Author: Steve Guglielmo

WESCO Gas & Welding Supply, Inc. started in 1961 in Prichard, Alabama. Five years later, Ron Pierce joined the company as a registered Professional Engineer. In 1974, with the support of his family, he bought out his partner and became President and CEO. For the next four decades the company grew from one location to eleven providing quality welding, industrial, and safety supplies, as well as medical, industrial, and specialty gases. Ron Pierce passed away in 2021, at the age of 87. His legacy lives on at WESCO, as the entire Pierce family works in the family business. Jenny McCall…

SOS Gases, Inc. (Kearny, New Jersey) was established on February 1, 1961, by John A. De Fillipps, Robert Saxon and Robert Stone. 60 Years later, the company still operates as a family business, as Steven C. De Fillipps and Carmen J. De Fillipps have owned and operated the company for the past 35 years. “Our company has been able to grow and thrive for the past 60 years by having good employees, who have been dedicated to the company for many years,” says Steven De Fillipps. Today, the company operates out of its Kearny, New Jersey headquarters and has 21…

When Van T. (Sam) Young returned home from World War II, he wanted to get into a similar business as his brother, VB Young, who ran a radiator repair business in Columbus, Mississippi. VB helped Sam get started in the radiator repair business in 1946, in Sheffield, Alabama. But, as Sam’s business increased, his customers started asking to buy the products he was using. And so, the welding supply business was born. Sam’s son, Bobby Young, grew up around the business and, after serving in the U.S. Navy, he eventually worked his way through the company and became CEO. During…

Cee Kay Supply, Inc. is proud to announce the formation of its new Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) designed to provide 49% stock benefits to the 135 employees. Cee Kay Supply now joins a group of over 6,500+ U.S. companies that are currently operating as ESOPs including the 171 in Missouri & 137 in Illinois. The transaction has also included additional operating companies Gateway Cylinder Technologies, ArchView Carbonic and CryoGas CO2 to create the newly formed employee-owned entity CK Supply, Inc. Tom Dunn, past CEO and Owner stated, “The employees have always been at the center of growth & success…

Welders Supply was founded in 1946 by Jack Raimy in Erie, Pennsylvania. Initially, the company was a small, two-man operation. Three-quarters of a century later, the company has grown exponentially, now having two locations and 25 employees. The company is also in its third-generation leadership, as Jack’s sons, Bruce and Gary, joined Welders Supply out of college, and his grandson, Mark, joined the company in 2005, after 16 years in the world of finance. Through the years, Welders Supply has become tightly intertwined with the Erie business and local communities. “Erie is a pretty provincial place,” says CEO Mark Raimy.…

The Andy Oxy Company was found-ed in 1946 in Hendersonville, North Carolina, by W.S. Anderson. The company began as a welding and radiator repair shop called Hendersonville Welding Company with welding supplies sold, initially, to supplement the welding and radiator repair shop. However, by 1960, demand for welding supplies began to dominate the business and the company made the decision to close the radiator/welding shop and devote all its efforts to the welding supply segment. In conjunction with this change, the company changed its name to Andy Oxy Co., Inc., which was derived from Anderson Oxygen. In 1970, under the…

WELSCO, Inc. was originally found-ed in 1941 as Welders Supply Company by R.G. Harrison, with the backing of his father, when he returned from World War II. Eighty years later, the company remains in the Harrison family, with Angela E. Harrison serving as the company’s Chair and CEO, the fourth generation of the family to serve. The company has enjoyed slow and steady growth over years, including strategic acquisitions when appropriate. “We have also been willing to invest in services that benefit our customers, including specialists in automation, repair, bulk and lab gases,” says COO Adam Kohler. “In addition, our…

Weldstar Company was originally formed in 1936 and then incorporated as the James F. Paterson Company in 1948. In 1962, the company was purchased by James G. Shennan, who changed the name to Weldmaster Company. However, by the end of 1963, the company had rebranded to Weldstar Company, which it remains today. When Weldstar was founded, the owners and employees have made the commitment to providing the very best customer service and most well-trained staff in the industry. From warehouse workers, office staff, and drivers – all Weldstar employees learn the basics of welding as part of required new hire…

Harold Harris established Harris Welding Works in 1936. Now named Harris Industrial Gases to better reflect the company’s current direction, the four-generation, family-owned business currently boasts four locations and 44 employees between California and Nevada, with corporate headquarters, delivery fleet, accounting department, fill plant and steel warehouse located where the original welding shop stood, on Auburn Boulevard, in Citrus Heights, California. Shareholders and employees alike will celebrate 85 years in business this July. The Harris family has retained ownership and management the entire time, attributing the continuous success to its “longstanding tradition of providing exceptional personal customer service to companies…

Central Ohio Welding Company was founded by J. Louis Richter in a small garage in Columbus in 1911. The company was originally a welding equipment repair service. In 1918, the small company began distributing industrial gases and selling welding supplies and continued its growth through both World Wars, eventually moving to a much larger facility in downtown Columbus. Shortly after World War II, the company expanded into welding and fabrication and opened a new division of the company. In 1946, Mike Burns, Richter’s son-in-law, began running the company and later added a fill plant to the downtown facility. “Those of…