BREAKING NEWS

Alternate Rooms Available for SMC

Larger-than-expected turnout for the 2007 GAWDA Spring Management Conference has led to a sellout of GAWDA's initial room block at the Pointe South Mountain Resort. The Resort has limited availability during the GAWDA SMC dates of May 20-22. If you have not already made your room reservation, please call the hotel directly at 877-800-4888 or 866-267-1321 to check availability and sleeping room rates.

Additional hotel rooms are available at the Legacy Golf Resort, which is approximately 2 miles from the Pointe South Mountain Resort. To make room reservations, please call 602-305-5555. When making your reservations, ask for the GAWDA rate of $129 per night plus taxes for a studio suite or $159 per night plus taxes for a one-bedroom suite (subject to availability).

Please check with the Pointe South Mountain Resort for availability as the conference dates approach, as rooms may open up due to cancellations. GAWDA group rates will be subject to availability.

Who Will Be at the SMC?

Get a sneak peek! Visit the Current Events page at www.gawda.org to view a list of exhibitors who will be at the Contact Booth Program on Sunday, May 20, as well as an advance registration list.

Get Your Head in the Game!

The latest issue of GAWDA Edge, the e-magazine for young professionals in the gases and welding industry, is available at www.gawdaedge.org. Read important tips on how to determine cylinder ownership, sign up to network with other Young Executives at the 2007 GAWDA SMC, plan now to make the most of your retirement, and much more. GAWDA Edge is also available in mobile and dial-up versions. And don't forget to visit the GAWDA Edge Forums to network with other up-and-coming industry professionals.

SAFETY & COMPLIANCE NEWS

April Safety & Technology Organizer Online • The April 2007 Safety & Technology Organizer is now available at www.gawda.org. Topics include Respiratory Protection, Rear-End Collisions, Use of Computers to Track Lot Distribution Records, and OSHA Poster.

NEW MEMBERS

GAWDA welcomes new Associate Members Dissolvo of Bowling Green, OH, and Gordon Sales Company, Inc. of Lacey, WA.

INDUSTRY BEAT
(what people are talking about)

Airgas Acquires Linde U.S. Packaged Gas Business (Radnor, PA) • Airgas, Inc. will acquire a significant part of the U.S. packaged gas business of Linde AG for $310M. The operations to be acquired include branches, warehouses, packaged gas fill plants, and other operations involved in distributing packaged industrial and specialty gases and related equipment. The business includes 130 locations in 18 states, with more than 1,400 employees. The transaction excludes Linde's LifeGas medical gas business, Spectra Gas rare and specialty gas business, and Caribbean and Canadian gases business. Linde will retain certain acetylene production and packaged gas fill plants supporting the distributor customer business it will keep. Most of the acquired operations and personnel will be integrated with 7 existing Airgas regional companies, entirely in the eastern U.S. Upon closing, Airgas intends to sell 17 of the acquired packaged gas facilities in the Carolinas, southern VA and eastern GA to National Welders Supply Company, a joint venture between Airgas and the Turner family of Charlotte, NC.

Changes at National Welders (Charlotte, NC) • National Welders Supply Company announced a series of key promotions and organizational changes. Gerald Carver, formerly VP – production and safety, accepted a position with Airgas Merchant Gases and will continue as VP – merchant gases for National Welders. John Harris, formerly general manager – national specialty gases, was promoted to VP – packaged gas operations. Rick Smith, VP – planning and technology, accepted an expanded gas supply chain role that now includes direct responsibility for the Field Services and Distribution departments. Todd Jackson, formerly quality control manager, was promoted to production manager – merchant gases. Tom McCoy, plant manager of the Calhoun County ASU, was promoted to district plant manager – merchant gases. Jerrell Cook, formerly manager – compressed gases, will serve as manager – packaged gases in the new Packaged Gas Operations division. Ken Boyte, safety and risk manager, now reports directly to President & CEO Andrew Cichocki.

Chart CEO Elected Chairman (Cleveland, OH) • Chart Industries President and CEO Samuel F. Thomas was elected to the additional post of Chairman of the Board of Directors. Thomas has served as president and CEO and a member of the Board since October 2003.

Gas Innovations' expanded facility

Gas Innovations Expands (LaPorte, TX) • Gas Innovations announced the addition of 3,400 sq. ft. of office space to its La Porte, TX, facility. The space houses staff additions, expanded marketing operations and a growing distributor program, as well as Gas Innovations' inventory of welding consumables.

Kaplan Names National Sales Manager (Maple Shade, NJ) • John Griffith was named national sales manager for Kaplan Industries. Griffith previously served as VP of Gas Arc Supply and brings over 25 years of experience with acetylene plants, high pressure plants and cryogenic installations.

Depke's Urbana fill plant

Depke Adds Fill Plant (Danville, IL) • Depke Welding Supplies opened a new fill plant at its Urbana, IL, location as part of an effort to consolidate two branches and streamline company operations. The semi-palletized fill plant became operational in January, allowing the company to move some of its filling from the company's Danville, IL, location to Urbana. "It's helped us become more efficient at moving cylinders, especially between branches," says Depke President Curt Towne.

