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WD-40 Company

Maintenance products and specialty chemicalsFounded 1953
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded WD-40?

Norman B. Larsen, Gordon Dawson, John B. Gregory · Founded 1953 · HQ today: San Diego, California, United States

Who founded WD-40?

WD-40 was founded by Norman B. Larsen, Gordon Dawson, John B. Gregory in 1953. It is now led by Steve Brass.

Founders
Norman B. Larsen, Gordon Dawson, John B. Gregory
Founded
1953
Headquarters
San Diego, California, United States
Number of founders
3
Current CEO
Steve Brass (since 2022)
Where was WD-40 founded?
WD-40 was founded in San Diego, California, United States in 1953.
When was WD-40 founded?
WD-40 was founded in 1953.
Who started WD-40?
WD-40 was founded by Norman B. Larsen, Gordon Dawson and John B. Gregory.
How old is WD-40?
WD-40 is 73 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Rocket Chemical Company opened in a small San Diego lab in September 1953 with a staff of three. Company materials name Norman B. Larsen, Gordon Dawson and John B. Gregory as its founders. They were working on rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for the aerospace industry, and it took them 40 attempts to get the water-displacing formula right. That is where the name comes from: Water Displacement, 40th formula. Employees reportedly took cans home for household jobs. The company began selling the product in aerosol cans in San Diego in 1958 and took the name WD-40 Company in 1969.

What each WD-40 founder did

FounderRole at foundingContributionSource
Norman B. LarsenCo-founder and chemist, Rocket Chemical Company—en.wikipedia.org
Gordon DawsonCo-founder, Rocket Chemical Company——
John B. GregoryCo-founder, Rocket Chemical Company——

Norman B. Larsen

Co-founder 1953

Background

Norman B. Larsen was a chemist and one of Rocket Chemical Company's original three staff members in San Diego.

Role at WD-40 Company

Norman B. Larsen is the person most often credited with developing the WD-40 water-displacing formula, which took 40 attempts. According to his Wikipedia biography, he left Rocket Chemical in 1958 after a distributor arrangement fell apart, and went on to lead CRC Industries, a competing company.

Norman B. Larsen was born in 1923 in Chicago.

Norman Bernard Larsen was born in 1923 and died in 1970. He was an industrial chemist.

Gordon Dawson

Co-founder 1953

Background

American chemical engineer.

Role at WD-40 Company

Gordon Dawson co-founded the Rocket Chemical Company (which became WD-40) in 1953. Working alongside Norm Larsen, he helped refine the absolute critical early formulas intended to prevent corrosion on the massive, highly advanced Atlas nuclear missiles being built by the US military in San Diego. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

John B. Gregory

Co-founder 1953

Background

American chemist and engineer.

Role at WD-40 Company

John B. Gregory co-founded the Rocket Chemical Company. He played a massively important role in the incredibly exhaustive testing process. The legendary 'Water Displacement, 40th formula' was exactly that: it took 40 attempts for the team to perfectly perfect the chemical mixture that would eventually become an absolute household staple globally. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

WD-40 Company: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Keith Stauffer

Incoming Chief Financial Officer (effective Nov. 2, 2026)

2026 – Present

As a senior financial executive, he was absolutely critical in driving the company's massive international expansion into emerging markets.

Steve Brass

President and Chief Executive Officer

2022 – Present

Brass leads the company through its current phase of growth and margin recovery. Gross margin passed 55% in fiscal 2025, and sales rose 24% in the third quarter of fiscal 2026.

Sara Hyzer

Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer (president, Americas division from Nov. 2, 2026)

2022 – Present

As CFO, she executes the absolute strict financial discipline required to maintain WD-40's status as a legendary, high-margin dividend stock.

Garry Ridge

Former President and Chief Executive Officer

1997 – 2022

Serving as the legendary CEO for 25 years (from 1997 to 2022), he grew the company from a niche American product into an absolute global ubiquity found in 80% of American households.

Keep researching WD-40

Who Founded WD-40? FAQ

Who are the official founders of Rocket Chemical Company (WD-40)?

Rocket Chemical Company was founded in September 1953 by chemist Norman B. Larsen, technician Gordon Dawson, and investor John B. Gregory.

Who was Norman B. Larsen and what was his role in inventing WD-40?

Norman B. Larsen was an industrial chemist who led the laboratory work to synthesize a moisture-displacing compound, successfully discovering the formula on his 40th experimental attempt.

Who was John B. Gregory and what was his contribution?

John B. Gregory was a local businessman and investor who provided the initial financial backing and business incorporation for Rocket Chemical Company in 1953.

Who was Gordon Dawson in Rocket Chemical Company's early days?

Gordon Dawson was an early partner and technician who assisted with formula testing, mixing solvent batches, and handling operations in the San Diego workshop.

How did the founders discover the industrial need for WD-40?

They recognized that aerospace contractor Convair was struggling with moisture accumulation and corrosion on the thin stainless steel outer shell of the Atlas rocket at coastal test sites.

Why did Norman Larsen leave Rocket Chemical Company in 1958?

Following internal disagreements over equity ownership, production scale, and commercial direction, Larsen left the company in 1958 and went on to found other chemical ventures.

Where was the first Rocket Chemical Company laboratory located?

The first lab was a modest workshop on San Diego's 5th Avenue, where the founders hand-mixed chemical batches in open drums before shipping them to Convair.

How did the founders decide to package the formula into aerosol spray cans?

After noticing plant workers taking WD-40 home in glass jars, the founders partnered with local packaging suppliers in 1958 to deliver the spray in consumer-ready pressurized cans.

Did the original founders get rich from WD-40's ultimate global success?

While early equity holders profited from early dividends, most of the massive multi-billion-dollar market value was created decades later under CEOs John S. Barry and Garry Ridge.

How is the secret WD-40 formula secured today?

The original handwritten chemical formula was placed in a secure bank vault in San Diego, and only a tiny handful of people are permitted to know the complete recipe.

What happened to Rocket Chemical Company under early leadership after Larsen left?

Cy Irving and other early executives kept the company afloat during the 1960s until hiring marketing executive John S. Barry in 1969, who revolutionized corporate operations.

What is the enduring legacy of the founders in American innovation?

Larsen, Dawson, and Gregory created one of the most enduring post-WWII American inventions—a simple, indispensable product that became an iconic staple in workshops and homes worldwide.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.