Author: Steve Guglielmo

The generous employees of Weiler Abrasives Group, the Cresco-based global abrasives manufacturer, raised more than $40,000 in their annual campaign benefiting Pocono Mountains United Way. The company matched that effort with a $60,000 corporate contribution, bringing Weiler’s total donation to $100,000. The money raised will support Pocono Mountains United Way’s Monroe County programming initiatives that address poverty alleviation, healthy food access, and critical housing needs for local families. “Weiler was built on, and continues to thrive because of, our strong partnerships with our customers, coworkers and community. We call them the 3 C’s, and they are the foundation of our…

Butler Gas is excited to announce that for the eighth consecutive year, it has partnered with the Brashear Association for their Holiday Toy Drive! The Brashear Association works with local Pittsburgh families in need with the mission of moving them out of poverty and back toward self-sufficiency. Each winter, the Brashear Association hosts a Toy Drive that relies solely on local businesses like Butler Gas to ensure the children of those families receive a present this holiday season. Following their mantra of “Empowering people. Stabilizing neighborhoods. One family at a time.” the Brashear Association supports and enriches families in a…

Atlas Welding Supply Co. is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2019. As part of that celebration, the company hosted an open house on December 4, from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The event featured a welding competition, local food trucks, vendor demonstrations, cryotherapy and raffles and prizes. It also featured special sale promotions. Suppliers in attendance at the event included: The Harris Products Group, Select-Arc, Lincoln Electric, Hypertherm, Euroboor, Metabo, Flame Tech and John Tillman Company. Other December 15 Connection News: Registration is Open for the 2020 PurityPlus Annual Meeting Controlled Efficiencies Moves to New Location Atlas Welding Supply Hosts…

Controlled Efficiencies has moved to a new location. It is now located at: 107A Flex Ave. Portland, TN 37138 The phone number remains the same. Please update your records accordingly. Other December 15 Connection News: Registration is Open for the 2020 PurityPlus Annual Meeting Controlled Efficiencies Moves to New Location Atlas Welding Supply Hosts 75th Anniversary Open House Kaplan Industries Adds Two New Bulk Hydrocarbon Tanks Butler Gas Partners with the Brashear Association Weiler Abrasives Group Raises $100,000 to Support Pocono Mountains United Way Airweld Announces E-Commerce Site Open to All Customers

The Annual PurityPlus Meeting will be held at the Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms, SC, February 4 – February 6, 2020. Topics will include: • Handling global product constraints • Developing expertise in emerging markets • Advances in technology • PurityPlus Initiatives • PurityPlus Committee Meetings Vendor Relations, Marketing, Operations, and Training. Tuesday’s group outing will be a Bourbon, Beer and BBQ Tasting Tour. All IWDC Members are encouraged to attend. “As always, whether you are currently involved in PurityPlus now, considering joining the program, becoming a distributor, or simply interested in new markets, we encourage your attendance…

Editor’s Note: This article is a follow-up to the Welding & Gases Today article “Riches in the Niches: Compressed Gas Cylinder Maintenance.”  “Doing the absolute bare minimum testing will not extend the lifespan of a cylinder,” says Jonathan Balbi, COO of Airgenics, Inc. “To keep asset bases as healthy as possible, simple and cost-effective options are available from the larger cylinder requalification companies across the country. These ‘extras’ beyond the requalification test are situationally optional but can mean the difference between replacing six percent of your asset base and two percent of your asset base.” According to U.S. Tank and…

Each year, Google publishes a year-in-review report discussing the year’s search engine trends. The report discusses not only what the most searched terms on the search engine were (world cup, Avicii, Mac Miller) but also how people are using Google. In 2018, Google reported a 500% growth in “near me” mobile searches that contain a variant of “can I buy” or “to buy.” To Google, this suggests that people are no longer using the “near me” function in Google to simply find places nearby. They’re using it to search for specific items, in a specific area. Part of developing a…

A moderated discussion between Tom Badstubner and Michael Dodd by tom badstubner, michael dodd and steve guglielmo It can be scary when a federal agency shows up to your business unannounced for an audit. You can feel blindsided. But the reason that GAWDA employs consultants that specialize in dealing with these federal agencies is for exactly this moment. Your GAWDA membership includes access to these consultants at no additional expense. Make sure that you’re taking advantage of that! Companies that are proactive in working with the GAWDA Consultants are better prepared for when auditors knock on the door and will…

In the United States, everybody loves coffee. That’s not much of an exaggeration. According to a study from the National Coffee Association (NCA), 64% of Americans consume coffee every single day. An average American drinks 3.1 cups per day and, cumulatively, Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee every day. So how does this impact the gases and welding industry? Over the past several years, a new trend in coffee has emerged. One that appears to be more than a passing fad. That is the rise of nitro brewed coffee. “The market for cold brew and nitro cold brew coffee…

The “skills gap” is an issue that all companies in our industry, as well as many of our customers, face every day. The nation-wide shortage of qualified welders and fabricators is certainly not a new phenomenon. We discussed what many GAWDA members are doing to address this issue in the spring issue of Welding & Gases Today, in an article entitled “Attacking the Skills Gap.” Today, a high school in Syracuse, New York, is doing its part to prepare students to fill that gap. Corcoran High School last year introduced a welding program as part of its 27 Career and…