Kristy Van Velsor

Van Velsor Joins Acme (Allentown, PA) • Acme Cryogenics appointed Kristy Van Velsor as marketing coordinator. Van Velsor is responsible for managing the company's advertising, creating company literature, customer relations, sales support and Web site administration.

Thermacut Adds Sales Reps (Claremont, NH) • Thermacut expanded its sales coverage of the United States and Canada by adding 2 positions and dividing the country into 5 sales territories. Territory 2 Sales Representative Jesse Minkler shares responsibility in IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, ND, SD, WI and the province of MB. Minkler reports to Territory 2 Sales Leader John Eaton. Territory 5 Sales Representative Tim Lyons covers all western states, including AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, NV, NM, MT, OR, UT, WA and WY, plus the provinces of AB, BC and SK. Lyons reports to National Sales Manager Doug MacConnell. Thermacut also opened a sales office in Mexico, Thermacut Mexico S.A. de C.V., located in Aquascalientes, Ags, Mexico, and appointed Ing. Hiram Villalobos Flores as manager.

GAWDA NEWS

GAWDA Announces Sales Training Program • Get your entire sales team fully trained in record time. GAWDA announces its Power Selling Program for Inside Sales, Outside Sales & Sales Managers. If you are a manager, owner or executive and would like your sales team to have a lot more success in 2007 and beyond, join us for a special teleconference call, scheduled for April 19 at 9:30 a.m. EDT and April 23 at 1:00 p.m. EDT, in which GAWDA Sales Consultant Joe Ellers will review each of these three online training opportunities. A Q&A session with Ellers will follow. Visit www.joeellers.com/GAWDA for call-in information and to reserve your place.

HR Report Available • The April 2007 HR Manager's Legal Reporter and supplemental QuikStep Trainer are now available for download at www.gawda.org.

Clearinghouse Updated • The GAWDA Clearinghouse has been updated for April. For more information, visit www.gawda.org.

2007 Regional Meetings Last year, GAWDA held 13 Regional Meetings all over the country. This year we have more opportunities for you to network in your own backyard. Regional Meetings are held within driving distance of many of our members throughout the spring and summer. They are affordable, informative and fun! Regional Meetings offer attendees a chance to hear industry leaders speak about the industry and to meet with GAWDA Consultants, Board Members and other association volunteers. Meet with customers and suppliers, network with your peers, and get insight on the industry. It's an unbeatable value! Do you live in the Central Zone and would like to receive Regional Meeting announcements for meetings in the Eastern Zone? To fill out the form to receive additional announcements to meetings outside your zone, visit www.gawda.org. The regional calendar will be updated as new meeting dates become available!                2007 Regional Meeting Dates                ZONE DATE LOCATION REGIONAL CHAIR PHONE EA May 30-31 Atlantic City, NJ Lloyd Robinson AWISCO 718-786-7788 or 917-560-5405   SE June 3-4 Hattiesburg, MS Sam Thompson Airgas South 678-776-0023 CE June 4-5 East Lansing, MI John DeHoust Baker's Gas 313-383-5690 EA June 12 Beaver, PA Heather Ferrand Butler Gas 412-771-7660 EA June 20 Boylston, MA Robert E. O'Brien Gas and Air Systems, Inc. 610-838-9625 or 610-462-7979   CE July 20 Naperville, IL Hector Villarreal Weldcoa 630-806-2000 W July 25-27 Union, WA Dan Enz Gordon Sales Co. 360-705-2391 SE August 12-13 Birmingham, AL Gregg Waltman Linde Gas 205-322-9990 EA August 28 Gettysburg, PA Doug Morton Harsco GasServ 717-731-7923 W October 5 Lodi, CA Rob Kinney Airgas 916-759-6445

WORKSHOPS, WEB CONFERENCES & SEMINARS

Best Practices for Physical Inventory
April 10, 11:00 a.m. ET
This GAWDA webinar, presented by David Schaer of Computers Unlimited, is designed for distributor personnel responsible for inventory control and performing physical inventory counts. The webinar is free to GAWDA members. More information is available at www.gawda.org.

Young Distribution Professionals Conference
August 5-8, Itasca, IL
This conference, designed specifically for young professionals targeted for future increased responsibilities, will expose your "up and comers" to the full range of key distribution issues and give them the tools to be more effective in their current position. It will also give them networking opportunities with other young professionals and increase their enthusiasm for distribution as a career. A complete brochure is available at www.gawda.org.

The GAWDA Connection is distributed on the 8th and 23rd of each month to all GAWDA members as a membership service of GAWDA, the Gases and Welding Distributors Association, 100 N. 20th Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19103-1443. Neither GAWDA nor Data Key Communications, LLC, their officers, directors, members and staff are responsible for contents or opinions other than those concerning Association activities.

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