BREAKING NEWS

Young Professionals Gather

The first multi-association Young Distribution Professionals Conference, presented by the Association Education Alliance on August 5-8 at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL, drew 109 attendees from 16 different associations, including six GAWDA members. Lloyd Robinson, president of AWISCO (Maspeth, NY), gave a presentation on leadership.

N. Britt Lovin, Gary Stoneback, Jenny McCall and Phil Fulgenzi were among the delegation representing GAWDA's Young Executives.

Participants learned where distribution fits into the larger economy, plus overviews of human resources, distributor marketing, strategic planning, drivers of profitability, time management and more. In addition, the conference provided a great forum to develop networking contacts. There was even time for a little fun, including bowling and a performance by an improvisational comedy troupe. See below for comments from participants.

"The next generation needs to move into leadership positions to keep the industry and association strong. Programs like this are a great way to get involved and better position yourself for success." GAWDA President-Elect Gary Stoneback Operations Manager Metro Welding Supply Corporation (Detroit, MI) "It is often difficult for young people within the same industry to meet. The Young Distribution Professionals Conference was a great outlet for people to network with peers while getting essential training at the same time." N. Britt Lovin Vice President/General Manager Andy Oxy Company (Asheville, NC) "I learned a lot, especially in the human resources and customer service seminars. Much of the information provided was useful and can be immediately implemented in my work." Faisal Khan Warehouse Manager AWISCO NY (Maspeth, NY) "Lloyd Robinson's speech was helpful because I'm in a family business too. The generational gap is a key issue. I know I have a lot to learn, and hands-on experience like this is the only way to learn." Kevin Falconer Retail Operations/Marketing Manager Minneapolis Oxygen Company (Minneapolis, MN) "It was great to be able to spend time with people in the industry and see how distribution works as a whole. As a manufacturer, this was a real eye-opener for me." Phil Fulgenzi Distributor Manager The Lincoln Electric Company (Cleveland, OH) "One of the best things about this program was the energy level. It's great to see young people getting involved in their industries." Jenny McCall President WESCO Gas & Welding Supply (Prichard, AL)

Who Will Be in San Francisco?

Get a head start on your planning for the 63rd Annual Convention! Download the advance registration list, exhibitor list and Contact Booth Program floorplan at www.gawda.org.

Up, Up and Away!

The Annual Convention is right around the corner, and the August issue of GAWDA Edge, the e-magazine for young professionals in the gases and welding industry, has tools to help you make the most of it. Discover what's in store for Young Executives at the convention, learn all about conventions through the decades, and view an exclusive video clip about the power of GAWDA networking. Plus, learn 6 cardinal rules for customer service, 7 tips to help you ace the convention, and 4 danger signs to watch for while maintaining safe operation of your equipment. And don't miss the final installment in the "Gases & Welding Vacation Destinations" series to find out where the gases and welding industry can literally help your career take flight! GAWDA Edge is also available in mobile and dial-up versions. Don't forget to visit the GAWDA Edge Forums to network with other Young Executives.

SAFETY & COMPLIANCE NEWS

Court Issues Hours of Service Decision • The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a decision vacating the FMCSA's hours of service rules that allow commercial motor vehicle drivers to operate 11 hours in one duty period. In addition, the court threw out the FMCSA rule that allows drivers to restart a weekly on-duty period with 34 consecutive hours off duty (Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Ass'n v. FMCSA, No. 06-1035 (decided July 24, 2007)).

The court's decision does not go into effect immediately. There is a 45-day period before the court issues its mandate, which is an order to implement the terms of the decision. Seven days after the mandate is issued, if no stay has been granted by the court, then the decision is effective. Thus, the effective date of the court's decision will most likely be September 14, 2007. Once the court's decision becomes effective, the FMCSA may no longer enforce the 11-hour daily driving limit or the 34-hour reset provisions. All other provisions of the hours of service regulations in 49 CFR Part 395 remain in effect.

There is an issue as to what rules will be enforced once the court's decision is effective. The 34-hour reset will no longer be allowed, and drivers will have to work within the 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days weekly on-duty limits. One option is that the 10-hour daily driving limit will automatically go back into effect, but if the FMCSA takes the legal position that the 10-hour rule was superseded by the 2005 rulemaking establishing the 11-hour rule, then it would most likely take yet another rulemaking action (such as an interim final rule or an emergency rule) to put in place a daily driving limit. The trucking industry will ask the court to stay the effect of its decision to allow the FMCSA time to revise its rules, but the court is not likely to grant a stay. Nor it is likely that Congress will intervene to preserve the current rule.

