Welding & Gases Today | Q2 2024

HP MEDIUM-HEAVY DUTY REGULATORS

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Gary Halter is GAWDA’s 2023-2024 President as well as President of Indiana Oxygen Company. He can be reached at 317-808-4060 or by email at garyhalter@ indianaoxygen.com

HRemember the Alamo

BY GARY HALTER, GAWDA PRESIDENT

ello GAWDA Members and welcome to San Antonio for this year’s Spring Management Conference! Kathy and I are so excited to welcome you to the Lone Star State for this SMC. It’s hard to believe, but my year as President is already half over! It seems like just yesterday that we were in Hawaii, and I was laying out my vision for the year ahead. And I’m so excited about how the year has started. But those of you who were at the Annual Convention know that it’s not about how you start, it's how you finish.

And it all begins at SMC in San Antonio. The theme for the SMC, and for my entire year as President, is “Lead With Purpose, Serve with Heart.” And to exemplify that theme, we’ve identified the four key pillars of servant leadership, what we called “The 4 E’s” and the acronym IMPACT, which you will hear more about throughout this year.

And I say “we” because this entire SMC wouldn’t be possible without the incredible SMC Planning Team, who helped turn these ideas into reality, so I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of those Planning Team members. The four pillars of “Leading With Purpose and Serving With Heart” are:

1. Teamwork - Anyone who leads with purpose understands that true teamwork means the players care about their teammates (fellow employees) more than they care about their individual success.

2. Chemistry - Good teammates care about each other and don’t point fingers, they are Empathetic, Encouraging, Enthusiastic and show up with Energy and help one another because they have each other’s backs.

3. Humility - "Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking or ourselves less.”

4. Gratitude - Be thankful for what you have and give over the top gratitude to those in our business and personal lives.

We have an incredible lineup of mainstage speakers who all touch on different aspects of these four pillars and I think all attendees will walk away from the SMC with real take-home value that will help them not only improve their company’s bottom line, but help them grow as leaders.

Also, from the stage in Hawaii, we talked about the challenges, disruptors, and opportunities that our industry is facing. This year’s Educational Sessions feature members from across the industry discussing such vital topics as AI, Cybersecurity, Talent Development. Compensation Strategy, Gas Trends and much more. Outside of the National Conferences, GAWDA has also formed a new Technology Committee to tackle these issues head on, as well as formed a slate of webinars that will help GAWDA members address them in their organizations.

I can’t wait to be with you all face-to-face again for this year’s SMC. With such an amazing slate of content and networking, I promise you’ll “Remember the Alamo.” And to get yourself even more primed for this year’s event, download the MSC’s Spotify Playlist for the trip down!

I want to conclude with one of my favorite quotes: “Teamwork – It’s not about me, it’s about we.” WE’VE got a great show planned and WE can’t wait to see you soon!

LEADERS IN INNOVATION

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Engaging Our Members

In my Q4 column, I wrote an article entitled “Building a Strong Member Engagement Strategy to Continuously Improve Our Members’ Experience.” Since that column came out, GAWDA hosted its 2023 Annual Convention in Maui, held our Membership Renewal Drive, planned the 2024 Spring Management Conference in San Antonio, and are nearly finished with the plans for the Annual Convention in Phoenix.

We also locked in our host cities for the 2025 SMC (Dallas), Annual Convention (Tampa), and 2026 AC (Boston) and welcomed our newest Executive Committee Member Kevin Falconer.

None of these actions or decisions are made in a vacuum. We constantly engage and connect with our members to get their feedback in order to enhance your participation, satisfaction, and loyalty. The feedback that we get from members informs our strategic plans. Just in the first half of this year, we’ve begun to form a new volunteer committee to address what our members are telling us is one of the biggest disruptors our industry will face in the coming years, Technology. And our educational sessions and Main Stage presentations at our meetings, including national, regional, and virtual, are tailored toward the topics our members are telling us they want to learn more about.

This year will also see a slew of new webinars based on feedback we have received from members including sessions on:

• Compensation Dashboard

• Artificial Intelligence

• “Behind the Cylinder” from the Safety Committee

• Two In-Person and simulcast Compliance Seminars with our GAWDA Consultants.

We are so excited about all of the exciting developments we have in store for members, not just this year, but in the years to come. We

hope that you continue to derive benefit from your membership in GAWDA and invite all members to provide feedback on areas that we can improve or areas of emphasis that you would be interested in exploring. Below are some of the ways that you can provide that feedback.

• We conduct surveys, polls, and interviews to gather information about our members' needs, interests, and expectations.

• We strive to maintain transparent and consistent communication with our members. We use multiple channels such as emails, the GAWDA Connection newsletters, GAWDA TV segments, the Welding and Gases Today Quarterly Magazine, social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and our association's website to keep members informed about events, updates, and opportunities to get involved.

• We encourage online communities and forums where members can interact, ask questions, and share knowledge, to foster a sense of belonging and encourage engagement.

• We provide opportunities for members to volunteer and actively participate in the association's activities. Some of these activities include our Executive Committee, Board of Directors, our ten standing committees, and event planning committees. Volunteering not only contributes to GAWDA's success but also strengthens the member's connection to industry.

• We focus on building long-term relationships with our members. Continuously engage with them throughout the year and not just during specific events.

