Year: 2020

WestAir Gases & Equipment provides industrial and specialty gases and welding supplies to a wide variety of businesses throughout the southwest and beyond. It has a deep background of combining high quality gases with unmatched customer service since its founding in 1970. The acquisition of Desert Fountain’s assets will further strengthen the company’s capacity to serve customers, new and old, throughout the region. “We’re thrilled about our recent acquisition of Desert Fountain.” said WestAir General Manager, Andy Castiglione. “This new location will not only empower us to provide more and better services to our customers in the Coachella Valley, but…

Holston Gases, Inc. announced that it has opened new distribution facilities in Huntsville, AL and Owensboro, KY. Holston Gases president Robert Anders said, “We are very excited about expanding further into Alabama and Kentucky. Our new store located at 1104 Putman Drive NW, Huntsville, AL 35816 will allow us to better serve the rapidly expanding North Alabama economy. The new Owensboro, KY store located at 7549 Iceland Rd, Maceo, KY 42355 now allows us to distribute product throughout the entire state of KY and southern Indiana. We look forward to being a part of Owensboro’s expanding business community.” Holston Gases…

Chemical Safety Board Issues Final Rule on Release Reporting.  Just two months after issuing a proposed rule, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board has published a final rule for reporting of accidental releases of a regulated substance or other extremely hazardous substances into the ambient air from a stationary source. The rule includes releases of petroleum products, including biofuels. Stationary sources would exclude trucks or other motor vehicles. The CSB estimates that 200 releases per year will be subject to its new reporting requirements. The rule creates a new Part 1604 of title 40 CFR.  It requires reporting any accidental release from a…

A few years ago, my digital marketing agency audited the internet marketing programs of over 175 distributors and manufacturers and found that only 3.4% had a marketing plan. That’s not to say the companies without a plan weren’t spending money on marketing. Rather, they were letting marketing happen instead of creating a list of objectives, dedicating the necessary resources (internal labor, vendor support and advertising dollars) and establishing a system of measurement to allow for an assessment of progress toward specific goals. As you might imagine, that’s not a great situation. For those committed to taking digital marketing seriously, you’ll…

End User Safety Communications For the first 100 years of the Compressed Gas Association’s history, our members’ products were used almost exclusively in heavy industry – steelmaking, chemical production, food freezing – as well as in medical gas applications. But, in recent years, we have seen a growing number of these products used in applications that are either very close to, or at the consumer level: from retail shops selling liquid nitrogen ice cream, to marijuana processing for CBD oil extraction, to patients’ in-home use of medical oxygen. While we can’t tell individuals how to use our products for specific…

Congress, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have all been active in considering the regulation of products containing cannabidiol (CBD). Drivers of commercial motor vehicles, and their employers, should not assume that these products are legal, safe or harmless, however. In the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress removed hemp (defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC) from the list of Schedule I controlled substances and made it an ordinary agricultural commodity. The recently passed 2020 Agriculture Appropriations Bill gave the FDA $2 million for research, policy evaluation, market surveillance and issuance of…

One of the largest trends in American consumerism is the rise in direct to doorstep food delivery services. Companies like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh are popular meal kit services and now even Amazon is promising two-hour grocery delivery. As Americans get busier and the “Amazon Effect” continues to take hold, more and more we’ve grown accustomed to being able to get goods brought directly to our home at the click of a button without ever having to leave the couch. According to Statista, the fresh-food meal kit industry was valued at $4.65 billion in 2017. By 2022, it’s projected…

AWISCO is excited to ring in the New Year with a brand new website! The company’s redesigned website now includes product information, the history of AWISCO, and lots of photos of the AWISCO team. Visit awisco.com for more information. Other February 1 Connection News and New Products: In Memoriam: Linda J. Rosenthal Next Century Growth: New Automated Fill Plant – KEEN Compressed Gas Bug-O Systems Adds G&E Welding Supply As Distributor Ketvertes named new Marketing Manager at Western Enterprises Harris Products Group Helps Grayson County Students with Brazing and Soldering Skills Training Airco Gases/Big 3 Gas and Supply Announce First…

Big 3 Southwest, LLC., the Texas operating company of Big 3 Gas and Supply, has hired Craig Hartberger as their Chief Operating Officer.  In this role, Craig will help the company develop and implement processes and business structures that facilitate market share growth and financial performance. Marvin Rodgers, III, president of Airco Gases and the Big 3 Subsidiaries stated, “ Craig was a key performer when he worked with me at Alliance, and when he became a redundancy in the Airgas/Techair integration, I knew I would want him to have a role in any of my future efforts. I am…

The future need for qualified HVACR techs is outpacing the demand for other skilled trades. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for skilled HVACR technicians is projected to grow 13 percent from 2018 to 2028. While this is a big concern for the industry, the good news is that many school districts are seeking to help fill this gap by provided hands-on vocational learning for their students. One such school district lies in Grayson County, Virginia, in the southwestern part of the state. A small community surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, Grayson County High…