Year: 2022

According to an article from the IWDC: The Cryo Group, LLC was recently formed after the principles of VS Carbonics, Inc., Florida’s largest distributor of liquid nitrogen, acquired the assets of InCryo Systems, Inc creating InCryo LLC, and Cryo Asset Management, LLC. This monumental acquisition makes The Cryo Group, LLC, the first vertically integrated cryogenic solutions provider in the Southeastern United States. CEO Diosdado Vazquez’ vision is to develop The Cryo Group into the country’s leading cryogenic solutions provider by making it easier and less complicated to do cryogenic business. The Cryo Group offers cryogenic solutions to a diverse portfolio…

According to an article from Modern Distribution Management, Linde Gas & Equipment has agreed to acquire Memphis, Tennessee-based nexAir, according to a report from Memphis-based news outlet The Daily Memphian. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition is expected to close later this year pending approval from the Federal Trade Commission and Linde’s board of directors, according to the report. Bill Proctor, nexAir president, said he didn’t expect the deal to result in layoffs because “Linde doesn’t have a strong presence in the region,” according to the report. NexAir CEO Kevin McEniry, however, told The Daily Memphian he will…

AWG announced that it is pleased to welcome the team from the industrial gas portion of F&M Mafco, Inc. to American Welding & Gas, Inc. (“AWG”).  AWG is one of the nation’s largest independently owned producer and distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases. F&M MAFCO, Inc. (“F&M”) provides site services internationally for capital construction projects including tooling, equipment, tool management rental, sales and service. “Today we are pleased to welcome the teammates and customers of F&M MAFCO’s industrial gas business in Harrison, OH to our AWG team.  Since 1945, F&M has provided an extensive array of products and services…

GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Joseph H. Abrams, who passed away on Sunday, September 25th.  Joe was a leader in the Industrial Gas industry, and LifeGuard Technologies, as you know it today, would not exist without his ingenuity and dedication to making a safer industry for all. Joe’s contribution to our industry-first began with Joe’s work in cryogenics in 1958, and today the LifeGuard Safety Hoses have become a standard worldwide in all industries and applications. In 1986, Joe owned and sold one of the largest industrial gas companies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Woodland…

GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Lawrence “Larry” Vogel, who passed away peacefully at the age of 79. Larry worked for Norris Cylinder for 35 years until his retirement in 2014. Read his full obituary below: Lawrence “Larry” Vogel, age 79, died peacefully at home in North Plainfield, NJ with his family by his side. He had lived in North Plainfield for 48 years. Born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, he graduated from St. Albans High School and continued his education at Western Kentucky University, where he received his BA in Business Administration and Marketing.…

By Mike Marks, Indian River Consulting Group Employees don’t want to be worker bees – they want to feel like they are part of something important. Great leadership and communication play key roles in employee engagement. Although many top executives love to talk about their “open-door” communication policies, how many follow through?  According to one Gartner survey, only 13% of employees are completely satisfied with their workplace experience. In addition, McKinsey & Company also found that a third of employees who recently left a job quit because they didn’t have caring leaders. Another third left due to a lack of career development and advancement…

By Randy Squibb This year’s GAWDA Annual Convention theme of “Building a Bridge for Future Leaders” couldn’t come at a more opportune time for our association. I want to commend this year’s President Bob Ewing for crafting such an appropriate theme for our Convention. Even though many of our GAWDA members today are third or sometimes even fourth generation family-owned businesses, transitioning a business today is a different beast than it was 30, 40, or even 50 years ago. The industry has changed so much since then that what worked for the last transition won’t work exactly the same when…

Networking. It’s an art, it’s a skill, and it’s essential for high level success. You can be the best of the best at your trade but where does that lead if you don’t find ways to connect and expand to new areas for growth? Be your best self, elevate your brand and create the path to bigger successes. You could consider networking as your business agent, there to support you in winning new customers and expanding your boundaries to new levels. And there are plenty of personal growth benefits. Learning new technologies, making new friends and solving new problems, to…

