Author: Steve Guglielmo

According to a post on IWDC.coop, US OXO, LLC opened a new branch store in Kerrville, TX: US OXO, LLC 124 Blue Ridge Drive, Suite 101-104 Kerrville, TX 78028 Phone: 830-955-8502 Congratulations to everyone at US OXO, LLC.

RN Goss Gas Products and Provanta, Inc. have been serving the community’s propane needs for over 85 years. They recently staged an open house to showcase their growing fleet of clean air delivery vehicles powered by propane. Dave Goss, President at Goss Gas and Provanta, explains that while most of their delivery fleet ran on propane in the 1970s, government regulations eventually made converting to propane powered vehicles impractical. Now, due to recent interest in alternative fuels, Goss has begun to transition his delivery fleet to new purpose-built propane powered vehicles. For Goss, the second wave of these trucks began…

GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Roger Bolenbaugh, former CEO of IWDA/IWDC, who passed away on October 3, 2020. According to an obituary posted on iwdc.coop: “Roger Bolenbaugh, 79, of Fort Wayne, passed away on Saturday, October 3, 2020. He was born to the late Fred and Elaine (Blythe) Bolenbaugh in Grover Hill, OH on January 2, 1941. Roger was the Valedictorian of Grover Hill High School Class of 1958. He married Patricia Ann Ross on June 25, 1960 at the Grover Hill United Methodist Church. He was a business executive for Lincoln Life Financial, W.…

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2). It is used extensively as a cooling agent in a variety of applications such as food chilling and freezing, vaccine cooling, expendable refrigeration, blood and tissue sample preservation, heat treating of metals, and many more. It is also sometimes used to create special effects such as fog for events or stage presentations. Dry ice is extremely cold (−109.3 °F / −78.5 °C) and rapidly sublimates, or converts, into carbon dioxide gas at room temperature. It is critical that users read and follow the instructions and safety precautions provided by their…

TSA Extends Exemption for Expired Hazardous Materials Endorsements.  The Transportation Security Administration has extended the exemption from Renewal of the Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) Security Threat Assessment for CDL drivers which was scheduled to expire on October 30, 2020.  The exemption is now effective through December 31, 2020. Under this exemption, states may extend the expiration date of HMEs that expire on or after March 1, 2020, for 180 days, due to restrictions and business closures in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If a state grants an extension, the individual with an expired HME must initiate the process…

GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Jillian Leanne Brown, who tragically passed away at the age of 16 in a car accident on October 20, 2020. Jillian worked at her father, Johnathan Brown’s, company U.S. Tank and Cryogenic. She will be missed. For a full obituary, read below or click here. Jillian Leanne Brown, a beautiful 16-year-old light in this world, lost her life tragically as a passenger in a car accident on October 20, 2020. Jillian entered this world on February 26, 2004, in Sarasota, Florida to her parents Jonathan and Jennifer Brown. Jillian was…

In the 4th Quarter 2019 issue of Welding & Gases Today, we debuted a new feature called “Search Engine Trends for the Gases & Welding Industry.” This feature is designed to help readers understand the terms and searches that are ranking highly in Google Trends. Part of developing a comprehensive digital marketing campaign is understanding how customers and potential customers are using the Internet to find your products and your website. The graphs and information below all come from Google Trends, which analyzes the popularity of search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The graphs scale “Interest…

The federal government has updated its extensions of a number of COVID-related waivers.  Many of these affect GAWDA member companies and their commercial motor vehicle drivers. Emergency Declaration. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has further extended its emergency declaration through December 31, 2020; this exempts drivers and carriers from the hours of service regulations and all of 49 CFR Parts 390-399 when transporting certain emergency relief products in response to COVID-19 crisis.  The exemption applies to transporting: medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19; supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation, and…

There is a school of thought that COVID-19 has not so much created new business trends and norms, as much as accelerated trends that were already coming. One of those trends is the importance of having a comprehensive digital strategy. With state and local governments across the country shutting down businesses and unnecessary travel, it became paramount for customers to be able to find distributors and buy goods and services online. While not universal, a very common theme among companies who were forced to shut their doors for good was that they did not have a strong and strategic plan…

By Steve Guglielmo, John Ospina, Abydee Butler Moore, Bob Ewing, Gary Halter and Robert Anders We have spent 2020 celebrating GAWDA’s 75th Anniversary. We have shared fun memories, reflected on GAWDA’s founding, its road to independence and everything in between. But 75 years is not the end of GAWDA’s story. Not by a long shot. As we near the end of 2020, we asked GAWDA’s current President Abydee Butler Moore, Executive Director John Ospina, and the next three presidents in line, to answer some questions about GAWDA’s history and what they expect to see as we continue our march forward.…