Year: 2019

“Cylinders that are 100 years old will be good for another 100 years if they are properly taken care of and maintained,” says Hydrostat Inc. Owner and CEO Stacy Schraut. “The beauty of the packaged gas industry is that we have assets that are 100 years old that can continue to generate revenue. How many other industries can say that?” Compressed Gas Cylinders are over-engineered, due to the critical nature of their purpose, according to Airgenics, Inc. COO Jonathan Balbi. When properly maintained, these cylinders should last for hundreds of years. The key to this is proper maintenance coupled with…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has two new rules set to go into effect in early 2020.  One establishes an online clearinghouse for information on drug and alcohol testing information for commercial motor vehicle drivers, and the other imposes requirements for classroom and behind the wheel training for drivers before they may obtain a new Commercial Driver License or upgrade a CDL from Class B to Class A. The FMCSA has uploaded to its website (fmcsa.dot.gov) an expanded list of Frequently Asked Questions and other information on the agency’s drug and alcohol testing clearinghouse rule. The new rule…

Over the years, I have written several articles and Traffic Bulletins about training and with good reason. It consistently ranks as the number one inquiry from members and continues to be one of the most cited issues by DOT inspectors who visit our members. I want to touch on the high points of the main training topics required by the DOT: function specific, hazmat, driver, and drug and alcohol training. Hazmat Training (172.704) A hazmat employer must train, test and certify every hazmat employee who has any function that directly impacts hazardous materials transportation safety. Function-Specific Training Requirements (172.704) Each…

In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has increasingly observed violations involving data integrity during audits. Data integrity issues have been observed in traditional pharmaceutical firms as well as in medical gas firms. Solid, accurate and reliable data is an important component to ensure compliance with FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations. The integrity of drug (and food/beverage/device) manufacturing data is also critical for your own business success. What is “data integrity”? Data integrity refers to the completeness, consistency and accuracy of data. The data integrity term ALCOA stands for Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original and Accurate. What…

Al Earlbeck had a passion for the technical side of welding and it began when he was just a teen working for the T.A. Canty Company, in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Canty established a welding equipment and repair shop in 1919. By the time he was ready to retire, Al was a seasoned employee. He and a partner bought the company in 1949 and, after purchasing his partner’s shares in 1954, it became Earlbeck Welding Supplies. Today, Jim Earlbeck, Al’s son, serves as president of Earlbeck Gases &Technologies. In the 100 years since T.A. Canty was started, the company, since rebranded,…

Keen Compressed Gas of Wilmington, Delaware, is proudly celebrating 100 years of service to its customers. Stanley Keen established the business in 1919 with the goal to be a company whose associates work hard to achieve total customer satisfaction in the delivery of its products and services. “Delivering on that promise,” says Bryan Keen, the company’s third-generation president, “is how we have achieved a century of success.” In the Beginning One hundred years ago, the welding and gases business as we know it today barely existed and the industries from which it emerged were just getting started. Having served his…

GAWDA members celebrate milestone anniversaries and share lessons learned during their years of service to the industry by Steve Guglielmo GAWDA has marked 2019 “The Year of Service.” For this issue, Welding & Gases Today interviewed those GAWDA members who were celebrating milestone anniversaries about their history of service to the gases and welding industry. Learn about how these members have helped shape our industry and how they will apply the lessons learned from the past to continue to serve the industry in the future. 220 Years PFERD, Inc. 115 Years ESAB Welding & Cutting Read More Federated Insurance Read…

While Tekno Valves North America incorporated in 2009, Greg Leumas and Jim Guitreau actually began selling Tekno Valves products in North America four years earlier. Guitreau and Leumas were working together at another company that sold chlorine valves when they met a Tekno Valves representative at a Chlorine Institute Meeting. “We started talking to them about representing their product in North America,” says Leumas, president of Tekno Valves North America. “We began selling the product in 2005.” Four years later, the company that they had been working for was being sold and Leumas and Guitreau decided to strike out on…

Global Calibration Gases Managing Partner Ray Borzio started a consulting business called Special Gas Systems and Technology (now Special Gas Services Inc.) in 1993 to serve the needs of the independent gases and welding supplies distributors desiring entrance into specialty gases manufacturing. . A small training lab was set up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and interest grew rapidly. In 2004, the school was moved to Fort Myers, FL at the then corporate headquarters of CryoVation LLC. This gave Special Gas a forum to teach high end production techniques with hands-on lab demonstrations. In March of 2009 Global Calibration Gases was formed…

CryoWorks, Inc. began ten years ago after an idea from Donna Mast. Tim Mast, CEO and owner of CryoWorks, was working as a salesperson from his home office.  Since Donna was also home with their children, the entire family was gaining first-hand experience in the cryogenic piping industry. Tim was helping a customer who was having issues with the products and services that his previous employer was providing. “I got off the phone that day and Donna said to me, ‘Why don’t we do this ourselves?’” says Mast. “So, we started planning it and about a month later we were…

