Wally Brant is the CEO and owner of Indiana Oxygen Company, a 104 year-old, four-generation, family-owned Indiana Company.

He holds the distinction of having owned a restaurant that completely failed which was subject to a class-action law suit; he appeared as the Cincinnati Reds’ first-baseman in the 1987 movie “Eight Men Out” which uncovered the villainous Chicago “Black Sox” who conspired to fix the 1919 World Series; and to this day, he still holds an Indiana High School Athletic Association pitching record….mainly because the IHSAA changed the rules immediately following the event!

A graduate of Purdue University, Wally served seven (7) years in the U.S. Air Force as a Navigator on a B-52 Combat Crew serving two (2) tours in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.  He later served in the Air Force Reserves, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  In 1982, Wally was named CEO of Indiana Oxygen Company.  He is a recipient of numerous awards, including being selected “Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year” and a “Purdue University Distinguished Graduate.”  In 2018 at the age of 68 Wally graduated from the University of Notre Dame with his MBA Graduate Degree.

After becoming CEO of Indiana Oxygen in 1982 at the age of 32, the company was facing financial difficulties with the added pressure of high inflation and 20% interest rates!  One of his first tasks as CEO was to execute the first layoff of employees in the company’s history, effecting one-fifth of the entire workforce.  But with an incredible team effort among hourly employees and executives, the company was saved.  By 1985 Indiana Oxygen was once again profitable, beginning an aggressive growth strategy that has expanded the company from 3 locations to 15 and an annual revenue 40 times larger than the day he was elected CEO.  Wally pioneered the company into the eCommerce world that currently ranks his company’s subsidiary, “Welding Supplies by IOC”, as one of the top three internet sales entities by volume in the country. 

Wally is a former President of both the Gas and Welding Distributor Association (GAWDA) and the International Oxygen Manufacturers Association (IOMA).  He serves on several Boards of Directors for corporations, schools, and numerous civic and non-profit associations.

He is married to Kathy and they have two children, both of whom joined the family business in 2010.  Anne Brant Hayes is Vice President/Corporate Counsel and Jay Brant is Vice President/Chief Information Officer.

Wally is a huge proponent for the gas and welding industry!  He is enthusiastic for the future of our industry.