Member engagement is an ongoing process. We’re always adopting and evolving our strategy based on feedback and changing member needs. As always, thank you for your support of GAWDA and our industry.

John Ospina is GAWDA’s executive director. He can be reached at GAWDA Headquarters in Hollywood, FL, via telephone at 844-251-3219 or via email at jospina@gawda.org.

Finding ROI

Steve Guglielmo is GAWDA Media’s Editor-in-Chief. He has more than a decade of experience working with industrial associations. He can be reached at steveg@gawdamedia.com.

It’s no mistake that the national conferences are routinely rated as the number one member benefit of trade associations. That is not unique to GAWDA. There are myriad reasons for that. They’re typically held in beautiful resorts in historic cities. They provide days of networking opportunities, both with like-minded distributors as well as with supplier partners and potential partners. They are jam-packed with educational opportunities on topics covering the gamut of industry hot-button issues. And, perhaps more than anything, they provide some space away from the day-to-day routine.

One of my favorite idioms, and certainly something I’ve been accused of more than once, is “losing the forest for the trees.” We get so wrapped up in our daily routine that it becomes easy, at times, to lose sight of the bigger picture. There’s always the next project or the next item on the to-do list. I think SMC and Convention provide a sort of hard reset for members to be able to get away from the “routine” and allow members to work on their business, rather than in their business.

Our CEO, Bill Brod, has a real knack for distilling complex ideas into single soundbites. He’s perhaps the only person I’ve met that loves idioms as much as I do. And one of his favorites is “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” And I think that idea goes hand in hand with the concept of needing that space. SMC and Convention allow us to take a

step-back and examine the “bigger picture.” Gary Halter, in his speech at Convention last year, identified the biggest disruptors that are facing our industry. Those topics informed the topics of this year’s SMC and the Annual Convention later this year in Phoenix. Not every topic will impact every member, but every member will be impacted in some way but at least some of those topics.

Abydee, during her time as President, used to give members homework at these meetings. She used to challenge people with finding that nugget of take-home value that would justify their presence at the meeting. Yes, visiting San Antonio (or, especially, Hawaii last year) could be a wonderful vacation. But we’re still there to work. So, what is the ROI on the time and monetary investment in these meetings? There’s so much information that comes out of these trips. Trying to implement every single new idea that you come across would be like trying to drink out of a fire hose. But if you can identify even one thing that you can take home to positively impact your business, the trip will have paid for itself in spades.

Recently, our company did a strategic retreat. We were together for three days. And they were long, grueling days, the kind where at the end of the day you feel like your brain is mush. But those three days, away from the day-to-day routine and responsibilities, also energized the company and we walked away from it with a renewed vision and focus. And I hope that we’re all flying home from SMC able to say the same thing. We’ll see you there!

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GAWDA CONSULTANTS

Working

Toward

the Greater Good GAWDA’s Consultants discuss their work on regulatory committees and documentation of lessons learned and best practices in their effort to benefit all GAWDA members.

BY TOM BADSTUBNER, MARILYN DEMPSEY, MICHAEL DODD, RICK SCHWEITZER, AND STEVE GUGLIELMO

The GAWDA Consultant Program is a GAWDA member benefit that is included as part of your member dues to the association. It is consistently rated as one of the most valuable member benefits that GAWDA provides. Between the four of them, GAWDA’s consultants bring more than 100 years of industry-specific experience to the association.

Following the forward-looking regulatory column in the Q1 Issue of Welding & Gases Today, this issue we focused more on ongoing process improvements that the consultants and committees continue to implement in their quest to help make GAWDA members safer and more compliant.

Thank you to Tom Badstubner, GAWDA’s FDA and Medical Gases Consultant, Marilyn Dempsey, DHS, EPA and OSHA Consultant, Mike Dodd, DOT Consultant, and Rick Schweitzer, Government Affairs and Human Resources Consultant, for lending their time and expertise to discuss these important topics. The following is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation.

WGT: Is there anything time sensitive or regulation-wise that you’d like to highlight before the SMC?

MIKE DODD: From a DOT standpoint, the only one that comes before the next magazine is the reminder to do their HAZMAT registration by June 30th.

WGT: How often does that happen?

MIKE: It’s done 1, 2, or 3 years at a time. So, it depends on where they stand in their schedule, but it is always due June 30th.

RICK SCHWEITZER: On the Government Affairs side, the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation has CGMP for medical gases and there have been a number of companies that have run into enforcement problems with that agency doing business in Florida. The regulations are difficult to understand, and the licensing requirements, not just for the

GAWDA CONSULTANTS

sellers, but also for their customers, are difficult to understand. There are also a lot of administrative issues that have come up with how to document deliveries. Tom did a tremendous job in organizing a working group of about a dozen different companies. We sent a letter to Walter Copeland, who is the director of the agency in Florida, then we had a virtual meeting with him a couple weeks ago and it was very well received. I am hopeful that we will get a great deal of clarity on this and provide some certainty for members on how they go about documenting their sales. We're trying to get all of what we think we agreed to in writing so we can put that out to members. We're in the follow up part to that meeting.

TOM BADSTUBNER: Thank you, Rick. This project in Florida is a great example of GAWDA members working together to make a difference in their local area. All the participants, including our friends at CGA, collaborated to effectively communicate with the Florida Department of Business Regulation.

I would like to highlight a change in the FDA CARES Act

in submitting your CARES report, please let me know. We can help.

