Westlake Corporation
Petrochemicals and building-products company headquartered in Houston, Texas, controlled by the Chao family, producing PVC, vinyls, olefins, and housing products.
Company Type
public
Founded
1986
Headquarters
Houston, Texas, USA
Stock
New York Stock Exchange: WLK
Revenue
Approximately $12.1 billion (FY2025)
Employees
Approximately 15,540
Primary Market
Global
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About Westlake Corporation
What does Westlake own?
Westlake owns its petrochemical and vinyls plants, the Westlake Royal building-products business, and pipe, fittings, and epoxy operations.
Is Westlake publicly traded?
Yes. It trades on the NYSE under ticker WLK, though the Chao family controls a majority of voting shares.
Is Westlake the same as Westlake Tires?
No. Westlake Corporation is a Houston chemicals company; Westlake Tires belongs to China's Zhongce Rubber Group, an unrelated business.
Who founded Westlake?
T.T. Chao founded the company in Houston in 1986.
Who is the CEO of Westlake?
Jean-Marc Gilson, who became CEO in 2024.
How much revenue does Westlake generate?
Approximately $12.1 billion annually.
History of Westlake Corporation
T.T. Chao, a Taiwanese-born chemical engineer, founded Westlake Chemical in Houston in 1986, building petrochemical plants and acquiring capacity through the 1990s.
The company went public in 2004 and grew through disciplined acquisitions: polyethylene capacity, vinyls integration, and downstream building products.
The 2016 purchase of Axiall for $2.4 billion transformed the vinyls position, and subsequent building-products acquisitions including Boral's North American roofing and siding businesses built the Housing and Infrastructure segment.
The Chao family kept control throughout, and the 2022 name change to Westlake Corporation reflected the broadened building-products scope before Gilson's 2024 appointment marked the transition to outside professional management.
Westlake Corporation Sustainability & Ethics
The company publishes reporting on emissions, chemical safety, and product circularity; vinyl chemistry and chlor-alkali operations carry inherent environmental and safety management obligations.
Controversy, Regulation & Public Scrutiny
Vinyl/PVC environmental pressure: The material faces ongoing regulatory and environmental scrutiny over lifecycle impacts.
No defining controversies beyond routine industry environmental and safety matters.
Brands Owned by Westlake Corporation
Westlake Corporation owns 6 brands in our database. Explore the ownership tree below — click categories to expand and see individual brands.
Westlake Corporation
public · Founded 1986 · Houston, Texas, USA
6
brands
Stock Information
Westlake Corporation Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Top global PVC producer with feedstock integration
- +Downstream building products add margin stability
- +Chao family long-term orientation
- +Vertically integrated cost position
- +First outside CEO brings operating discipline
Considerations
- -Commodity chemical cycle exposure
- -Controlled-company governance concentration
- -PVC sustainability and regulatory pressure
- -Housing-cycle sensitivity in building products
- -Capital-intensive operations
Frequently Asked Questions About Westlake Corporation
What does Westlake own?
Westlake owns its petrochemical and vinyls plants, the Westlake Royal building-products business, and pipe, fittings, and epoxy operations.
Is Westlake publicly traded?
Yes. It trades on the NYSE under ticker WLK, though the Chao family controls a majority of voting shares.
Is Westlake the same as Westlake Tires?
No. Westlake Corporation is a Houston chemicals company; Westlake Tires belongs to China's Zhongce Rubber Group, an unrelated business.
Who founded Westlake?
T.T. Chao founded the company in Houston in 1986.
Who is the CEO of Westlake?
Jean-Marc Gilson, who became CEO in 2024.
How much revenue does Westlake generate?
Approximately $12.1 billion annually.
Sources & Further Reading
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