Art & Panny McElroy

Founders / McElroy Manufacturing / Art: 1920 - 1988, Panny: 1921 - 2006 / Inducted 2025

In 1954, Art and Panny McElroy launched McElroy Manufacturing from their Tulsa, Oklahoma garage as a fabrication shop for local companies like American Airlines, WL Walker, and Allied Bearing.

With Panny handling the books and Art at the helm, the company flourished, taking on more contract work and expanding their facilities. By the late 1960s, McElroy was shipping its fintube machines around the globe – but the company’s potential wouldn’t be fully realized until 1969, when Art designed a machine that could weld a newly-introduced high-density polyethylene plastic pipe. By 1973, with his passion and focus on the potential of the fledgling polyethylene pipe market, McElroy had built the most complete range of equipment globally, capable of fusing from ½” to 48” pipe.

In the years that followed, the McElroys’ expertise led to many further advances and improvements in products that shaped this industry into what it is today. The couple held themselves to a high standard, committed to leading by example whether in terms of customer service, machine quality, or just making others feel genuinely welcome.

After Art passed away in 1988, Panny took the company’s reins, continuing the vision she and her husband had worked to realize. Almost a decade later, Panny decided it was time to retire as President and CEO of McElroy, passing company leadership along to the couple’s three children: Donna (McElroy) Dutton, Peggy (McElroy) Tanner, and Chip McElroy.

To this day, the plastic pipe fusion industry owes much of its success to the tireless work of Art and Panny McElroy. Through their commitment to quality, the company continues to reach new heights with each passing year.