Red Ball Battery Co., Inc. was founded in 1930 by Joseph R. Daniell. He began by buying junk and batteries and removing bad cells from one battery and replacing them with good cells from another battery. In those days the battery tops were sealed with hot tar and it was possible to change cells.

Later, Mr. Daniell purchased equipment from a bankrupt battery plant in Cleveland, Ohio. When he cast his battery case he found the imprint "Red Ball" on the side of the case, thus the name.

Robert Daniels, an Electrical Engineer who was a salesman for Lincoln Electric, joined the firm in 1945, and the name Red Ball Battery and Oxygen Co. evolved. Red Ball became a distributor for National Cylinder Gas shortly thereafter.

In 1947, Daniell Battery Manufacturing was spun off from Red Ball Battery Company. Daniell Battery is now located in Baton Rouge and manufactures batteries; Red Ball Oxygen is the Daniell Battery Distributor in this area.

In May 1969, the Kennedy family arranged to purchase the Welding Supply portion of the company and the Red Ball Oxygen Co., Inc. was founded. In 1972, the Kennedy family also purchased Red Ball Battery Co. Red Ball Medical was later spun off to handle specialized medical needs. Gary Kennedy was named President of Red Ball Oxygen in 1987.

Red Ball has subsequently expanded its operations to include a modern cylinder filling operation, a full-service welding equipment repair center, a palletized cylinder distribution system, and 15 customer service branches in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.