The bottom line: Companies should prepare for a 10-hour daily driving limit and no 34-hour reset commencing on or about September 14. It does not look promising for getting any relief from the court or Congress before then.

NEW MEMBERS

GAWDA welcomes new Active Members A. Kalmerton Welding Supplies, LLC of Oshkosh, WI, A Weldors Supply Co., Inc. of Oklahoma City, OK, and AGP LLC, DBA American Gas Products of Everett, MA, and new Associate Member Dynaflux Inc. of Cartersville, GA.

INDUSTRY BEAT
(what people are talking about)

Airgas Anniversary Reception at GAWDA Convention (Radnor, PA) • Airgas, Inc. will host a 25th Anniversary Reception during the GAWDA Annual Convention in San Francisco. All GAWDA attendees and their guests are invited to attend. The reception will take place Monday, September 17, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Westin St. Francis California Ballroom and will feature cocktails, music and heavy hors d'oeuvres.

Ristevski Named Praxair Distribution President (Danbury, CT) • George Ristevski, formerly president of Praxair Healthcare Services, Inc., was appointed president of Praxair Distribution, Inc. effective September 1. Ristevski succeeds Wayne Yakich, who resigned to accept a senior executive position with another company. Scott Kaltrider, previously VP, western region, for Praxair's North American Industrial Gases group, succeeds Ristevski as president, Praxair Healthcare Services.

Metroplex Opens Branch Store (Fort Worth, TX) • Metroplex Service Welding Supply opened a 4,000 sq. ft. branch store in Burleson, TX. The store operates as a limited partnership with two longtime Metroplex employees, Darrell Sanderson and James Mulroy, with Metroplex Service Welding Supply as the majority owner. A grand opening celebration on June 28-29 featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a remote radio broadcast and demonstrations by 20 vendors. "Burleson is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas, and maybe in the United States," says President Janice Bandy. "We exceeded our anticipated sales in the new location threefold in the first month, and we're already looking to add additional employees."

AOC Appoints Managers (Harlingen, TX) • AOC - Acetylene Oxygen Company appointed Dennis Hill as regional sales manager and Wade Crawford as regional manager of AOC's northern Texas branches. The northern branches include locations in Rosenberg, El Campo, Bay City and Huntsville, TX, and two branches in Houston.

Catalina Cylinders Names President (Hampton, VA) • Jeff Cunningham was appointed president of Catalina Cylinders. Cunningham joined Catalina Cylinders more than 15 years ago and spent the past 10 years as VP/GM for Catalina Cylinders' Cliff Impact Division in Hampton, VA. Tom Newell, who is stepping down after more than 15 years at the helm of Catalina Cylinders, will stay on to ease the organizational transition and assist in the completion of long-running projects and the beginning of new initiatives. Rick Hill, plant manager for Catalina's Garden Grove, CA, facility since 1992, will assume the position of general manager, Garden Grove. Ward Dekker was promoted to director of quality control, overseeing the management of quality systems at both Catalina Cylinders facilities.

Tregaskiss Appoints Customer Service Specialists (Windsor, ON, Canada) • Tregaskiss hired Juan Carcelen and Mary-Claire St. Pierre as customer service specialists reporting to Customer Service Manager Debbie Larkin. Carcelen's experience includes importing/exporting, sales and customer service. St. Pierre brings 8 years' experience in international customer service, including China, Italy and Mexico, and a technical background as a licensed tool and die maker and MIG welder.

GAWDA NEWS

Convention Registration Is Ongoing • Visit the Current Events page at www.gawda.org to register for the meeting and for programming details. While on that page, you can also make individual or corporate donations to the GAWDA Gives Back program.

Tours and Attractions in San Francisco • San Francisco is often called "Everybody's Favorite City," a title earned by its scenic beauty, cultural attractions, diverse communities and world-class cuisine. To personally book various tours of San Francisco, please visit www.sanfranshuttletours.com or call the Westin St. Francis Hotel Concierge directly at 415-774-0331. No GAWDA Group Tour has been organized.

Additional Hotel Rooms Available • The official GAWDA hotels are sold out for the 63rd Annual Convention in San Francisco. As the conference dates approach, please check with the Westin St. Francis and the Grand Hyatt San Francisco for availability as rooms may open up due to cancellations. GAWDA group rates will be subject to availability. Rooms are available at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and the Hotel Nikko San Francisco. Both are within two blocks of the Westin St. Francis. Please call the hotels directly to book your sleeping rooms. Note that the hotels are not part of the official GAWDA room block and no group rates are being offered. As of July 27, room rates were quoted at $199 per night. Rooms and rates will be subject to availability.

