Author: Steve Guglielmo

GAWDA Joins Letter to Senate on Changes to Hazmat Registration Fees.  GAWDA has joined 26 other trade associations representing shippers and carriers of hazardous materials in a letter to the Chair and Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on proposed revisions to the annual Hazardous Materials Registration fees.  The fee legislation under consideration is in response to the recent derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, although the proposed fee revisions would affect all modes of hazmat transportation, including by truck. The letter questions the need to raise the fees since…

As part of its continued push to help GAWDA members get the most out of their membership dues in the association and stay on the front lines of emerging industry trends and hot-button issues, GAWDA has several volunteer committees devoted to specific areas of the industry. The volunteer committees include: Government Affairs, Human Resources, Industry Partnering, Insurance Trustees, Leadership Development, Member Services, Safety, Women of Gases and Welding, and Young Professionals. This feature in Welding & Gases Today will update readers on the latest news and events from each committee. We thank all the committee chairs for their help and…

The purpose of Ask Your Board is to ask common business questions that all GAWDA members might be dealing with and to see how GAWDA’s Board of Directors are dealing with these issues within their own companies. To submit a question for GAWDA’s Board Members to consider, please email [email protected] QUESTIONWhat do you do ahead of a GAWDA National Convention (either AC or SMC) to ensure that you and your team can most effectively make use of your time? If you are bringing other employees to this year’s SMC, what pieces of advice will you offer them? And what will…

Sidney Lee Welding Supply is celebrating its 55th Anniversary in 2023. To commemorate the milestone, the company will host open houses at its Conyers, Douglasville, and Doraville, Georgia branches. According to a post on the company’s Facebook page, the demos will take place: May 2nd – Conyers, GA 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 1138 Sigman Road Conyers, GA 30012 May 3rd – Douglasville, GA 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 8891 Bright Star Road Douglasville, GA 30134 May 4th – Doraville, GA 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 3752 DeKalb Technology Parkway Doraville, GA 30340 All of the open houses will feature…

Four Corners Welding & Gas Supply celebrated its 40th Anniversary on April 1st. In a Facebook post on the company’s feed, it said, “Thank you to our employees, customers, vendors and friends. It’s been a ride and we are looking forward to the next 40 years!” Since the founding of the company in 1979, Four Corners Welding & Gas Supply (formerly Gallup Welders Supply) has grown from a small single location, to one of the largest regional independently owned and operated Welding, Industrial, Specialty, and Medical Gases distributors in the Southwestern U. S. Currently, FCWGS has four locations (Gallup, Milan,…

Thompson Brothers Welding & Industrial Supply is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023. To commemorate this momentous milestone, the company hosted a “75th Anniversary Open House” at its Chanute, Kansas, location on Friday, April 14, 2023. The event was well-attended and featured vendors on site for live product demos, as well as door prizes and special pricing. Congratulations to Thompson Brothers, an American family-owned company since 1948.

According to a post from the company’s LinkedIn page, MWSCO President Scott Myran celebrated his 35th anniversary with the company on April 1. Myran, who announced plans to retire in 2024, began his career at MWSCO as a Route Driver in Rochester. Although he enjoyed what he was doing, Scott was always looking for opportunities and knew within a week that he wanted to run a store. In fact, during Scott’s first performance review, he told Don Peterson that he wanted his job one day. By setting goals and targets for himself, he knew he could make his vision a reality.…

Oxygen Service Company announced on its company LinkedIn page that it will be hosting the official grand opening for its Appleton, WI, and Virginia, MN, stores. The Appleton, WI, event will take place on Thursday, May 11th, from 10: a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The Virginia, MN, event will take place on Thursday, May 25th, from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Both events will feature vendor demonstrations from OSC vendors including: Fronius, Miller Electric, ESAB, Lincoln Electric, and Hypertherm. The events will also feature food and discounts for attendees. To learn more, visit the website by clicking here.

National Standard Company announced the addition of Steve Coker to its Sales team. As District Sales Manager for Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, Steve will manage distributors and end users for National Standard’s welding wire portfolio. Steve brings a strong background with experience in welding wire and welding product sales. Most recently, he was a territory manager for Lampton Welding Supply and has held sales positions with Fastenal Company, Cone Solvent and Praxair. Steve resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He can be contacted via email at: [email protected], or via cell phone at (405) 332-3132. National Standard is backed by the global…

Senate Bill Would Increase Maximum Fines for Hazmat Violations.  As a result of the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Congress is considering increases to the maximum civil penalties for violations of the Hazardous Materials Regulations.  This would affect all modes of transportation, including trucks. 576, the Railway Safety Act of 2023, has been introduced in the Senate.  The bill has a number of rail safety provisions, but it would also increase the maximum civil fine for HMR violations from the current $96,624 to the greater of $750,000 or 0.5% of the company’s annual income or annual operating income. …