Year: 2021

Haun Welding Supply has opened two new stores in Connecticut and New Hampshire! In Danbury, CT the new location is in conjunction with an acquisition of Perfect Solutions, LLC. The Derry, NH location will help our customers get better service in Southeast NH. Please visit the new locations at: 50 Mill Plain Rd Danbury, CT 06811 8 Tinkham Ave Unit D Derry, NH 03038

By Brian McLaughlin As a GAWDA Member, you have access to the GAWDA Group Life Insurance program through MetLife and can take advantage of an offering that has averaged over a 10% dividend for more than 50 years! This dividend eligibility is not available with the typical single employer plan. History indicates that many employees have no other life insurance. The employer paid Group Plan may be their only family security. The enhanced GAWDA Life Insurance Program offers: Triple Indemnity for Occupational Death & Dismemberment No Charge for $10,000 spouse insurance, and $5,000 child insurance Eligibility for “good claim experience”…

Members of GAWDA’s Member Services Committee Discuss the Biggest Member Benefits of GAWDA The following is an excerpt from the June 1 episode of GAWDA TV. Watch the episode here: For the June 1 Episode of GAWDA TV, we had the opportunity to speak with members of GAWDA’s Member Services Committee to discuss the biggest benefits that come with GAWDA membership. Aside from the networking and education that take place at the SMC, Annual Convention, and Regional Meetings, membership in GAWDA comes with a whole host of other benefits. So, whether you are looking to take more advantage of your GAWDA…

CGA Helps Provide an Essential Safety Foundation First launched in 2011, the partnership between GAWDA and the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) provides participating GAWDA distributor members with complimentary access to CGA’s electronic safety publication library, enabling one employee per company location to gain free access to CGA’s library of over 350 electronic publications for a total value of more than $19,000 per user. For Ben Polavin, Safety and Compliance Officer with GAWDA member Purity Cylinder Gases, that’s the most valuable benefit of the program. “I’m on the CGA website just about every week. Without their publications library, it would be…

As summer approaches and the use of BBQ grills increases, we need to be mindful of the dangers propane can introduce when not properly filled, transported, and stored. This article is an overview of propane filling, transportation and storage and in-depth training should be conducted for all three topics. The greatest hazard of propane during the summer months is if liquid propane is vented into the atmosphere, it will vaporize into gas and expand to 270 times the volume. Propane gas is colorless, heavier than air and will pool in low places; if a source of ignition comes into contact…

What are the things that I need to do to hire a driver? How fast can I put a new driver on the road? What items do I need to have in my hands before letting a driver go out on the road? What should I look for on the motor violation records when deciding to hire a driver? What minimums should I have for hiring a driver? These are some of the questions that I get when someone is trying to put on a new driver. The following guidance assumes that you want a driver for loads requiring placards.…

How GAWDA consultants can help GAWDA members avoid costly mistakes By Tom Badstubner, Marilyn Dempsey, Michael Dodd, Rick Schweitzer and Steve Guglielmo The GAWDA Consultant Program is a GAWDA Member Benefit that is included as part of your annual dues to the association. It is consistently rated as one of the most valuable member benefits that GAWDA provides. Between the four to them, GAWDA’s Consultants bring more than 100 years of industry-specific experience to the association. For this issue, we spoke to the Consultants about specific examples of times where they were able to help GAWDA members save money and…

The American Welding Society is gearing up for FABTECH 2021 and is looking forward to reconnecting to the welding industry. And for those who can’t make it to Chicago, AWS is offering a variety of its favorite programs online. “While the world is returning to live events and AWS is busy preparing to have one of our best FABTECH shows ever, we understand that many individuals may not be able to make it to Chicago,” said Dr. Pedro Cevallos, Head of Business Development for Educational Services. “As such, AWS is planning to bring some of the events that occur at…