Southeastern Zone Meets in Southern Pines, NC • On July 29-30, Kent Buzard of CTR hosted a Regional Meeting and Golf Outing at Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club in Southern Pines, NC. The business session was attended by 40 members, including GAWDA President Bob Ames, who gave a GAWDA update, and Dick Smith of Lincoln Electric, who spoke about Hexavalent Chromium and OSHA changes. Thirty-eight members enjoyed networking at the Cocktail Reception the night before the meeting. The golf outing drew 35 members, including first place winners Steve Throckmorton of Arcet, Keith McGrath of CONCOA, Jim Norris of Thermadyne and Jeff Martin of Lincoln Electric; second place winners Jeff Clay of Harsco GasServ, Keith Vick of National Welders Supply Company, Tim Reading of Harris Products Group and Michael Tarala of RegO Cryo-Flow; and third place winners Tommy Stewart of Machine & Welding Supply, Ryan Boyd of CryoVation, Dick Smith of Lincoln Electric and Ray Borzio of Special Gas Services. The meeting raised $500 for 2007 GAWDA Gives Back recipient Hamilton Family Center. Thank you all!

Central Zone Meets at Foxfire Golf Club • On August 2, Jim Smith of DeLille Oxygen Company hosted a Regional Meeting at Foxfire Golf Club in Lockbourne, OH. Ninety members attended the business session, which included speakers Pat Hawkins, who spoke about Hawkins Leadership Strategies, and GAWDA Executive Director Kent Van Amburg, who gave the GAWDA update. Eighty-three members enjoyed golf, including first place winners Tom Gambill, Gary Rizor, Steve Rose and Dave Smith, all of DeLille Oxygen Company; and second place winners Nolan Lai and John Lyons of The Harris Products Group and Bill Patterson and Jerry Reid of Praxair Distribution, Inc. A list of additional golf winners is available at this link. Half of the pot for the Skins Game, $280, was designated for the GAWDA Gives Back program. Dave Smith of DeLille Oxygen Company contributed $150 of his golf winnings to GAWDA Gives Back, and Ken Tidwell of WDPG/The Horton Group donated another $40, making a total contribution of $470 for GAWDA Gives Back. Congratulations, all! View more photos from the regional meeting on this page.

Help Wanted: GAWDA Group Life Insurance • MetLife, GAWDA's insurance provider, currently has funds available to be disbursed to Ossawana Hudson's beneficiary, Tonya Hudson. GAWDA is seeking assistance in locating her contact information. Ossawana Hudson was an employee in the mid-1980s of the former Milwaukee Brush Manufacturing Co. (Menomonee Falls, WI), which is now a subsidiary of PFERD Inc. GAWDA contacted PFERD, but they have no records available at this time to help locate Tonya Hudson, and longtime employees do not know where Tonya is presently residing. Please forward any helpful information to Malvenia Avery at mavery@fernley.com. Thank you.

2007 Regional Meetings Register now for a Regional Meeting near you! Meet with customers and suppliers, network with your peers, and get some insight on the industry. It's an unbeatable value! Do you live in the Western Zone and would like to receive announcements for Regional 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 August 28 Gettysburg, PA Doug Morton Harsco GasServ 717-443-0752 W October 5 Lodi, CA Rob Kinney Airgas 916-759-6445 W November 1 Orange County, CA Paul Cramer Cramer Decker 714-566-3850

WORKSHOPS, WEB CONFERENCES & SEMINARS

Lawson Presents: Growth Strategies in Wholesale Distribution
Thursday, August 23, 1:00 p.m. EDT
This interactive webinar with Dr. Adam J. Fein of Pembroke Consulting and other industry experts will teach you about the barriers wholesale distribution companies are facing today and the steps they are taking to overcome them. Register online at this link or over the phone at 888-742-5060. If you are unable to attend the live event, order the CD here. The event and CD are free of charge.

ASSE 6015 Training and Certification
October 2-5, Indianapolis, IN
This training and certification seminar for the new ASSE 6015 standard, which covers the professional qualification and certification of bulk hospital medical gas system installers, will prepare attendees to sit for the National Inspection and Testing Corporation (NITC) 6015 certification examination. The certification test will be offered the last day of the seminar. A seminar agenda and registration packet will be available soon. For more information, contact Bob Sutter at 610-868-7184 or bob.sutter@brcompliance.com.

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. 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.

GAWDA HEADQUARTERS
100 North 20th Street, 4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1443
phone 215.564.3484 - fax 213.963.9784
gawda@fernley.com