s third plant and an additional building expansion, which will Read more
A.O. Smith will celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Thursday, Sept. 19. The festivities will focus on A. O. Smith’s rich history, the employees, its innovative transformations and the promising future ahead.
The event will also celebrate the opening of the site’s third plant and an additional building expansion, which will add hundreds of new jobs and produce more than 140,000 water heating units in the first year.
The Sept. 19 celebration will include food, festivities and a ribbon cutting ceremony with employees, elected officials and other key stakeholders. The event will include Claudia Escudero from the Mexican Consulate; Cristina Touché, president of Economic Development of Ciudad Juárez; Cruz Pérez Cuellar, mayor of Ciudad Juárez, and his private secretary, Ignacio Carmona Campirano; along with Isela Molina Alcay, president, and Mónica Leticia Luévano García, director, with Canacintra, the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry.
The program will feature Chairman and CEO Kevin Wheeler; Stephen O’Brien, president and general manager of North America Water Heating; Samuel Carver, senior vice president of global operations; Keith Auville, vice president of North America manufacturing; and Eduardo Gonzalez, Ciudad Juárez operations director. More than 1,000 employees are also expected to attend.
The company has had a presence in Mexico since 1984, beginning with electric motor assembly operations in Ciudad Juárez and Ciudad Acuna. In 1986, the company began manufacturing water heaters, and in 1995, the company withdrew from the automotive industry to focus on water heaters.