Also, the new CARES reporting “deadlines” have been revised. You have until August 5, 2024, to submit your 2023 medical gas release information. Beginning in 2025, the annual CARES reporting deadline will be March 31 of the following year. (E.g., for the 2024 reporting year, the deadline is 3/31/2025.)

MARILYN: I helped a member company with a risk management program about two years ago. Finally, last month, the EPA conducted their initial inspection of the facility and audited the program; however, it was a very short audit/inspection. Only four hours. The EPA brought two inspectors and two government contractors; they went through a checklist then left. The company said it was like going through a fourhour hurricane

A company, who supplies this company, also had an EPA inspection and it took the supplier company a year to answer all the questions that EPA posed. So, the EPA is active in our

continued on next page

WGT: One of the things I wanted to talk about was this new feature in the monthly Safety Organizers, which is the Lessons Learned column. I think that is a great addition. Can you give me some background behind the idea and, as you've been getting these lessons from members, has there been anything that has surprised any of you?

MIKE: The Safety Committee has been working on lots of things over the past few years. We've updated our topics that we put out and kept those current. And then we started a program where we are doing pictograms. We wanted one simple page pictograms, and we've been doing that for a year or two, now.

This year we wanted to add something else, called Lessons Learned. It is something that has happened to one of our members and we sanitize it, so no one knows who the member was, of course. Basically, it's something that's happened that we want to explain what happened, what we learned from it, and how do we prevent it in the future?

We started this several years ago, and we called it incident sharing, and we didn't get a whole lot of participation in that. That's understandable. People don't like sharing things that

happened to them. At least not everybody does. Some have been good with this. The biggest example of lessons learned, that really shook this industry up a number of years ago was the incident that A-OX shared. That broke the mold a little bit. If you get a company as big as A-OX willing to share something like that, laying themselves all out on the table like they did, I think it got a lot of other people thinking they could do that as well.

We're not so much looking for those great big things like that, it's the little things in life that tend to get us. Our committee members typically will know of an incident, and we’ll talk about something that happened. And we are trying to keep it simple. One page, two pages tops. We thought we'd be able to publish one of these once a month in the Safety Organizer. It's all about keeping someone else from having a problem that others have had.

WGT: If members have something they would be willing to share are you soliciting these?

GAWDA CONSULTANTS

MIKE: Anybody reading this article, if they’ve got a lesson they’d love to share with us, we’d love to hear it. We're doing things that we know about on our own, but if anyone wants to share a topic, please get ahold of someone in the committee or one of the consultants. Trust me, we'll keep it very sanitized, no one will know who it was, unless you want your name associated with the story.

WGT: You mentioned the infographics. How many are you up to now?

Marilyn Dempsey:  We have revised probably 95% of all of the safety practices and 40% now have infographics. These infographics/pictograms are one-page visual aids that can be posted as a quick safety reminder.

WGT: CGA does a really good job doing something similar where they make those safety posters. How do you want the members to use them?

MIKE: The idea is they print them off as big as they want and put them on the employee bulletin board. Those CGA posters are great big posters, and they work great behind the counter, out on the dock, inside the plant. We are focusing more on the employee bulletin board.

TOM: Yes, I agree that the CGA Safety Posters are a great resource. There are eight posters aimed at the end user (Medical Oxygen Safety, Flammable Gas Safety, Liquid Nitrogen Safety, Carbon Dioxide Safety, Dry Ice Safety, etc.) There are also eleven industrial posters aimed at explaining basic safety concepts to those new to handling compressed gases and related equipment (Sleeping Giant, Nesting Cylinders, Gas Separation, Confined Spaces, etc.) See https://www.cganet.com/resources/ safety-posters/

WGT: Tom, you’ve also been covering the Medical Gas SOP Program in the Safety Organizers. Can you discuss that?

TOM: The GAWDA Medical Gas SOP Program is updated whenever there is a change in FDA enforcement or a member requests a process improvement. In addition, we formally reissue the entire set of procedures each year. You can get a fresh set of procedures customized for your exact needs in PDF format. If you have not updated your

SOPs this year, please let me know. We can get the latest SOP document set to you.

WGT: Speaking of the working groups and coalitions, Rick, Rich Gottwald wrote an article for Q1 talking about the CO2 Solutions Coalition. It got me so interested that I interviewed him for the March GAWDA TV episode. GAWDA is a partner in this. From your perspective can you tell me about this CO2 Solutions Coalition?

RICK: It is an educational coalition. We are trying to avoid the law of unintended consequences. The idea of sequestering CO2 as a way to decarbonize the economy can have consequences for users of carbon dioxide, like the beverage industry, food industry and many other users. We want to make sure that there is a meaningful supply available, and that Congress and the federal agencies don't come up with a “climate change solution” that's going to negatively affect the availability of CO2. It's a process of putting together informational material, which has been done, and then having the ongoing series of meetings with Congressional staff members and agency personnel to educate them on how CO2 is used in the economy.

WGT: Mike, in the January Safety Organizer, you wrote about the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which I know has been a major issue since it was launched. Did something happen with that or was it more of a best practices reminder?

MIKE: That was just a best practices reminder. It's amazing, you know Rick and I have been talking about the Clearinghouse now for about four if not five years. And yet, just before this call, I was talking to a new member who didn't know a lot about it. That's the reason why we do a lot of repeat topics. We've got some people that understand and jump on board, but we've also got some people that we have to keep reminding for them to do something about that. We do reminders on an ongoing basis.

