Year: 2021

The AWS Foundation offers four National Educator Scholarships, ranging from $2,500 – $4,500. ➡ Deadline is April 1st, apply today! https://t.co/TfjbsiaCnF 🔹#americanweldingsociety #weldingisAWSome #welding #welder #stem #scholarship pic.twitter.com/mKoIPBTZRR — AWS.org (@AWSHQ) March 3, 2021

F&M MAFCO, a leading international supplier of tools and equipment rental, sales, and service programs, announced the opening of an expansive facility in Kansas City, Missouri. This recent opening comes three months after the opening of its Evansville, Indiana facility. According to Tim Fries, COO of F&M MAFCO, “We are very excited about the opening of our Kansas City facility. It gives us an important foothold in the region as we grow our strategic tool management programs across both our current and prospective customer bases.” He added, “Both our StrikeForce and NEXT S.T.E.P. complete tool management outsourcing programs continue to…

Holston Gases is proud to announce the ground-breaking of a $3,000,000 construction project at its Kentucky region headquarter in Louisville, KY. Holston will be expanding its current site by building a Welcoa-designed fully automated cylinder fill plant. This project will double the size of the current facility while significantly increasing its specialty gas capabilities. The new facility will improve Holston’s capabilities to service its current customers across its 10 Kentucky locations while allowing for future growth and expansion into the lower Midwest. 

There is good news on the horizon and companies find themselves gearing up to bring back employees and hire additional staff. As the vaccines for COVID-19 are approved and people are immunized, we look forward to getting back to work on a broader scale. The pandemic, however, has left a lot of upheaval in its wake. I recently spoke to a newly appointed VP of Sales who said his first challenge was to replace 4 of the 6 regional sales managers at his company. Imagine the cost and emotional impact of such a dramatic transition. It is expensive to find…

I have had the opportunity to travel all over the country during my 50 years in the welding supply business. And I consider myself fortunate to have seen just about every kind of leader/boss you could possibly imagine. I have seen some extraordinary leaders, the kind that people want to run through walls for, and I have also seen my fair share of bad leaders, as well. You can usually tell the quality of a leader without even having to meet them. You can tell within minutes of walking through the door. Are the employees courteous, upbeat and generally happy…

By Jay Spielvogel, Venator Sales Group, LLC “The greatest sales call our new reps make is on us during the interview. Everything goes down-hill once we hire them.” “At best, our new salespeople are glorified pre-sales relationship managers. They deliver quotes and proposals without any qualifying or critical thinking.” Unfortunately, these are all too common complaints we hear from sales managers across the globe. In truth, very rarely is the interview a “great” sales call on the part of the sales rep. More likely, it was simply the culmination of a “bad” buying process, where we end up getting exactly…

Throughout the pandemic, some companies have thrived, while others have struggled; but one thing is certain, the case for a better user experience has been given a shot in the arm. Outside sales teams have become inside sales teams; and customers that continue to work remote will help to keep it that way. Whether or not it’s logical that your business transact online, prospects expect to find the information they need on your website – without your help. The ability to advance the sales process toward, and perhaps including, completing an online transaction is now a requirement. People Want E-commerce/Online…

By Mike Marks, Indian River Consulting Group As the global pandemic marches on, small business owners might be looking at their 2020 business plan and wondering if it’s even worth putting a plan together for 2021. It’s tempting for business owners to want to stay light on their feet and be ready to pivot as things change. But companies that are accountable to shareholders can’t get away with that. Shareholders need to know what to expect and understand the risks they face in 2021. Despite the uncertainty of the markets, uncertain supply chains, massive changes in customer sourcing behaviors, and…

By Steve Guglielmo and Brian Beaulieu GAWDA Chief Economist Brian Beaulieu is renowned throughout GAWDA for his clear-eyed forecasting and straightforward presentation. As CEO of ITR Economics, his track record for forecasting our industry is unmatched. At GAWDA Conventions and SMCs, his presentations are widely anticipated and GAWDA members have spoken at length about how they use the reports from ITR Economics in their own company projections. Throughout this year, which will come to be remembered for the havoc that COVID wreaked on our economy, Brian and his team have said at every turn that our businesses would recover quickly.…

By John Campbell and Maura Garvey We all experienced hardship and some real loss during 2020 with COVID-19. However, our industrial gas business pitched in to the treatment of COVID with strenuous efforts by providing significantly increased O2 to hospitals during the surges in cases and hospitalizations. That additional O2 assisted in treatment of the terrible patient breathing affliction with increases in O2 respiratory therapy and with higher volumes softening the very difficult intubation procedures. That O2 service will continue with the second surge well into 2021. In mid-December, the fast development of the first COVD vaccines by Pfizer-bioNTech (Pfizer)…