F&M MAFCO, a leading international supplier of tools and equipment rental, sales, and service programs, announced a strategic partnership with OptiCrib, LLC to provide high-tech inventory management solutions to its NextSTEP and StrikeForce tool management programs. OptiCrib is a completely automated inventory management system for a company’s storeroom, warehouse, outdoor trailer, or supply closet that uses machine learning algorithms, computer vision cameras, and other proprietary sensors to track every item taken from its shelves. This transformative technology allows employees to “grab and go.” There is no scanning, no entering item numbers, no written forms, no RFID tags, and no direct…

Butler Gas Products appeared on the television show “World’s Greatest!…” on Bloomberg TV. View the Butler Gas Segment below:

Minneapolis Oxygen was founded in 1946 by Henry Sahley. Henry was a former salesperson for National Cylinder Gas who decided to venture out on his own with one location and three employees. At the same time that Henry was getting Minneapolis Oxygen off the ground, about 100 miles south, Sid Falconer was beginning his career at Huber Welding Supply in Iowa. Eventually, Sid decided to move to Minneapolis, so, after a brief detour at a propane company in the Twin Cities, Sid eventually began to work with Henry Sahley and Minneapolis Oxygen. Three generations later, the Falconers are still involved…

Tulsa Gas & Gear was founded ten years ago, “with the idea of providing customers with high quality products and outstanding service at a competitive price.” The company’s founders, Steve Stobaugh, Lloyd Hyle, Johnny Stamps, Don Stobaugh, John Scott, Scott Row, and John Wallace had worked in the welding supply business and decided to stake out on their own. “We started with an empty building and no guarantee of any vendors or customers following us,” says Managing Member Steve Stobaugh. “Over time, TGG has earned a reputation for being the premier full-service welding supplier in the Tulsa area. Our service…

Alfred Boehm began his career in 1976 as a research chemist for Messer Griesheim Industries in Germany. In 1991, Boehm was relocated to the United States to continue his research and development in various areas of specialty gas, including internal cylinder treatment for reactive gases. “After spending 25 years with Messer Griesheim, it was time to move and explore a new chapter of the American dream,” Boehm says. “Specgas, Inc. was opened in 2001 by me and my son, Marco Boehm. Given the economic hardships of that year, it was a bold move to start a small specialty gas company.…

O2 Plus was started in 1996 by two brothers. Rodger Miles was a pharmacist who began the company with his brother, Harold Miles, who owned a heavy equipment rental company at the time. Company President Shane Miles, Rodger’s grandson, joined the company in 1998 while he was attending college. “I joined the company by accident,” Shane says. “I was in college, and I had a CDL from having worked for my uncle.” Eight years after joining the company by accident, Shane became President of O2 Plus in 2006. The company has since grown by adding a second branch in 2011…

Weld Plus was founded in 1991 by Jack Schroeder and Paul Rensing in the basement of Jack’s home. The company set out as a welding gas and consumable supplier offering “same day delivery” to their customer base. This meant hand delivering day or night to keep their promise and win the loyalty of their customers, most of whom are still with the company today! Throughout the years Weld Plus has adapted to sell, rent, service and refurbish new and used welding equipment. In 2001, after 10 years in business and three locations later, a new 44,000 square foot warehouse and…

In 1990, Tim Robb, President of Torco Supply Co., Inc. was attending Shippensburg University and serving in the Navy Seabees as a reservist. His unit was set to be activated for Desert Storm, so Robb took a leave of absence from school for the fall semester, when his deployment was canceled. However, Tim’s father, Tom Robb, who was working as a Certainium Alloys representative and was a Navy Corpsman Chief in the Reserves, was activated to go to Norway to take the place of a unit that was heading to Desert Storm. “My father was going to be gone for…

Complete Welders Supply was founded in Sonoma in 1991 by Mike and Melissa Kowaleski with Carl Watkins and a few dedicated employees. Together, the group built the company and expanded it services and expanded to the company’s Napa location that today serves as Complete Welders Supply’s headquarters. “It was the focus on building relationships and meeting the customers’ needs that propelled us to our future success,” says President and Owner Mike Kowaleski. “We have been able to grow by developing quality relationships and providing the services that our customers need to be successful in their business. We focus our efforts…