Browsing: 2023 anni

Advanced Welding Supply Company John T. Albanese opened up Advanced Welding Supply Company, Inc. on April 1, 2003. However, his passion for the industry goes back much further. John’s passion for the welding industry first began at The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Road Railroad Company where he served a State Indentured Apprenticeship Program as a Boilermaker. John completed his Apprenticeship and became a Journeyman in 1975.  In 1984 John was recruited by Airco Welding Supply Company. He spent the next 18 years there as a top salesperson in Industrial Gases and Welding Related Sales. Because of John’s extensive…

Solution Source Founded in 1993 by Tim Yoder, the current President and CIO, Solution Source has established itself as a leading provider of the Oracle NetSuite ERP software platform, specializing in partnerships with distributors and manufacturers. What began as a Microsoft Access database development service for small businesses in the Goshen, Indiana, community has now evolved into a comprehensive provider of implementation, development, and managed services for Oracle NetSuite ERP. While teaching in the business department at Goshen College, Tim met fellow professor Russ Rupp, who joined the business as a partner in 1998. Tim and Russ combined their expertise…

 CTR Cryogenic Technology Resources (CTR) began 30 years ago as a one-man operation. President Jeff Winegar opened the company as a field cryogenic vessel repair and cosmetic upgrade start-up. “I spent 18 years in the industry with Air Products and Sunox,” he says. “The relationships I had developed over the years helped in a big way in getting jobs as a start-up service vendor.” As the company has steadily grown over the past three decades, CTR has been able to add more employees and capabilities.  “It has been the long-term quality people that were key to CTR’s success,” says Winegar.…

AOC Mexico AOC Mexico was originally opened in 1993 as Acetileno Oxigeno de Coahuila, which it operated as until 2000 when, due to its growth, it changed its name to AOC. The company started with $7,000 in capital and 50 cylinders. It was founded as a family-owned company and has retained those tenets through the next three decades, operating with the slogan: Safety in Gases. Today, the company has 18 branches, 210 employees, 10 filling plants, 1 hydrogen filling plant, 1 acetylene production plant, and 1 gas metrology laboratory. Though it was founded with a sales mix of 30% gas,…

McDantim Inc. Prior to the 1990s, carbonation was a challenge that plagued the industry. Drinks were either over-carbonated or too flat, which provided a real challenge for the bar and restaurant industry. McDantim, Inc. was founded in 1988 following the sale of Draft Systems to Micro Matic to promote the sale of the Gas Blender for beer dispense. In 1991, Mert Fallon introduced the McDantim blender to the beer industry and, for the first time, bars and restaurants were able to keep the carbonation on beer to the perfect level.  “It helped revolutionize draught beer today,” said late CEO Dan…

American Cap Company Founded in 1988, American Cap Company, LLC (ACC) is a global leader in manufacturing compressed gas cylinder accessories and other cylinder components. Leveraging decades of custom fabrication and machining experience, ACC has a diversified product portfolio and a wide range of capabilities to service several industries.  The 200,000 sq. ft facility in Wheatland, Pennsylvania gives ACC the capacity to serve the manufacturing and warehousing needs of our customers. ACC’s facility and processes are established to provide quick turnaround on high volume production requirements while focusing on continuous improvement and cost reduction. The company’s products and manufacturing capabilities…

Ace Welding Supply, Inc. In 1988, Peter Ficarrotto and business partners opened the door to Ace Welding Supply, Inc. Together with his son, Matthew, who worked for the company part-time before joining full-time in 1994, the two built a company that has endured for the next 35 years. “Ace Welding Supply, Inc., while still a small company today, has built and developed a loyal base of customers,” says Vice President Matthew Carlson. “Many of our customers have been with us for over 20 years. Trust, reliability, excellent service and fair pricing have been the cornerstones of Ace’s business model. We…

Evergreen Midwest In 1978, entrepreneur Joseph Cregan, Sr. founded Evergreen Midwest. Prior to opening Evergreen, Cregan had spent two decades in the compressed gas and welding industry, which gave him the insight and the foresight to put his goals into action. Those commitments continued to live on through the actions of his family and Evergreen Midwest long-after Joseph passed away in 1988. Today, Evergreen Midwest continues his innovation, constantly strengthening the company while benefiting its customers. “Evergreen’s growth has been steady and constant over 45 years,” says President Tom Cregan. “We have developed our business through hard work and a…

Computers Unlimited In 1978, Dr. Mike Schaer and his partner, Stan Hoggatt, established Computers Unlimited in Billings, Montana. Now celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2023, CU has evolved into a world-renowned software development leader. In the early 1990s, Dr. Schaer assumed full ownership of the company. During these formative years, CU had a dedicated team of about 18 employees, who laid the foundation of the company, contributing their expertise in sales, software development, testing, implementation, training, and end-user support. Those core areas of emphasis remain integral to CU’s present-day operations and identity, continuing to drive success today. “We have a…

WEH Technologies Founded in 1973 by Erwin and Karolina Weh, WEH Technologies began as an innovative quick connector provider for pressure, function, and leak testing. Their market intuition led to a diverse product line, making them a key player in the industry. As the business expanded, it not only provided solutions to its customers’ challenges but also played a vital role in enhancing workplace safety and efficiency. The team at WEH remained committed to their vision of developing products that facilitated secure and seamless processes for their clients. Today, the legacy of Erwin and Karolina Weh lives on, as the…