In response to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) continues to shift how we operate. We are committed to meeting our members where they are in this moment – whether they’re working from home, in the office, on the road, or on the manufacturing floor. As we move into 2021, we will continue to focus on providing industry leadership in support of our safety mission, while adopting new ways to effectively get our work done and best serve our members, our valued partners including GAWDA, and the compressed gas industry as a whole. The…

By Gary Konarska, Executive Director and CEO of the American Welding Society (AWS) During times of crisis, good business leaders control the factors they can, adapt readily and plan for life post-crisis. Our industry successfully controlled its destiny by ensuring that welding, cutting and related companies were deemed “essential businesses.” As a result, comparatively more workers retained their jobs. One might think the pandemic temporarily alleviated the shortage of skilled welders, but it actually exacerbated it in many instances, such as when one person testing positive required an entire department to self-isolate. Lack of a stable workforce has hindered organizations…

FMCSA Extends CDL, CLP, Medical Card Waiver Through May 31 – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended its waiver of requirements for renewal of Commercial Driver Licenses, Commercial Learner’s Permits and Medical Certificates through May 31 due to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency.    The waiver permits, but does not require, States to extend the validity of CDLs due for renewal on or after March 1, 2020 beyond the 8-year maximum period of validity set forth in 49CFR 383.73(b)(9) and 383.73(d)(6). Under this waiver, States have the discretion to determine whether, due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, there…

The following are responses from GAWDA suppliers across North America about what they expect to see in 2021. To see video interviews for those suppliers who participated, visit the GAWDA Media channel on YouTube or check buyersguide.gawdamedia.com to see individual company responses with embedded videos. Thank you so much to all who participated! Weldcoa expects sales to be up in 2021. “The disruptions that occurred this year didn’t cancel any projects. It put them on hold,” says President and Co-Owner Hector Villarreal. “In fact, it sped some of them up. But ultimately, I think a lot of projects that were…

Vern Lewis Welding Supply was featured in The Standard Newspaper’s business spotlight recognizing the welding competition that it collaborated on with the River Valley High School. The article, which can be read in the Facebook posts below, highlights not only the event, but who Vern Lewis is as a company and the purpose of the competition, which was to encourage and support young people interested in welding. Congratulations to Vern Lewis!

Oxygen Service Company was recognized by ABB Robotics with its Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the 2020 ABB Robotics Americas Value Provider Awards. According to the ABB website: ABB Robotics Value Provider conferences are one of the most important events on our calendar every year and specifically designed to bring together the key players in your business to share knowledge, experience, and insights regarding current and emerging robotics technologies, best practices, and industry trends. One important VPC tradition is recognizing our partners who made an extraordinary contribution at a gala awards ceremony. This year we are virtually meeting and…

GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of David Jordan, nexAir’s Productivity and Gas Specialist Manager based in Birmingham, who passed away at the end of 2020. David had been a valued and beloved employee since joining nexAir in 2007 as a Territory Manager in the Birmingham area. David later transitioned to a role as a Gas Specialist, supporting Territory Managers by evaluating customers’ gas modes and offering solutions for increased efficiency and cost savings. He was promoted to Manager of the Productivity and Gas Specialist teams in 2019.  David played a key role in so many initiatives…

GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of former NWSA President John C. Beringer, Sr., who passed away on February 5, 2021. His obituary was published in the Naples Daily News, and can be read in full below: John Clifford Beringer, 89, of Akron, Ohio and Naples, Florida, passed away peacefully in his home in Naples on February 5, 2021 surrounded by his 10 children and the love of his life, Nancy. One of seven children, John was born to Charles and Kathryn (Loftus) Beringer in Akron. He attended St. Sebastian Parish School followed by Campion High School…

nexAir Opened a new facility in Panama City, Florida. The location is located at 2336 Industrial Drive, Panama City, FL. 32405. The company made the announcement on its LinkedIn page. Click here for more information and to see pictures of the new facility.

American Welding & Gas announced the promotion of Ronald “Ron” Felton to VP Sales – Southeast Region. Ron joined AWG in June 2020 as a Territory Manager located in Columbia, SC, focusing his efforts on expanding AWG’s customer base. Ron brings 30+ years of industry and sales experience including bulk/cylinder gases to the role. In his new role, Ron will lead a team of Territory Managers within the Southeast Region to effectively generate profit growth in the region and assist in the development and implementation of training and professional development for the regional sales team. Previously, Ron served as Newington,…