Author: GAWDA MEDIA

Company Origins Norco Inc. began in Boise, Id., in 1948 as the welding supply division of the Nordling Auto Parts Company. Larry Kissler, formerly Union Carbide Linde division general manager in charge of 11 eastern states, bought the company in 1968 and moved his wife, Fran, and four children to Idaho. With 15 employees and two locations, Larry and Dan Steele, general manager and eventually company president,  started acquiring distributorships throughout the intermountain region.  In 1985 Kissler’s son, Jim, bought the firm and led expansion efforts of nearly15 percent annually. A specialty gas division was started in 1990, and in…

Company Origins In 1968, Richard “Dick” Couch Jr.  and Bob Dean formed the company after they invented a water-injected plasma-arc cutting technology. Headquartered in Hanover, N.H., Hypertherm now has 1,400 associates, business partners in 93 countries and is known for its active social responsibility program. The Decision In 2001, anticipating their retirement was still a decade or more out, Dick and his wife, Barbara, undertook what was “partly an experiment” to see how ESOPs worked and to learn about them, says Evan Smith, current president and CEO. “They didn’t need to sell the controlling interest of the company at that…

Since a modest start in 1969, this third-generation welding supply and gas distributorship has grown to become the largest independently owned welding supply company in the state of Colorado. The company became a partial ESOP in 2007, a benefit that is “part of our secret sauce for recruiting and retaining the best in our industry,” says its president. Company Origins Gene Armstrong began the company in a retrofitted gas station in 1969. In 1970, his son Gary joined him. Today the 200-person, 10-location firm is still managed by a third-generation Armstrong, in the form of a partial ESOP. The Decision…

The foresight, innovation and generosity of second-generation owner O.E. Meyer Jr. in the 1980s has carried the company through a family-owned to employee-owned transition. Today, it celebrates 100 successful years in business as a 100 percent employee-owned firm. Company Origins O.E. Meyer Company began in 1918 when Omar E. Meyer Sr., who had been a lake captain, joined his brother in the operation of a welding shop. The company now operates eight locations in Ohio and has headquarters in Sandusky. The Decision In mid-1982, as Omar Jr. got up in age, he pondered what to do with the company. Meyer…

GAWDA is looking for 25 new distributor members and 15 new supplier members. Those are the goals set for the Member-Get-a-Member campaign this year. The program, being led by the Member Services Committee, assisted by headquarters staff and involving the entire membership, is an important program for 2018 for GAWDA. The program is designed to strengthen, grow and diversify the distributor and supplier business organization. Membership growth is a goal that will help to sustain the Gases and Welding Distributors Association even in an environment of continuing acquisitions and consolidations across the industry, according to 2017–2018 Committee Co-Chair Linda Smith…

Get Yourself – and Your Associates and Employees – To These Great Events! Have you ever attended a GAWDA Regional Meeting? They’re like mini versions of GAWDA’s national conferences. They’re packed with the same kind of great information. They’re attended by GAWDA consultants, association leaders and a great assortment of suppliers and distributors. They’re the chance to meet others from different regions and network with people in the industry who can give you new ideas or help you boost your business. Regionals are also a great way to introduce prospective members to the association and all it has to offer…

In the early 1990s, when many were pondering what the term “biotech” meant, the team at Middlesex Gases and Technologies saw an emerging market. As fabricators moved out of its New England territory, creating challenges for the welding and hardgoods business, Middlesex liked what it saw moving in. As Bo Martin, chief executive officer of Middlesex Gases and Technologies, explains, “In 1992, we changed our name from Middlesex Welding Supply to Middlesex Gases and Technologies Inc. Since then, we have invested heavily in the growing biotech and life sciences market.” Being able to spot the next best business opportunity seems…

By William McCloy You’ve seen it before – a good employee makes a horrible decision in his or her personal vehicle. What are the implications for your company if the employee’s license is revoked, canceled or suspended due to alcohol, controlled substance or felony violations?  If the employee in question is a CDL driver, he or she will lose driving privileges for one year. But what if he or she doesn’t hold a CDL, but instead drives a company sales car or pick-up truck? What if the incident involves excessive speed, reckless driving or bodily harm? What happens then? As…

By Dale Meyerrose If you’re a regular reader of this publication, you know that integrity, trust and reliability, safety and tested and proven are among this industry’s most prominent qualities. If any of those attributes are developed, produced, marketed, sold, distributed or maintained with technology, another component must be added to that list of core competencies: cybersecurity. Eyes gloss over at the mere mention of cybersecurity, followed by the hopeless dread of the inevitable. Yet, many would be surprised that cybersecurity is not about technology; it is a human proposition regarding value and risk. Don’t believe me? Every creditable study…

By Lyndon Friesen Conflict can be defined as a misalignment of goals or values between two or more people.  As Amer Obeidi explained in his thesis on the subject for his University of Waterloo doctor of philosophy program, “Conflict is driven by the perceived incompatibility of something of relevance, and the interference of others on the achievement of one’s goals.”  Conflict resolution is a critical conversation that, when approached with the right attitude and skills, can promote healthier workplace relationships by aligning goals and values. Navigating Resolution In the workplace, there are many reasons why conflict can occur. One of…