Proverbs 11:14 — “Where there is no guidance, the people fall, but, in abundance of counselors, there is victory.”  I find these words inspiring. The periods of greatest growth in my own career have occurred while I have been under the guidance of wise, mature leaders. Today, I work as a mentor to the owners of mid-sized distributorships, guiding the next generation of leaders to success. The people I work with appreciate that my counsel is borne out of years of experience in the distribution industry.  The objective of a mentoring program is to pass on the skills and knowledge…

By Paul Bernier, ASP One of the more common safety items we see in almost all construction images is a worker wearing a hard hat. This is because they are required by OSHA in every setting where an object might fall from above onto a worker’s head, anytime there is a potential for a worker to bump their head against a fixed object, such as pipes and beams, and if there is a possibility of head contact with an electrical hazard. So, this obviously includes a huge portion of our industrial customers. Now comes the question on whether you want…

by Thomas J. Armitage, site-seeker, inc. If your business has a physical storefront, there’s a huge opportunity to get in front of more buyers by leveraging your digital properties. You’ve probably noticed by now, Google’s algorithm and its approach to search have changed dramatically over the years. It’s gotten smarter and a lot more sophisticated. For local businesses, that means being able to be found more often by users, but only if positioned properly. That’s why it’s important to think through your business’s approach to local search engine optimization (SEO) and how you can be found more often for relevant…

By Ken Thompson What is the common thread in mentoring our family-owned business successors  and responding to forces seeking their disintermediation from the supply chain? Disintermediation – what a mouth full of syllables – and, once we get it past the lips, do we know what it means? You bet! It means someone wants to remove you  from your place in the supply chain and take your piece of the pie for themselves. Sound like “fighting words” to you? Disruption comes in many flavors. And every time a new one surfaces, it forces us to look at ourselves in the…

by Randy MacLean, President of WayPoint Analytics I’m not kidding. If you’re at the top of your company (or your department), your very job is all about change. That’s the principle functional difference between leaders and those who are led – leaders are responsible for finding new and better directions and guiding their teams to better results.  It’s your job If you look around your organization and you see policies and processes that haven’t changed in years, you need to worry. If the consensus is you’re “under margin pressure” and “customer loyalty” has evaporated, those are warning bells alerting you…

“My greatest strength is creating relationships.” “My customers buy from me because they trust me.” “I am in sales because I love building relationships.” Sound familiar? Relationship selling will always be a critical capability; after all, people buy from people. In fact, most salespeople would define their relationship skills as their most valued asset; even more important than their hunting, qualifying, and closing. When asked on a job interview, the most common response to interview questions about sales capability would be one of the answers above. Take it one step further and relationship selling has become a common excuse for…

Maine Oxy has been in business since 1929. Originally ran by the Albiston Family and was then purchased by Dan Guerin and Bryan Gentry in October of 2012. As of October 1st, 2022, Dan Guerin will be retiring as President but will remain on the board as Maine Oxy will be transitioning into the next phase of our history.  William Gentry will become the President of Maine Oxy. Kelly Gentry is continuing her role as the Head of the Human Resources department. Jason Gentry will oversee the real estate group including Maine Oxy, GFR and GGR. Chris Campbell is continuing…

In a post on the company’s LinkedIn page, Cameron Welding Supply announced the grand opening of its new Los Angeles Store. The new LA store is located at 5221 Telegraph Road, Los Angeles, California, 90022.

Jim joined the Butler Gas Family last summer, immediately contributing nearly two decades of industry experience to the leadership team. Focusing in technical sales and operations, Jim quickly assimilated to the anti-silos culture of the 74-year-old family-owned-and-operated business that believes sales and operations belong together. Jim joins the executive lineup of Vice Presidents Sandy Gobrish and Ben Black. “When we returned from our annual planning retreat,” shared Butler Gas President and CEO Abydee Butler Moore in an internal company announcement. “It became unmistakably clear that our high expectations in distribution excellence and specialty gas growth are deserving of a dedicated strategic champion. Jim’s passion…

Toll Company announced that Karen Rodning passed away on September 20th. Karen worked for Toll Company for over 40 years. The company posted on LinkedIn: It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you of the death of our colleague and most importantly friend, Karen Rodning, who passed away on Tuesday Sept. 20th. Karen proudly served the customers here at Toll for over 40 years. Her customers became friends and she will be missed by all. Karen’s passing leaves a big hole in all our hearts. A memorial service for Karen will be held October 20, at…