WGT: Last year, there were more than 700 downloads of the Sample Safety Practices from the GAWDA Members-Only page, compared to only 522 in 2022. Are you seeing a similar uptick in calls or utilization from members or is it still hovering around the same 1/3 of members that it's always been?

GAWDA CONSULTANTS

MARILYN: The total number of members contacting me isn’t the entire membership, but it is increasing. In 2023, 59% of distributors engaged with the GAWDA Consultants.

As far as frequency of calls, from Thanksgiving to Christmas the number of contacts drop off, but once the New Year begins, the calls pick up – especially since the first quarter of the year is compliance report season!

MIKE: I know Tom and I have talked about it often, it's amazing the small % of members that talk to the consultant. Of all the members that have paid their dues, we only get 25-30% that contact us on any type of basis.

WGT: In their GAWDA TV Segments, Colleen Kohler and Scott Myran referred to “power users” or people who really lean on the consultants a lot. Is that something you’ve noticed?

MIKE: The ones that figure out what we are, who we are and what we do for them, they love it! We just have never figured out how to contact the rest of those who never have contacted us. They'd learn to love us as well.

MARILYN: The companies who do use us, call us fairly regularly because they realize they can ask us a regulatory question instead of having to research the answer themselves.

TOM: Yes, it is so much smoother to reach out to your consultants before an inspector arrives. Nevertheless, we are happy to help at any time.

WGT: In addition to the Safety Calls and being present at the National Meetings, you also host two Compliance Seminars each year and are present at the Regional Meetings. Do you feel that these more intimate settings, where it's 80-100 people, are better for interacting with other people than the national meetings?

MIKE: The national meetings everyone comes over and says hi. We get to make new friendships. We get to introduce ourselves to new people as they're walking around. But yes, when you get down to the seminars and webinars that we do it gets to be more one-on-one and more personal. There's a lot more to learn at those. They get to interact if they come in person with the other members that are there. I think there's more work done at individual webinars and seminars, as opposed to the conversational stuff you see at the national meetings.

MARILYN: They both serve different functions. To tie into what Mike said, when someone physically attends one of the compliance seminars there is a sharing of experiences. These folks get to share and hear about solutions that they could use. Talk about lessons learned!

RICK: The national meetings, there are more distractions there. People come up to the booth and say hi, but it's less likely we'll get involved with longer conversations on substantive issues. The smaller the meeting, and certainly for those who are compliance targeted, you're more likely to be able to break through that barrier with members who haven't contacted the consultants otherwise.

TOM: Completely agree. The Professional Compliance Seminars have another huge benefit to GAWDA members who attend in person. They are able to network with other professionals around the country. Often, the best ideas come from peers who are facing the same challenges.

WGT: Rick, is there anything on the Government Affairs side that you've got cooking with the committee that you're excited about?

RICK: Well, the Department of Transportation has just instituted their semi-annual regulatory agenda a couple weeks ago. They've updated their list of when their regulations are coming out. There are four or five that will impact GAWDA members. The speed limiter proposed rule is supposed to come out in May of 2024 and will apply to all vehicles over 26,000 pounds.

There's a new proposed rulemaking on safety fitness determinations that will come out in June 2025. There are two equipment regulations, one on automatic emergency breaking requirements that will come out in April of 2024 and then a proposal on automated driving systems, which are the regulations on autonomous vehicles that will affect inspection, operations, repair, maintenance, and how you operate a truck without a driver in it. That will come out March 2024. We're still waiting on final regs that will allow the option to drug test oral fluids (saliva) or hair samples. I've talked about this for over a year now and we're waiting on the department of Health & Human Services to finalize both their standards and lab certifications for both of those services.

Lessons Learned: Distracted Driving Accident –It Can Happen to You

GAWDA members share their experiences in their own words.

BY MARILYN R. DEMPSEY, GAWDA DHS/EPA/OSHA CONSULTANT

Marilyn R. Dempsey, Safety Dragons Workplace Consultants, LLC

940-999-8466

marilyn@safetydragons. com.

The following is an excerpt from the GAWDA Safety Organizer, a monthly bulletin sent to GAWDA members. For more information on the GAWDA Safety Organizer, or to read past issues, visit the GAWDA.org Members-Only Section.

AGAWDA member professional CDL driver woke up in the morning and performed his routine morning tasks of eating breakfast with his family and getting ready to go to work. He said goodbye to everyone and said, “see you home tonight.”

Nothing was different from any other workday morning. The driver made it to work at his usual time, clocked in and began to review his route for the day. It appeared to be a typical delivery day. There were no new customers and the route for this day was a common route and road driven many times. The driver performed his normal vehicle inspection on the tractor and cylinder trailer. No deficiencies were identified. The weather forecast called for cooling temperatures and a bit of rain during the day.

It was mid-afternoon, and all deliveries were made successfully.

While driving back to the depot, the temperatures started to drop, and the driver decided to adjust the temperature. While adjusting the heater controls on the dashboard, the driver took his eyes off the road and the vehicle drifted to the

right shoulder. The front right drive tire grabbed the road shoulder and suddenly the vehicle got sucked into the steep berm. The next thing the driver felt was the sliding momentum and seeing the ground in front of him. He thought he could stop the momentum if he put his hands on the ground.

