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| Alexander W. Masetti |
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Wilbur W. Mok |
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Michael A. Olivares |
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Air Products Executive Staff Changes (Allentown, PA) • Alexander W. Masetti was appointed Air Products vice president, continuous improvement, and is responsible for expanding and institutionalizing the company’s overall continuous improvement activity, including Six Sigma and Lean. Wilbur W. Mok was named vice president, North America tonnage gases, succeeding Masetti, and is responsible for leading, directing and growing the North America tonnage gases business for existing pipeline, franchise and on-site offerings and business relationships.Michael A. Olivares was appointed vice president, international. An expansion of his current role as vice president, Latin America/South Africa, Olivares now has responsibility for the continued growth of all of Air Products’ major international joint ventures and partnerships.
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Depke Welding Supplies Expands Service (Lawton, OK) • Depke Welding Supplies added a Sterling M7500 bobtail propane delivery truck to its operation in order to accommodate a commercial account. Depke President Curtis Towne says that the vehicle opens up new opportunities for Depke. "It opens up the doors to commercial accounts that are used to cylinder delivery," he says. The truck is the first one purchased by Depke and holds 2,400 gallons.
$10.6M Cancer Center Honors GAWDA Past President’s Wife (Syracuse, NY) • On October 2, the Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma announced that a new facility scheduled to open in December 2009 in Lawton, Oklahoma, will be named the Leah M. Fitch Cancer Center in honor of Leah M. Fitch who passed away from the disease in 2006, a few weeks before her 50th birthday. Present at the announcement were her husband of 23 years, Fred Fitch, president of Fitch Industrial & Welding Supply (Lawton, OK), sons Michael and Alex, her mother, brother, mother-in-law and other family and friends.
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| Leah M. Fitch Cancer Center |
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Because of her deep love of the city of Lawton and the people of Southwest Oklahoma, Fred, Michael and Alex Fitch wanted to honor Leah by helping build the 24,000 sq. ft. facility that will contain a state-of-the-art radiation oncology linear accelerator, 16 chemotherapy patient treatment rooms, medical oncology services and more. Until now, many Southwest Oklahomans facing cancer were challenged to fight the battle against cancer in unfamiliar places, hundreds of miles from home and isolated from friends and family. In many cases, the cost and the resources to travel frequently for treatment have been too great, and patients resolved to forego potentially life-saving treatment. Comprehensive services in one location will now provide access to care for those unable to travel.
"As a family, we wanted to give back to this community that has been so good to us," says Fred Fitch. "This is a way to honor and remember Leah, and to help make a difference in the lives of others fighting cancer. She would be so proud to know that even after she is gone, she continues to help others."
In Memoriam
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Larry Kissler |
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Larry Kissler, Chairman of Norco and NWSA Past President
Larry Kissler, former president and chairman of the board of Norco, Inc. (Boise, ID), died on September 25. He was 82. Mr. Kissler served as president of the National Welding Supply Association (now GAWDA) in 1986-87. He and his wife, Frances, moved to Boise with their four children in 1968 when they bought the welding supply division of the Nordling Auto Parts Co. Today, the company serves customers in the gases, welding equipment, home care, medical and safety-equipment businesses from 50 locations in 7 states. Asked how he wished to be remembered, Mr. Kissler said, “Only as someone who, through strong personal commitment, wished to make the world a better place to live.”
James R. Larimer, Former Owner of OXARC Inc.
Former owner of OXARC (Spokane, WA) James R. Larimer Sr., died in Seattle on September 12 after a brief illness. Joining the Chevrolet division of General Motors upon graduation from Ohio State University, Mr. Larimer spent 21 years as a senior manager with GM and later Union Carbide before moving, in 1970, to Washington State where he, his wife and a partner purchased a small welding supply company, OXARC Inc., and grew it into one of the region's most prominent. In 1987 they sold OXARC and retired to Marrow Stone Island near Port Townsend.
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Albert L. Mazoch |
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Albert L. Mazoch, Founder of Coastal Welding Supply
Coastal Welding Supply (Beaumont, TX) founder Albert L. Mazoch passed away on September 12. A veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict, Mr. Mazoch’s career in the gases and welding industry began with Linde, a division of Union Carbide, before he founded his own company in 1963. In a 2003 interview with Welding & Gases Today magazine following Coastal Welding Supply’s 40th Anniversary, he talked about his company and its mission. "Our quality has been in growing with our customers by consistently meeting or exceeding their expectations, and by our continued pursuit of achieving excellence through teamwork."
