City Welding Sales & Service
John Coffey opened City Welding Sales & Service in October 1958. 65 years later, the company continues to operate as a family business. John’s son, Shawn Coffey, has run the business since 1980.
The company officially opened in 1958 but its roots go back much further, to John’s grandfather, John C. Ardagh. After enlisting in the U.S. Army at the age of 16 to fight in World War 1, John returned to the states and, in 1919, had the opportunity to learn the relatively new phenomenon of arc welding. He worked at it until he became an expert in the field and was eventually hired as a sales trainee for Lincoln Electric, where he eventually became a Chicago-area sales rep for the company.
In 1948, John went to work for a Lincoln Electric distributor named Johnson Electric, where John Coffey eventually joined him as a salesman trainee. In 1955, the two began a company called Ardagh Welding Supply. Eventually, John Coffey left the company and started City Welding Sales & Service in Morton Grove, Illinois.
Shawn Coffey became president in 1980 and continues to run the company today.
“Today, I run City Welding with a great staff,” Shawn says. “We enjoy our customers and always welcome new ones. Our expertise is your asset. You’ll enjoy doing business with us!”
Congratulations to all GAWDA members celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2023.
GAWDA members represent the best-of-the-best companies in the gases and welding industries. Each year in the Summer issue, we recognize those GAWDA Members celebrating milestone anniversaries. In the Q3 issue’s President’s Column, GAWDA President Robert Anders explored the three C’s of longevity. We want to add a fourth C for this column: Congratulations to all those GAWDA members celebrating anniversaries this year! And if you have a milestone anniversary coming up in 2024 and would like to be featured in this column next year, please reach out today at [email protected]