When the sliding momentum stopped, the driver figured out that he was on his side trapped in his vehicle. A witness traveling behind the truck called 911 and emergency responders appeared at the scene within minutes. The only thing the driver could do was disengage his seatbelt. Otherwise, he was stuck in the vehicle and couldn’t exit the vehicle without assistance. The emergency responders were able to free the driver. The driver was transported to the hospital and evaluated. He was diagnosed with a punctured lung, broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, rotator cuff injury, cuts, and abrasions.

Investigation determined that the vehicle initially rolled 180 degrees and slid for a bit while rolling another 90 degrees and coming to rest. While rolling the 180 degrees the roof of the cab was sheared off.

LESSONS LEARNED: Distracted driving doesn’t only pertain to cell phone use.

Other distractions include taking your hands off the steering wheel or your eyes off the roadway to eat or manipulate other vehicle controls. It is imperative to eliminate all distractions while

GAWDA CONSULTANTS

driving and be attentive to the task at hand. If not, an event like this could happen to you. Just talk to this GAWDA member, a professional driver. He didn’t imagine such an event would happen to him, but it did. Just remember, it was an ordinary morning and he said, “see you home tonight”. He didn’t make it home that night. In fact, he spent several nights in the hospital, and it took over 7 months to be released to full duty.

If you have an incident that you’d like to share with fellow GAWDA members in Lessons Learned, please contact a member of GAWDA’s Safety Committee today. The Lessons Learned column will take all necessary precautions to preserve anonymity for your company and your employees.

Pictures are of the vehicle when it came to rest.

Roadside Inspections

BY MICHAEL DODD, GAWDA DOT CONSULTANT

GAWDA DOT & Safety

Consultant

Michael Dodd is president of MLD Safety Associates in Poplar Bluff, MO. Members can reach him at 573-718-2887 and at MLDSafety@hotmail. com.

The following is an excerpt from the GAWDA Safety Organizer, a monthly bulletin sent to GAWDA members. For more information on the GAWDA Safety Organizer, or to read past issues, visit the GAWDA.org Members-Only Section.

ROADSIDE INSPECTIONS §396.9

Authorized state and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officials perform inspections of motor vehicles on the highway and, in certain instances, at terminals. Motor vehicles likely to cause an accident or breakdown will be placed “out of service.” Vehicles declared “out of service” must not be operated, and the "Out

of Service" vehicle sticker shall not be removed until all required repairs have been satisfactorily completed.

PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING THE OSS ORDER

A driver who is convicted of violating an outof-service order shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,100 nor more than $2,750, in addition to disqualification under §383.51(e).

An employer who is convicted of a violation of §383.37(c) shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $2,750 nor more than $11,000.

If a driver operates a CMV and is convicted of…

For a first conviction while operating a CMV, a person required to have a CDL and a CDL holder must be disqualified from operating a CMV for…

(1) Violating a driver or vehicle out-of- service order while transporting nonhazardous materials.

(2) Violating a driver or vehicle out-of- service order while transporting hazardous materials required to be placarded under part 172, subpart F of this title, or while operating a vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver.

No less than 90 days or more than 1 year.

For a second conviction in a separate incident within a 10- year period while operating a CMV, a person required to have a CDL and a CDL holder must be disqualified from operating a CMV for…

No less than 1 year or more than 5 years.

For a third or subsequent conviction in a separate incident within a 10-year period while operating a CMV, a person required to have a CDL and a CDL holder must be disqualified from operating a CMV for…

No less than 3 years or more than 5 years.

No less than 180 days or more than 2 years.

No less than 3 years or more than 5 years.

No less than 3 years or more than 5 years.

ROADSIDE INSPECTION REPORT

When a driver receives an inspection report from the state or FHWA official at a roadside inspection, the regulations specify the following:

• The driver shall deliver the report to the motor carrier upon arrival at the next terminal or facility. If the driver is not scheduled to arrive at a terminal or facility within 24 hours, he/she shall immediately mail the report to the carrier.

• Motor carriers shall correct all defects noted.

• A motor carrier official is to certify on the form that violations have been corrected and mail the completed form to the address shown. This must be done within 15 days following the date of the inspection.

MOTOR CARRIER RETENTION OF REPORT

The motor carrier must retain a copy of the completed form at its principal place of business, or where the vehicle is housed, for 12 months. (I suggest keeping for 2 years because that is how it is kept on the Safety Management System program.)

A recommendation would be to file these in one of two ways.

• Keep the roadside inspection forms in each respective vehicle maintenance file, or

• Keep a separate file folder titled something like “Roadside Inspection Reports” and keep all of them in there. (I like this method the best. It makes it easier to find them later if needed.)

Another recommendation is to staple a copy of any repair invoices to the back of the roadside inspection report if you had to make any repairs and you had to use an outside service to make the repairs. DOT will sometimes review your completed roadside inspection reports and ask for proof of repairs on reports sent in with the certification that the repairs have been completed.

The Right to Know Hazardous Communication Standard Explained.

BY PAUL BERNIER, ASP

Paul Bernier, ASP, is the Safety Products Manager at General Air Service & Supply. He has worked in the welding and gas industry since 1996. Also, Paul is Vice President of Southern Colorado ASSP (American Society of Safety Professionals) Chapter.