American Gas Products is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2019. However, the company’s roots trace back to 1978, when Louis D’Auria purchased a local welding supply distributor and started American Gas Products. Together with his son, Mike D’Auria, Louis grew the company until 1999, when it was sold to BOC gases. “After we sold to BOC, I became the New England business manager for BOC,” says Mike D’Auria, president of AGP Helium. “I worked in that position for five years until 2004.” In 2004, American Gas products was reformed as a partnership between Louis, Mike and Jim Hermetet. “The original…

The core division of Ratermann Manufacturing is celebrating their 20th anniversary. Founded by George Ratermann out of the shed of his house, the company has now grown thanks to the support of customers and employees. Ratermann manufacturing opened its doors with two parts to sell and now houses over 20,000 individual parts and supplies for cryogenic and high-pressure gases. George reflects back on Ratermann’s growth, “It is hard to believe we are 20 years old. The only way this was able to happen is from the relationships and support of our great customers and the dedication from our employees that…

Hydrostat, Inc. was founded by Stacy Schraut in 1999 with three employees, a straight truck and approximately 7,000 sq. ft. of leased warehouse space. “The original employees were invaluable in the startup, as was the mentoring I received from my former employers, partners and the support of my family,” says Schraut. From the very beginning, Hydrostat has been careful to make sure that it has maintained a manageable growth plan. In the last two decades, the company has grown through expanding its territory and diversification. In 2008, Hydrostat expanded into an adjacent building, adding 20,000 sq. ft. of space to…

The Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative (IWDC) was officially formed on January 1, 1994. However, the IWDC’s story goes back much further than that, to the formation of the Independent Welding Distributors Association, which was formed in 1948. The I.W.D.A. was a buying group which, by the early 1980’s, became the largest unified welding distributor organization in the western United States, Mexico and Canada. At the 1992 annual meeting, the main topic focused on defining what I.W.D.A. needed to do to be most effective for its Members. A steering committee reported on the concept of forming a “Cooperative,” and a unanimous…

Trendex Inc. was started by Soumitra Mukherjee in 1984. Within a few months of the company’s founding, Soumitra’s brother, Bob Mukherjee, joined the company and the two began developing software for the wholesale distribution industry. Shortly afterwards, in 1985, they were asked to develop a system for the welding industry by several welding supply distributors who knew Soumitra. They decided to develop the software for the welding industry also. Unfortunately, in 1991, Bob passed away in a car accident. “We were just starting to expand into the U.S. with our software for the welding industry, Gastrend, and had to put that on hold…

Revco Industries was started in 1974 by Mitchell Chu.  C. Edward Chu, Mitchell’s brother, joined the company more than 39 years ago. In January 2017, Steve Hwang was named president of Revco Industries, with Ed Chu becoming CEO and chairman of the board.  “Steve has made numerous positive contributions and is a respected leader within the organization,” Ed Chu said at the time.  “With Steve as president, along with our experienced management team, Revco is ready to face all challenges and changes in our current business environment.” Also in 2017, Revco Industries announced that it would be doing business going…

Veite Cryogenic Equipment and Service was founded by Harry and Jim Veite in 1969. The company, formerly known as Cryogenic Equipment and Service, serves the U.S., Mexico and Canada from its 14,000 sq. ft. facility in North Ridgeville, Ohio. In 1969, distributors would typically lease fill plant equipment from their gas suppliers. Because of this, there was no incentive to upgrade equipment and no competitive element to gas pricing. The Veite brothers demonstrated to distributors how to increase profits by installing modern filling systems and the benefits that came from owning their own equipment rather than leasing it. That commitment…

The history of Saf-T-Cart can be traced back to April 1, 1969, when Jimmy Walker, Sr. opened Walker Welders in Clarksdale, Mississippi. While Walker Welders grew and expanded, Walker saw a need in the industry for a self-contained oxy/acetylene unit with the gauges completely enclosed. However, Walker was unable to find manufacturers to produce the cart, so he decided to buy used equipment from local auctions and build them himself. With that, in 1986, Saf-T-Cart was born. “Saf-T-Cart really grew out of Walker Welders,” says Jim Herring, vice president of Saf-T-Cart. “Part of the reason for it was that the…

Vern Lewis Welding Supply Inc. was founded in 1969 by Vernon F. Lewis. Prior to opening the company, Lewis served as a district manager for Forney Industries. The company began with Vern selling welders and Lincoln welding rods to farmers and welders in Avondale, Arizona and the surrounding west valley. He later added a business associate, Ron Ruch Sr.  Ruch Sr. has since started his own welding supply distribution business, but Vern and Ron remain close associates after all this time. From a store front in Avondale and a warehouse in Phoenix, Vern Lewis Welding Supply has since expanded to seven Arizona…

While Red Ball Oxygen technically incorporated in 1930, it didn’t begin to resemble the modern company until 1969, when Craig and Lorena Kennedy purchased the company. At the time, Red Ball Battery and Oxygen was a National Cylinder Gas distributor that focused on automotive batteries and tires. The Kennedys set about building an entirely new kind of distributorship with welding and expanded cylinder gas capabilities. Fifty years later, the second and third generation of the Kennedy family now run the distributorship, which has grown into a regional industrial gas and welding supply powerhouse. “I’m standing on the shoulders of what…