West Penn Laco’s Nearly 100-Year Pittsburgh Story
A COMPANY BUILT TO CHANGE WITHOUT FORGETTING WHERE IT STARTED
Nearly a century before West Penn Laco was filling industrial gas cylinders, delivering propane, repairing welding equipment and serving manufacturers throughout Western Pennsylvania, the company was helping introduce a different kind of product to Pittsburgh: automotive lacquer.
Founded in 1928 as West Penn Lacquer Company, the family-owned business became the first supplier of automotive lacquer coatings in the Pittsburgh market. Today, the company remains family owned by the MacKay family, led by President Howard MacKay who has been with the company for over 60 years.
Throughout nearly 100 years, West Penn Laco has developed into a full-service gas solutions provider offering industrial, propane, specialty, medical, beverage as well as, welding suppliers, safety products and automotive refinishing supplies.
During a recent tour of the company’s Pittsburgh fill plant, I learned that the product mix has evolved, but the automotive industry remains a vital part of the company’s identity and business nearly 100 years later. The facility I visited was located at its Liverpool Street location along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh. Considered their main location because of the filling operations, fleet management and retail store sharing the same property. They service their other four branches from that location. The Millvale, Moon, South Hills and Greensburg branches are primarily hard goods and automotive focused, even including on-site custom paint mixing to continue serving the automotive industry with a more diverse product mix.
RESILIENT CULTURE BUILT FOR SPEED AND RELIABILITY
At West Penn Laco, I learned that the value of the fill plant is measured not only by what it can process, but also by how quickly the company can respond.
West Penn Laco offers next-day delivery of in-stock products and same-day emergency delivery when needed. During the tour, I was told that approximately 90 percent of deliveries are completed within one or two days. That speed is an important differentiator for manufacturers, fabricators, contractors and other customers whose operations can be disrupted by an empty cylinder or unavailable supply.
During the tour, Brian Kemp (Branch Manager) shared a story with me about a severe storm that came through Pittsburgh a couple years back. Despite the storm knocking out power to thousands of local businesses including their main facility, West Penn Laco took the challenge in-stride, switched over to generator power and continued loading and dispatching their fleet to deliver orders. A point of pride was through severe business disruptions they still did not miss a single order. Talk about reliability! West Penn Laco does not manufacture every molecule it sells, nor does it attempt to enter every adjacent market. Instead, the company has built its model around reliable sourcing, local inventory, filling capability, technical knowledge and delivery execution. That focus allows them to remain responsive while avoiding investments that do not align with their regional customer base.
One thing that also stuck out to me during my visit was their understanding of who they are as a company and not just chasing every opportunity that comes along.
Taking care of customers is only part of West Penn Laco’s success. They’ve developed a track record of taking care of their employees and their families. Throughout the years they’ve hired many family members of other employees. The company has supported generations of family members even outside the MacKay family. Husbands, wives, children, cousins and more. While some companies hesitate to mix family and work, West Penn Laco has embraced opportunities to find quality employees who happen to be relatives of current employees.
These policies have helped shape a family friendly culture resulting in longevity of their employees and satisfaction of their customers.
APPROACHING 100 WITHOUT STANDING STILL
West Penn Laco will reach its 100th anniversary in 2028, a milestone that will place the company among a relatively small group of independent distributors. This milestone shows that they have navigated a century of technological change, economic updates and evolving customer expectations.
But the most interesting part of West Penn Laco’s story is not simply that it survived.
It adapted.
The company evolved from automotive lacquer to delivery, welding supplies and gases. It grew from one East Liberty storefront into a five-location regional network. Along the way, it added propane, specialty gases, equipment repair, telemetry and modern fleet capabilities; all without abandoning the automotive refinishing business that started nearly a century ago.
My visit offered a great example of what longevity can look like for an independent gas distributor. It does not come from preserving a business exactly as it was. It comes from preserving the values that matter: family ownership, customer responsiveness, technical knowledge, experienced employees and accountability – all while being willing to change everything else when the market demands it.
From a modified Plymouth carrying thinner drums to a modern fill plant serving Western Pennsylvania, West Penn Laco has spent nearly 100 years doing what it has always done best, finding a way to deliver.
