Author: GAWDA MEDIA
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an incredibly trying time for our nation and our industry. Though many GAWDA members remained open in some capacity throughout the crisis as “essential businesses,” there isn’t a single person or company who hasn’t been affected in one way or another. Even the association has been impacted, as the difficult decision was made to cancel the Spring Management Conference as well as all 2020 Regional Meetings in an effort to keep members safe. Through it all, GAWDA members have been there to lend a hand to those in need during the crisis. The following are…
How COVID-19 has impacted GAWDA members and what will need to be done as businesses reopen. By Steve Guglielmo, Tom Badstubner, Marilyn Dempsey, Michael Dodd and Rick Schweitzer By the time that this issue hits your desk, it might feel like the COVID-19 pandemic has lasted forever. It may even be that the economy in your state has largely reopened. But the fallout from this crisis will last far beyond the initial lockdown and reopening. And, though businesses may have returned to some semblance of normalcy, the virus has not been eradicated. We may deal with a “second wave” or,…
A-L Compressed Gases of Spokane A-L Compressed Gases of Spokane is celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2020. The company was founded in 1990 by Shan and Barbara Bush. The company began when Air Liquide divested its retail hardgoods and small cylinder business and established the ALNET distributor network. Shan Bush had held several positions with Air Liquide throughout the 80s and decided to go into business for himself. “A-L Compressed Gases has grown through the hard work and dedication of all of our employees, both past and present,” says President Brady Bush. “This includes Ken Wilson, our longest tenured employee.…
EQUIGAS EQUIGAS was founded 35 years ago in Venezuela by Antonio Arvelo. Antonio was working in the Lubricant and LP-Gas distribution business when he identified the need for a more reliable equipment distributorship. He founded EQUIGAS as a way to help provide that reliable equipment to the industry. As time went on, Antonio added a separate division devoted to service, delivery, technical training and engineering projects. Rafael Arvelo joined the company in 1990, at the age of 20, as a sales representative. At the time, it was just his father, Antonio, a secretary and Rafael. Rafael worked his way up…
Worthington Industries Worthington Industries is celebrating its 65th Anniversary in 2020. The company came from humble beginnings. Founder John McConnell saw an opportunity for custom-processed steel and purchased his first load of steel by borrowing $600 against his 1952 Oldsmobile, and then used that money to start Worthington Industries in Columbus, Ohio. Today, Worthington is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: WOR). But from its humble beginnings through its continued run of success, Worthington has always operated on the Golden Rule. Its mission statement says, “We treat our employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders as we would like to…
Mathey Dearman, Inc. When Mathey was established in 1935 by Frank Mathey, the company not only did pipe beveling machines, but also wireline units and measuring tools that would be used in the drilling and exploration of well sites. The company prides itself on being the world’s foremost authority on preparing pipe for joining together by welding. Mathey was a family-owned business until 1985, when it was purchased. However, the company still operates as a family-style business. In 1997, the company purchased Dearman Products, becoming Mathey Dearman and expanding its portfolio to include the clamping and fit up of pipe.…
Generant Company Generant was founded in 1930 by Albert Simon, an engineer and business owner. He started the company with a line of needle valves, filters, lubricators and pressure regulators. Generant held the original patent on the Air Pressure Regulator and began to assemble and market these products to industry. In 1966, Albert retired and sold the business to his accountant, Paul Buren. In 1968, Buren acquired Generant’s largest supplier, Reliable Screw Machine Products. Reliable was a job shop screw machine company. Then, in 1972, the company further expanded the Screw Machine business with the acquisition of Automatic Screw Machine…
AGL Welding Supply Company AGL Welding Supply Company (Clifton, New Jersey) is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2020. The company can trace its roots all the way back to a 1920 business called William Rudolph Company in Paterson, New Jersey. William Rudolph was eventually merged into AGL which is an abbreviation for “Auto Gas Light,” harkening back to the days when the company supplied acetylene gas to light the head lamps for automobiles. In 1958, AGL was acquired by Bud Fenelon, along with his brothers, Tom and Bill, and brother-in-law Joe Brancato. The industry was not new to the Fenelons.…
105 Years CPV Manufacturing The CPV story is built on the enterprise of a farmer turned machinist – whose tradition of quality and craftsmanship remains the cornerstone in meeting the challenges of modern technology. In 1915, Isaiah G. Engle, a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer who had become a skilled machinist, started his own one-man business – manufacturing replacement valves for steam-driven reciprocating pumps. When centrifugal pumps came on stream, CPV pump valves were encased and transformed into silent check valves. To meet the need, CPV developed a unique line of soft-seated valves flat-faced O-ring sealed fittings known worldwide as the O-SEAL® SYSTEM.…
Lincoln Electric 125 years ago, a young electrical engineer by the name of John Cromwell Lincoln founded the Lincoln Electric Company on December 5, 1895, in Cleveland, Ohio. Lincoln invested $200 to develop his unique, direct current electric motor for industrial applications. What started as a spark of ingenuity flickered and gained momentum and the company has grown to become one of the most widely recognized and successful brands in the entire world today. John C. Lincoln and his brother and co-founder, James F. Lincoln, who joined John in 1907, continued to innovate, and in 1911 had invented and launched…