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| A Semi-Monthly Newsletter for the Gases and Welding Distributors Association |
July 23, 2008
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BREAKING NEWS Linde Helps Create Clean Vehicle Fuel With gas prices constantly rising, Linde North America is taking action to offer fuel alternatives. Linde and Waste Management, North America’s largest waste management company, are creating the world’s largest facility to convert landfill gas into clean vehicle fuel. The companies will install systems that purify and liquefy landfill gas, converting it into liquefied natural gas or LNG. The LNG produced from the landfill gas will be a virtually zero-carbon transportation fuel. The facility, located at the Altamont Landfill near Livermore, CA, will begin operations in 2009. It is expected to produce up to 13,000 gallons of LNG a day, making the plant the largest of its kind. The garbage in California landfills is expected to help produce more than 200 million gallons of clean transportation fuel each year. Propane Tank Recall A product safety recall was issued by American Welding & Tank in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Conversion Underground Propane Storage Tanks. The propane contains an added odorant meant to forewarn consumers of gas leaks. However, the odor can fade due to rust, particularly in some converted aboveground to underground tanks. Odor fading results in a fire and burn hazard from the consumers’ inability to detect the smell of propane if a leak occurs. Two individuals sustained first and second degree burns in a tank-related incident. The recall affects 11,000 underground propane storage tanks converted from aboveground tanks, ranging from 120 gallons to 1,000 gallons in size. The tanks were sold to propane retail dealers in the eastern U.S. from January 2005 to April 2008.
NEW MEMBERS GAWDA welcomes new Supplier Member Gerhart Gas Technologies of Allentown, PA.
INDUSTRY
BEAT
WESCO Opens Store in Calvert (Prichard, AL) • A new store in Calvert, AL, was opened by WESCO Gas & Welding Supply on July 15. The store’s location will take advantage of its proximity to a new steel mill being built by ThyssenKrupp AG of Dusseldorf, Germany. The company expects the Calvert location to create 20% to 30% growth. The address of the new store is 22087 Hwy. 43, Lot #1, Calvert, AL 36513. The phone number is (251) 829-9099. Keen CEO Celebrates 50 Years in Business (Wilmington, DE) • CEO of Keen Compressed Gas Company J. Merrill Keen is celebrating 50 years in business this year. Keen Compressed Gas was founded in 1919 by Stanley H. Keen. Merrill Keen started working at his father’s business in 1958. Bryan Keen, youngest son of Merrill, is president of the family-owned and operated company.
New AWISCO Employees (Maspeth, NY) • AWISCO hired Michael Rawitz to the company’s newly created position of rental/repair manager. Dana M. Read has been hired as credit analyst. Rawitz previously worked in satellite communications, legal research and mortgage, while Read spent 2 years in the welding and industrial supplies industry and 8 years in credit and collections. Air Liquide Contributes to Hydrogen Research (Houston, TX) • Air Liquide Advanced Technologies, a division of Air Liquide America Specialty Gases, and Hydrogenics Corporation, a manufacturer of hydrogen electrolyzers and fuel cell systems, are creating a hydrogen electrolyzer and fuel cell for the Renewable Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Centre in Wales. The Centre will explore hydrogen as a fuel of the future and show how hydrogen can be produced from local sources. Dedicated to sustainable development, Air Liquide is responsible for integrating the hydrogen solution, including hydrogen plant compression, storage and dispensing integration. Matheson Tri-Gas Acquires Cedar Rapids (Parsippany, NJ) • Matheson Tri-Gas completed its acquisition of Cedar Rapids Welding Supply located in Cedar Rapids, IA. Cedar Rapids is a distributor of industrial, specialty and medical gases along with retail sales of welding equipment, safety products and supplies. Cedar Rapids, along with its assets and employees, will become a part of Linweld, a wholly owned subsidiary of Matheson Tri-Gas.