Paul can be reached at 719-761-7076 or pbernier@generalair.com

The Hazard Communication (HazCom) Standard ranked as the second most frequently cited violation by OSHA in 2023, with a total of 3,213 citations issued to non-compliant workplaces. In the United States, more than 43 million workers are regularly exposed to hazardous materials, contributing to 15% of all workplace injuries and fatalities, according to OSHA reports.

OSHA's HazCom standard addresses chemical hazards in workplaces and the communication of these hazards to workers. It specifies the responsibility of the chemical manufacturer or importer, as well as employer obligations for implementing the HazCom plan.

Commonly referred to as the "Right to Know Act," the Hazard Communication Standard was established by OSHA in 1983 to ensure the classification of chemical hazards and communication of those hazards as well as appropriate protective measures to employees.

THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE HAZCOM STANDARD ARE:

• Develop and maintain a written HazCom program for the workplace, including a list of hazardous chemicals on-site.

• Maintaining labeling of chemical containers entering or leaving the workplace.

• Updating and maintaining Safety Data Sheets (SDS) accessible to employees.

• Developing and implementing an employee training program regarding hazardous chemicals and protection methods.

THE WRITTEN HAZCOM PLAN MUST INCLUDE:

• List of the known hazardous chemicals present.

• Proper labeling.

• Safety data sheets.

• Employee training.

• Program implementation.

Essentially, chemical manufacturers or distributors are required to inform companies of hazards known to be present concerning the chemical through appropriate labeling and SDS’s present, while employers must promptly notify employees of these hazards upon initial start of work and provide necessary training on hazard awareness and protective measures. Additionally, training must be provided in the event of any changes.

Regarding labeling, OSHA adopted the Global Harmonized System (GHS) for hazard communication in 2012. The GHS, an internationally recognized standard, simplifies hazard communication by providing uniform labels worldwide. These labels consist of:

• Product identifier

` In bold letters, what is inside.

• Signal Word

` This is simple, either DANGER (more severe) or WARNING (less severe).

• Hazard Statement

` Describes the nature of the hazard, such as, extremely flammable and toxic if inhaled, causes damage to kidneys if prolonged exposure.

• Pictogram

` An easy to identify image for everyone, with red triangle outlining it. (see image on next page)

PRACTICES

• Precautionary Statement

` Advises worker on actions needed to prevent or minimize effects of hazard, such as, “wear eye protection” or “wear respiratory protection.”

• Name, address and telephone number

` Of manufacturer or importer or distributor

Moreover, OSHA mandates that labels be legible and affixed to all containers, including secondary containers, to ensure clarity and safety in handling hazardous materials.

SDSs accompany hazardous chemicals and outline their dangers, safe handling procedures, and proper disposal methods. The standardized SDS format comprises 16 sections, covering essential information such as chemical identification, hazard identification, first aid measures, and regulatory information.

Safety Data Sheets (SDS), formally known as MSDS sheets, are sheets that now provide detailed chemical information and conform to GHS standards. The SDS’s must accompany hazardous chemicals and outline their dangers, safe handling procedures, and proper disposal of a chemical or hazardous substance. The SDS is composed of 16 sections in the same order every time.

continued on next page

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SAMPLE LABEL IMAGE

The GHS SDS follows this format of 16 sections

• Chemical identification

• Hazard identification

• Composition information

• First Aid measures

• Firefighting measures

• Accidental release measures

• Handling and storage

• Exposure controls / personal protection (PPE)

• Physical and chemical properties

• Stability and reactivity

• Toxicological information

• Ecological information

• Disposal considerations

• Transport Information

• Regulatory Information

• Other information

Lines 12-15 are not mandatory by OSHA because they are governed by different agencies. (i.e. ecological information is governed by the EPA, and transportation by the DOT.)

Many OSHA violations occur due to employers' failure to update SDSs with the latest information or provide timely and adequate training to employees. Comprehensive training is imperative and must include various topics, including SDS comprehension, proper labeling procedures, detection of possible release, health and physical dangers and effects, understanding of personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, etc.

When a chemical hazard is present and PPE is required, we can supply these items and help protect our customer’s employees from sicknesses, injuries, and death. They will need protection from spills, inhalation, injection, absorption and burns that could happen when working with or around hazardous chemicals. These items can include proper gloves, face shields, chemical suits, respirators, air monitors, proper boots, etc. Providing our customers with proper PPE builds a more solid commitment to their safety and better our relationship.

Ask Your Board of Directors Ask

The purpose of Ask Your Board is to ask common business questions that all GAWDA members might be dealing with and to see how GAWDA’s Board of Directors are dealing with these issues within their own companies. To submit a question for GAWDA’s Board Members to consider, please email steveg@gawdamedia.com

Questions:

In keeping with the SMC theme, what is the song on your playlist right now that you’re most enjoying?

(Favorite song of the moment)

ROI ROI

What is the biggest actionable takeaway you’ve gotten from a GAWDA Program? Can you point to specific ROI or how this takeaway tangibly impacted your business?

PRESIDENT GARY HALTER

Indiana Oxygen Company

I am listening to a couple of songs frequently right now. One is from an early 90s group called Airbourne and the song is “Back in the Game.” The second one is from Rocky movie fame by Bill Conti, and it is called “Going the Distance.” Of course, I cannot mention a song from my playlist without mentioning AC/DC – from their most recent album, Power Up, and the song is called “Through the Mists of Time.”