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Mildred S. Butler |
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Mildred Butler, Chairman of Butler Gas Products
Mildred S. Butler, 92, co-founder and chairwoman of Butler Gas Products (McKees Rocks, PA), died on Monday, September 28, at her home in Sewickley, PA. Wife of the late John Anthony Butler, she is the mother of 1992-93 GAWDA President Jack Butler, president of Butler Gas Products; Barbara Glessner, vice president; and Debbi Butler Stentz, vice president. |
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GAWDA NEWS
GAWDA Consultant Resigns • TAP Resources has officially terminated its agreement with GAWDA to provide members with consulting services. The company plans to continue offering its services to the industry, but not as an endorsed GAWDA consultant.
$1,300 Thrown Away • In order to promote early hotel registration for the meeting in San Antonio, GAWDA offered a prize of 5 no-cost hotel nights at the Grand Wailea in Maui during the Annual Convention in 2010. A winner and an alternate were selected during the Closing Business Session of the Annual Convention in San Antonio. To receive the prize, you needed to be present during the Closing Business Session. Unfortunately, neither person was in attendance. Where will you be during the Closing Business Session next year?
W.I.N.G.S. Update • The generosity of GAWDA members was continued during the Convention. Golfers donated an additional $1,720 to W.I.N.G.S. in return for participating in the Hole-in-One Contest. One of the contact booth Golden Ticket winners of the Acer Mini-Laptop, Dave Mason of Roberts Oxygen Company (Rockville, MD), continued the spirit of GAWDA Gives Back by giving the mini-laptop prize back to GAWDA to donate to W.I.N.G.S. Thank you, Dave!
The amount donated to W.I.N.G.S. from GAWDA members totaled $164,205, the highest amount in the 10-year history of the Gives Back program. According to W.I.N.G.S., $14,000 can save the life of one person suffering from breast cancer. In San Antonio, the generosity of GAWDA members helped save the lives of 12 people. Thank you.
Eastern Zone Meets at Foxwoods • The Eastern Zone met at the MGM Grand at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. Guest Speaker Mark Hunter aka "The Sales Hunter" presented "Negotiation Skills and Maximizing Your Price." The meeting included a contact booth program and provided a setting for distributors to meet with suppliers. Kudos to the first place golf team of Larry Cassesa from Superior Products, Chris Finn from FIBA Technologies, Bob Urie from Urie & Blanton, and Matt Thornton from South Jersey Welding Supply.
Southwestern Zone in Kansas City • On August 26 and 27, 54 distributors and 41 suppliers from companies located throughout the Southwest met in Kansas City, MO, at the Riffany Springs Golf Course and Embassy Suites Hotel. Attendees heard from Miller Electric's Mike Weller on how to strengthen a company's position; and Mark Hunter on handling price objections and effective negotiation. ESAB's Dave Abe, Praxair's Ed Claussen, Cee Kay Supply's Heath Wells and Gas Innovations' Bryan Willingham won the golf tournament.
| What can a GAWDAwiki widget do for you? |
| A widget is portable code that can be installed and executed on a Web page. You’ve seen them in the form of on-screen tools such as clocks, tickers, weather reports, etc.
With the addition of a GAWDAwiki widget, you can quickly and easily look up a term, reference the buyers directory and find out the latest industry news right on your own Web page.
To get your own GAWDAwiki widget, go to this link. |
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WORKSHOPS,
WEB CONFERENCES & SEMINARS
Employee Free Choice Act Webinar
Can anything really be done to prevent union card campaigns? GAWDA's Human Resources Committee has organized a webinar to help answer this question and others. The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) webinar will be held on October 27 at 2 p.m. EST. The presenter, Attorney John Baumann, will provide an update on the Employee Free Choice Act with its proposed shortened election schedule, possible voice vote and forced arbitration. To register for this webinar, send an e-mail to mavery@fernley.com. There is no cost to participate in this webinar.
| Upcoming Events |
For more information about these events, please click
on underlined titles or call GAWDA at 215-564-3484. |
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| October 27 |
• Employee Free Choice Act (webinar) |
| November 13 |
• Western Zone Regional Meeting (Stockton, CA) |
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