Author: Steve Guglielmo

The Harris Products Group can trace its excellence in manufacturing back more than 120 years to when John Harris invented the first flame-cutting torch. Since that time, the Harris name has been identified with innovative people, practices and products in equipment and alloys used in brazing soldering, welding, cutting heating and gas control. Harris has introduced a new corporate video that celebrates its esteemed heritage and industry leadership, and that can viewed at http://bit.ly/HarrisVideo The Harris story started in 1899 with John Harris’ torch invention, and the founding of The Harris Calorific Company. A few years later, in 1914 Joseph…

Admiral Valve, LLC d/b/a CPV Manufacturing is pleased to announce the appointment of Joni Oppasser as our Human Resource Manager. Joni graduated from Ithaca College and previously held a position as Human Resource Manager for GE Healthcare; Merit Medical Systems Inc. She most recently worked as the Director of People Services and Strategy at Endless Pools in Aston, PA. Joni will manage CPV’s employee related policies and activities such as job design, recruitment, employee relations, performance management, training & development and talent management. David London, CPV President and CEO, said “We are delighted to have Joni join us and bring her years of…

Local hospitals and Health Care Facilities are in URGENT need of unused face masks and gloves. If you’re able to donate these supplies, AWISCO will pickup and deliver to those in need. Let’s make a difference together and contribute so we can help with the shortage. Please contact us at 800-834-1925 to schedule a donation pickup.

Taylor-Wharton (“TW”) announced recent expansion of distribution of its cryogenic Liquid Cylinder, MicroBulk, Bulk Tanks and LNG products in Europe, Middle East, and Northern Africa.  By opening distribution centers in both Poland and Dubai, TW is positioned to rapidly meet market demands for TPED & PED products throughout Europe and Israel as well as DOT-4L & ASME product to the Middle East and Northern Africa. Tim Miller, President of Taylor-Wharton notes, “We wanted to be in the position to control our supply channels to both the European and MENA regions directly.  By expanding our operations adding distribution centers in each…

The American Welding Society’s (AWS) Board of Directors have announced that Gary Konarska II is named the organization’s new Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective April 6, 2020. Konarska succeeds Ray Shook, who held the position for 15 years and has agreed to remain as Executive Director Emeritus for an interim period to ensure a seamless and successful transition. “We are very excited to welcome Gary to the American Welding Society taking on the role of Executive Director and CEO. Gary brings an exceptional combination of industry knowledge, energy, and proven leadership that make him the ideal leader…

According to the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 5,250 workers died on the job in 2018, an average of more than 14 deaths every day. It is a tragedy that nobody wants to think about. But a good company must be prepared for how to respond when tragedy strikes. Tragedy, of course, can take many forms. It does not necessarily need to be a worksite death, as cited above. It could be a non-fatal accident (2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported in 2018), or a natural disaster like a fire, earthquake, hurricane,…

How to stay in compliance with employee training By Steve Guglielmo, Marilyn Dempsey, Michael Dodd and Tom Badstubner Your employees are the lifeblood of your organization. In order to ensure that they can do their jobs correctly and safely, it’s vital to provide continuous training. But this can be a daunting and time-consuming task. How often does this training need to be done? When does it need to be recertified? How can the training be presented in a way where the employee can retain it? And how can this training be continually reinforced each and every day? Welding & Gases…

Willard C. Starcher, Inc.  was founded by Willard Starcher in 1938. Prior to opening the company, Starcher had worked as a schoolteacher and then as a mechanic fixing generators and refrigerators. He opened Willard C. Starcher in his hometown of Spencer, West Virginia, in a garage behind his house. More than 80 years later, the company continues to operate out of Spencer. “We’re located in rural West Virginia, in a town of 2,600 people,” says John Hill, Starcher’s grandson and current company president. “And it probably had 2,600 people 82 years ago, when the company was started. But it’s our…

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…

This year is a milestone year for GAWDA as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary. Throughout 2020, we will be celebrating our roots, all while looking forward to ensuring that the next 75 years are as productive and impactful as the first. In the 1st Quarter 2020 issue of Welding & Gases Today, we ran a “Trip Down Memory Lane” 75 Years of GAWDA timeline on pages 50 and 51. In this issue, as we preview this year’s new and improved SMC, we look back on fun SMC moments from throughout our history on page 44. We also have made apparel…