Volunteer Welding Volunteer Welding Supply, Inc. was founded in 1973 by Harold and Evelyn McMurtry. Harold had previously been working for National Cylinder Gas since 1950 and had steadily climbed the ranks, even having been offered the position of National Sales Manager. However, due to his career advancement, the family had moved 7-8 times already and McMurtry wanted to settle down. He asked National Cylinder Gas if he could buy the original location that he started his career at in Nashville in 1950 and the company agreed, and thus, Volunteer Welding was born. Harold and Evelyn had three sons, David…

Ray Murray Ray Murray, Inc. is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023. Founded by Ray Murray in 1973, the company today operates four locations in Flint, MI, Bensalem, PA, Lee, MA, and Goldsboro, NC, with 75 employees.  Ray Murray operated the company from 1973 through his retirement in 1997. From 1997-2005, Ray Murray, Jr. and John Murray managed the day-to-day operations of the company. In 2005, Mike Hopsicker became a partner and owner in the company and began serving as President and CEO. In 2021, Hopsicker acquired 100% ownership of the company. “There are many aspects that have helped us…

Comeaux Caps  Comeaux Caps is a family-owned and operated sewing factory located in St. Amant, Louisiana, just outside of Baton Rouge. Founded in 1973 by Sandy Comeaux, this year the company celebrates its 50th Anniversary. When Sandy founded Comeaux Caps in 1973, he was also the owner of another successful company called Hamco. There, he worked with Lorraine Hebert, who serves today as General Manager. Eventually, Sandy decided to focus full-time on caps and made the decision to sell Hamco so that he and Lorraine could focus full-time on Comeaux Caps. “It has taken years of hard work and dedication,…

 Weldcoa Weldcoa is celebrating its 55th Anniversary in 2023. Since Dick Bennett founded the company in 1968, Weldcoa has engineered solutions, manufactured equipment, and provided uncompromising service to its customers. “Our history of innovation has always been driven by the needs of our customers,” the company says. “We began our journey by serving gas distributors over 50 years ago, with the development of our patented palletization system, including filling, storage and transportation. Today it is the most widely used system in North America.” Since its inception, Weldcoa has been industry-renowned for its constant product development and improvement. As new applications…

Kalas Wire & Cable In the back room of the Denver Hardware Store in 1958, Paul Witwer, Walter Cubberley and Floyd Witwer agreed to start a wire business. Over the years and decades that followed, they saw the single room in the hardware store grow to include three manufacturing locations and three inventory warehouses that employs more than 500 associates, with annual sales exceeding $250 million. The men partnered in other endeavors over the years as well to create strategically and vertically integrated brands and businesses to compliment the Kalas portfolio. Throughout their periods of growth, they never lost sight…

Holston Gases, Inc. In 1958, Pat Baxter and Bob Walsh, who had worked together at National Cylinder Gas (NCG) decided to strike out on their own and started the Holston Oxygen Company in Knoxville, TN. Baxter and Walsh grew the business one account at a time, as customers were attracted to the personal attention and superior effort that the company made to satisfy their needs. In 1976, Baxter bought out Walsh’s interest in the company to become the sole owner of Holston. Today, Holston Gases, Inc. led by Chairman Bill Baxter (Pat’s son), President Robert Anders, and Senior Vice President…

Haun Welding Supply Though Haun Welding Supply was incorporated in 1958, its roots trace back much further than that. In 1930, Orval Haun began building welders for U.S.L Battery Co. of Niagara Falls. In 1940, U.S.L. sent Orval to set up welder manufacturing for the Syracuse Owen-Dyneto Co. However, around this time, Orval and a colleague discovered a better way to build welders that was both less expensive and allowed more control over the welder. When U.S.L. rejected that method of manufacturing, Orval saw an opportunity to build his own welders, which he did in his basement and began selling…

 FIBA FIBA was founded in 1958 by Frank Finn and Al Bamford – they combined the first two letters of their surnames to form the company name. Frank Finn was the father of current President and CEO Jack Finn.  Initially a small industrial and medical gas distributorship, FIBA evolved into a gas containment equipment supplier. The company then entered the testing market and eventually developed a patent for trailers that would support a more efficient and less cost-prohibitive testing process.  These were the beginnings of what has become a leading manufacturer in the storage and transportation of high-pressure gases. FIBA’s…

City Welding Sales & Service John Coffey opened City Welding Sales & Service in October 1958. 65 years later, the company continues to operate as a family business. John’s son, Shawn Coffey, has run the business since 1980.  The company officially opened in 1958 but its roots go back much further, to John’s grandfather, John C. Ardagh. After enlisting in the U.S. Army at the age of 16 to fight in World War 1, John returned to the states and, in 1919, had the opportunity to learn the relatively new phenomenon of arc welding. He worked at it until he…

Anthony Welded Products In 1955, Anthony Salvucci began his career managing a welding supply distributor in California when he realized the need for products to handle gas cylinders for his route drivers. Armed with an idea, Anthony left his current job to work in 1958 on cylinder handling equipment full-time alongside his son, Frank Salvucci. Together, the father and son laid the groundwork for the family business that continues to thrive 65 years later, Anthony Welded Products.  The company, now into its third and fourth generation of family, continues to operate on the tenets that made Anthony and Frank successful…