Author: GAWDA MEDIA

By Gary Halter and Steve Guglielmo Gary Halter officially took the oath of office as GAWDA President in Maui, Hawaii in 2023. Since then, he has devoted each day as President to fulfilling his promise of “Leading with Purpose and Serving with Heart.” When he took the office of President, Gary laid out his agenda as President, coming back to the acronym IMPACT Leadership. Now, as Gary prepares to hand the baton of President off to Eric Wood in Phoenix, we had the opportunity to speak with Gary during the Northeast Regional Meeting as he reflected on this long and…

Craig Wood GAWDA President 2012-2013 O.E. Meyer Company Obviously, this is a very special year for our entire family at the 2024 Annual Convention. It’s an honor to have this opportunity to share my thoughts as one of a long list of Past Presidents who have unselfishly served in this role. Back in 1997, Rod Belden and I made a trip to Wisconsin, hosted by Bill Higley on a fact-finding mission, while we were preparing to break ground on a new facility. We spent a couple of days with Bill. He was clearly instrumental in our master plan! As he…

Making the Most out of Networking 360 At the 2022 GAWDA Annual Convention in San Diego, the GAWDA Industry Partnering Committee debuted the “Networking 360” program. The event was conceived as a sort of “speed dating” for GAWDA distributors and suppliers to be able to network in a more controlled and intimate environment than the hustle and bustle of the Contact Booth Program. The Event premiered to great fanfare, as 105 supplier members had the opportunity to spend 5-minute sessions with 53 distributor members who participated. “I would pay my entire dues for the year, just to attend this event,”…

What GAWDA members need to know to remain compliant. 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 member dues to the association. It is consistently rated as one of the most valuable member benefits that GAWDA provides. Between the four of them GAWDA’s consultants bring more than 150 years of industry-specific experience to the association. In June, the GAWDA Consultants hosted a three-day compliance workshop in Minnesota that was also simulcast via webinar. In addition to that workshop, Summer is…

Chip Valentine NWSA President 1997-98 nexAir This is a new column where former NWSA and GAWDA presidents reflect on their time as President of the association and also let readers know what they have been up to since their time as President. Thank you to Chip Valentine for being our first-ever contributor to the “Life After the Presidency” Column. I was fortunate enough to be the President of NWSA (now GAWDA) in 1997-98. This was a time of substantial industry consolidation with Airgas, Praxair, and others buying up many of the independent distributors. Our company was a “regional…

The purpose of Ask Your Board is to ask common business questions that all GAWDA members might be dealing with and to see how GAWDA’s Board of Directors are dealing with these issues within their own companies. To submit a question for GAWDA’s Board Members to consider, please email [email protected]

Don’t let your customers gamble on quality and productivity with cheap filler metal. There’s a reason that GAWDA distributors are universally considered best-in-class in the gases and welding industry. It’s because they partner with suppliers who can provide not only the highest-quality products, but who have the expertise to make recommendations based on years of experience with other like-minded customers. In the manufacturing world, the weld is the backbone of quality. And the filler metal is the backbone of the weld. But to the layman, all filler metals are the same. Aluminum is aluminum, right? Wrong. The experts at Hobart®…

California Cylinder Corporation was established in 2001 in Montclair, California. We are a direct supplier of high-quality gas cylinders and are owned and operated by the Brown Family, which has been part of the welding and gas industry for over 50 years. California Cylinder carries new and reconditioned cylinders in steel and aluminum, featuring new aluminum cylinders by Catalina and Luxfer. We offer full lines of Industrial, acetylene, CO2, medical, propane, and liquid cylinders along with helium regulators, valves, caps, labels, balloon fillers, and accessories.

California Tool & Welding Supply opened its doors in 1976 offering quality products and unparalleled service at reasonable rates. Robert C. Craig (Bob Jr.) and Rick Davis started the business out of a wooden shed on a dusty sand lot with a few bottles of compressed gases, an oxygen cascade system, and a small selection of hard goods.

The Southwest Regional Meeting took place near Houston from May 20-21. Nearly 100 attendees were on-hand at the South Shore Harbor Resort & Conference Center to see presentations from from Jesse Thompson from the Federal Reserve of Dallas, Chuck McConnell from the Center for Carbon Management in Energy and an incredibly motivational presentation from Nick Scott a two-time world powerlifting champion and wheelchair bodybuilder. Thank you to Regional Co-Chairs Ashley Madray and Gary Degenhardt for organizing this year’s event and to everyone who attended. Click the button below to see pictures from the event. If you attended this year’s event…