The most beneficial takeaway for me has come from the SMC and Annual Convention Planning Sessions. It would come under the heading of AI, and it is ChatGPT. We are finding ways to use ChatGPT internally to write product descriptions, newsletters, job descriptions and, in some cases, for inter-company presentations, as well as ideas for customer letters and external speeches. And once you input your question or topic, ChatGPT will have a written response within minutes and most likely within seconds.

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT ALLISON EARLBECK

Earlbeck Gases & Technologies

This winter, I’ve had Shakey Graves on repeat. Word of Mouth is my current favorite.

One of the biggest benefits of GAWDA is our consultants. As a small independent company, this puts us on a level playing field with larger players in terms of best practices for safe handling, filling, storage, and transportation of gases. Navigating the web of regulations that govern compressed gases can be daunting, but our consultants have assisted us in staying compliant and staying safe, and more specifically, have assisted when audits come up. Tom or Mike are my first calls whenever an inspector walks in the door!

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT KEVIN FALCONER

Minneapolis Oxygen

I’ve been enjoying anything by Eilen Jewel lately. She’s easy listening for travel and wind-down time. If you care to try, I suggest “Witness” or “Back to Dallas (Live version)” as an introduction.

The consultants are always adding value to our operation, continuously

GAWDA BOARD

challenging us to improve our day-today safety in the plant, delivery vehicles and record keeping. Having them at our disposal when a DOT or FDA audit pops up is invaluable. I remember a Bob Ewing presentation titled “Staple Yourself to An Order,” which helped us really focus on order accuracy for our customers. Also, the A-OX team drove home the importance of safety around filling and storing propane with their presentation at the 2019 SMC. That presentation prompted us to conduct a safety audit around propane and the storage of those cylinders and others. Deepak Malholtra’s presentation on negotiation helped me reconsider how I approach deals and negotiations and I brought that back to our team for a lively discussion.

FIRST PAST PRESIDENT ROBERT ANDERS

Holston Gases, Inc.

Not really one particular song but definitely one particular band – anything by the Allman Brothers.

At the SMC in Philadelphia, our HR speaker Colene Rogers introduced the idea of producing an employee recruitment video utilizing current employees talking about their experiences at your business. Real-life experiences that

Ask Your GAWDA BOARD

potential employees could relate to. When I got home, we created a short video that we now have on our website as well as other media outlets. We have had very positive feedback, with some new employees stating that it was one of the factors that led them to choose Holston Gases.

VICE PRESIDENT RAFAEL ARVELO

Equigas, Inc.

I’m a big 80’s fan, so I got stuck in time. So, the song that always gets me going while I’m training or simply testing a new set of headphones or speakers is “Back in Black.” Now, if you really want to know what I love to hear, this is it: AC/ DC, Yes, Rush, Guns N’ Roses, Boston, Eagles, The Police, The Cure, and, for the most updated band… I love Greta Van Fleet!

When your mind gets fully recharged from motivational speakers that we listen to during our yearly gatherings such as the SMC, Annual, and/or Regional Meeting, you go back with the to-do-list to share and to cultivate these learnings within your team. You get to witness the positive impact on your team, reflected in the quarterly/annual results by hitting the forecast for six years in a row, that is, for sure, the most tangible takeaway for EQUIGAS.

VICE PRESIDENT BRAD DUNN

CK Supply

Currently celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs’ repeat Super Bowl win by listening to Taylor Swift’s entire catalogue.

GAWDA has a wide variety of offerings in which all of our members can find benefit to improve their organizations. In recent years, I have found significant benefit from the live Safety Meetings, as well as our Safety Consultants and our partnership with the CGA. We have utilized Mike Dodd for quick phone calls with questions, as well as on-site training in our fill plant and recertification plant which has been a tremendous asset and ROI. I encourage everyone to participate in GAWDA! Start by reviewing the GAWDA website offerings, join a committee or register for a regional or annual event.

VICE PRESIDENT NICOLE KISSLER

Norco

If you were to review my current playlist, it includes “Let it Go” by Idina Menzel, “Who Let the Dogs Out?” by Baha Men, and “ROCK In the USA” by John Mellencamp because those are my kid’s (Grace, 3 and Jameson,

6) favorite songs, and they control my playlist at this stage in my life, as well as knowing how to play them via our Alexa enabled devices! My favorite song is “Hey Pretty Girl” by Kip Moore because it was our wedding song.

Having attended GAWDA events for the past 10 years, it would be too hard to identify the biggest actionable takeaway, but I can say there have been significant take aways for me from the Annual Conventions, attending the SMC and regional meetings, and reaching out to the consultants. We’ve made strategic decisions based on things we have learned from attending the meetings, and those have positively impacted our business. We’ve been able to identify vendors at these meetings that have brought sizable cost savings to our company and helped us operate more efficiently.

VICE PRESIDENT SCOTT RUMMANS

Linde, Inc.

The “Paw Patrol Theme Song” – with two young kids, it plays regularly in our car. Not a bad song, will stay with you most of the morning.

