In 1959, Warner was one of the six founders of Johnson Corp., a manufacturer of residential heating and cooling equipment. In 1968, he founded Alsport, a manufacturer of recreational vehicles, snowmobiles, motorbikes and bicycles.
In 1976, Warner founded Industrial Powder Coatings Inc., a custom powder coater operation in Norwalk, OH, starting with seven people and one powder coating line. He developed the first engine block line and the first full-production blank-coating line.
In 1981, he was one of the 14 founders of PCI and was instrumental in developing the organization in its early days, including service as the first Custom Powder Coaters chairman in 1982.
Meanwhile, Industrial Powder Coatings expanded to five plants, 14 lines and more than 700 people during the 10 years he ran the company. The business used more than three million pounds of powder coatings per year and coated in excess of 200 truckloads of parts per day.
He sold the business in 1986 and spent 10 years serving as co-sponsor and chairman of the American Lung Association's "Camp Superkids" Golf Tournament, raising more than $200,000 to send kids with asthma to camp.
In 1999, he co-founded Designer Closets, a manufacturer of custom closets, entertainment centers and products for the home office.