Butler Gas Promotes Ferrand (McKees Rocks, PA) • GAWDA Eastern Zone Regional Chair Heather Ferrand was promoted to executive vice president of sales at Butler Gas Products. Formerly vice president of specialty gas sales, Ferrand will oversee all of the company’s sales sectors. Hypertherm Featured in "World’s Greatest" (Hanover, NH) • Hypertherm was selected to be in an episode of the television show "World’s Greatest." World’s Greatest highlights companies, products, places and people with behind the scenes footage and interviews. Hypertherm will be featured in an episode titled "Maximum Performance." World’s Greatest will air on the ION network July 23-28. Airgas to Build Liquid Carbon Dioxide Plant (Radnor, PA) • A 450-ton-per-day liquid carbon dioxide plant will be built by Airgas at the First United Ethanol LLC (FUEL) complex in Camilla, GA. Built for refining raw carbon dioxide for food, commercial and beverage-grade uses, the facility will employ 15 to 20 people and will be operational by late 2009. Airgas also completed its acquisition of Energy Safety Services, dba Oilind Safety. A provider of rental safety equipment based in Phoenix, AZ, Oilind Safety generated about $21 million in revenues in 2007. Cee Kay Supply Turns 60 (St. Louis, MO) • Cee Kay Supply is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Founded in 1948 by Ralph Chase and Ralph Knight, the company has 7 stores throughout Missouri and Illinois. Looking forward, Owner Tom Dunn says, "Cee Kay is focusing on continued growth with a truly solid financial performance." Read more about Cee Kay Supply in the Member Profile that appeared in Welding and Gases Today.
GAWDA NEWS GAWDA to Launch Online Career Center • On August 1, the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) will launch its interactive job board, the GAWDA Career Center. With its focus on gases and welding distributor companies and professionals, the GAWDA Career Center offers members—and the industry at large—an easy-to-use and highly targeted resource for online employment connections. GAWDA Dues Survey 2008-09 • The GAWDA Board of Directors created a Dues Task Force to revise and implement a new dues schedule for the upcoming fiscal year. As part of this process, GAWDA needs accurate financial information from each of its members. Please fill out the dues survey that was e-mailed to all Key Contacts on May 28. If you did not receive this survey, please contact Kate Cole at kcole@fernley.com.
Southeast Zone Regional Meeting in Lexington, KY • On June 22-23, Ken Tidwell of WDPG/Horton Group hosted the Southeast Zone regional meeting. A total of 63 distributors and suppliers met at the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery and Marriott Griffin Gate Golf Resort. The meeting opened on June 22 with a sports-themed cocktail reception at the Griffin Gate Golf Resort. A raffle was held, and a variety of prizes donated by Chart Industries, The Horton Group and Scott-Gross Company were awarded. Money raised will be donated to GAWDA Gives Back. Afterward, the group took a tour of the historic distillery, including a bourbon tasting, and then returned to the Griffin Gate Golf Course for an afternoon of golf. First place winners (12 under 60) included Danny Johnson, Scott-Gross Company; Dan Horton, The Horton Group; and Paul Tucker, Lincoln Electric. Second place winners (10 under 62) included Jonathon Lang, Scott-Gross Company; Dale Nichols, Airgas; Bob Ranc, Superior Welding; and Stan Henn, Miller Electric.
Take Advantage of GAWDA University Online GAWDA U is an easy-to-use and inexpensive online training tool for your employees. The educational content of GAWDA U was developed to support GAWDA's primary mission of providing information to assist you in improving your company's safety and compliance. GAWDA U Online will be an ever-changing and growing program. The initial course offerings will concentrate on training for new employees during their first 90 days. The second generation of content will focus on more advanced training that will build upon the earlier basic/elementary courses. This summer, we will be seeking training material from our members that can be adapted to the GAWDA U platform and will expand the program to include supplier-based training on company-specific products and services. We are conducting weekly webinars to introduce members to the functions and content of GAWDA U and to answer any questions. Please contact GAWDA Membership Director Kate Cole (kcole@fernley.com) to sign up for the introductory webinars or to find out more about this exciting opportunity!
WORKSHOPS, WEB CONFERENCES & SEMINARS Young Distribution Professionals Conference (Live) Developing an Inventory State of Mind (Webinar)
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The
GAWDA Connection is distributed on the 8th and 23rd of each
month to all GAWDA members as GAWDA
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