Scan the QR code to watch the Holston Gases employee recruitment video

Ask Your

GAWDA BOARD

At the last few SMC/AC meetings, GAWDA has had an underlying theme related to our people and their future. That theme has been discussed in various Educational Sessions, Keynote speeches and written material. The ideas shared at these events have helped us shape and inform some of our retention strategies, employee value propositions and thoughts on succession planning. We can measure those benefits in many ways, but keeping our team motivated and developing their skills sets for the future has been invaluable.

VICE PRESIDENT LIZ STANDLEY

ILMO Products Company

My top song on Spotify right now is “Baby I'm Yours” by Arctic Monkeys. This will be the first dance song at my wedding this fall, so it has lot of plays!

We were able to bring more managers to the St. Louis SMC. Our Director of Production had a great conversation with a vendor during the Contact Booth Program about cylinder retesting equipment. Because of that conversation, and follow up research we did after the conference, we invested in a cylinder retest machine. It has allowed us to have more control over downtime for our cylinders when they are out of test. We have to send far less cylinders out for third parties to retest, so we are able to utilize our assets more efficiently.

VICE PRESIDENT JOHN HILL

Willard C. Starcher

This is an easy one. I don’t have a play list. I do not have a clue how that works on my phone. I must have skipped out to the bar when the “Young Professionals” were teaching the class to the “old folks.” Fifty years ago, I was very fond of Blood Sweat & Tears, Chicago, The Association, and Three Dog Night.

Our biggest actionable takeaway has been a major improvement in our propane procedures. GAWDA consultants have highlighted propane safety at Conventions, SMC’s, Consultant Seminars, and on-site visits. I cringe when I think of some of our old filling and shipping techniques. We were extremely lucky we did not have an accident or get someone hurt.

GAWDA has a wide variety of offerings in which all of our members can find benefit to improve their organizations.

Committee Corner Corner COMMITTEE

As part of its continued push to help GAWDA members get the most out of their membership dues in the association and stay on the front lines of emerging industry trends and hot-button issues, GAWDA has several volunteer committees devoted to specific areas of the industry. The volunteer committees include Government Affairs, Human Resources, Industry Partnering, Insurance Trustees, Leadership Development, Member Services, Safety, Women of Gases and Welding, Young Professionals and, coming soon, Technology.

This feature in Welding & Gases Today will update readers on the latest news and events from each committee. We thank all the committee chairs for their help and input as well as their service to the association and its members.

If you are interested in enhancing your GAWDA experience and joining a committee, visit gawda.org/about/committees to fill out a GAWDA volunteer form today.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Co-Chair Chuck Beal, American Welding & Gas

Co-Chair Rick Schweitzer, GAWDA Legal Counsel

The GAWDA Government Affairs Committee will meet in-person with the Safety Committee during the GAWDA Spring Management Conference in San Antonio. The Government Affairs Committee continues to work on its primary priorities.

• The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has a number of unclear requirements for

distributors of medical gases and their customers including registration and documentation of transactions. The fines for noncompliance in Florida are substantially higher than in all other states. Tom Badstubner and a working group of GAWDA members held a videoconference meeting with the DBPR Commissioner Walter Copeland to clarify what is actually required under the regulations and how to comply. The group has submitted a follow up letter to the DBPR Commissioner to set out the issues and points that were agreed upon during the meeting.

• The regulatory agenda for the Federal Trade Commission indicates that the Commission’s final rule on its proposal to ban non-compete agreements for former employees is under staff review. This implies that a final rule is not imminent. GAWDA filed comments on the proposal in April 2023. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has stated it will challenge any final rule in court claiming the agency does not have specific authority from Congress to implement this requirement.

• The FTC also issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking in November 2022 to address certain deceptive or unfair acts or practices relating to fees that are attached to the purchase of goods or services. On October 11, 2023, the Commission announced that it was publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking to promulgate a rule on unfair or deceptive fees, which would prohibit misrepresenting the total costs of goods and services by omitting mandatory fees from advertised prices and misrepresenting the nature and purpose of fees. The ANPRM noted the FTC was concerned about “junk fees” (no added value) and “hidden fees” (not disclosed to the consumer).

• A lawsuit was filed in federal court (S.D. Ohio) challenging the civil pen-

alty procedures at PHMSA/DOT. The suit claimed the Administrative Law Judges who hear penalty cases and the Chief Safety Officer who hears appeals are PHMSA employees but should be appointed by and subject to removal by the President. The complaint also alleged a violation of due process for this inherent conflict of interest where the agency both prosecutes and hears the enforcement actions. PHMSA filed a motion to dismiss but has also withdrawn the underlying penalty case, citing “enforcement discretion.” The lawsuit has been dismissed by stipulation of the parties. A case involving similar issues at the Securities and Exchange Commission was heard last month before the U.S. Supreme Court, and that decision will likely affect the

enforcement procedures at DOT and many other federal agencies.

• The U.S. Department of Labor issued a final rule, which goes into effect on March 11, revising the guidance on when a worker is considered an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The new rule (which was previously in place before the Trump Administration revised the standards) uses six factors to determine a worker’s status, but no factor is weighted higher than the others. The factors are:

` Opportunity for profit or loss depending on managerial skill;

` Investments by the worker and the potential employer

` The degree of permanence of the work relationship;

` The nature and degree of control;

` The extent to which the work performed is an integral part of the potential employer’s business; and

` Skill and initiative of the worker.

• The Department of Labor has also issued a proposed rule to revise Fair Labor Standards Act exemptions from minimum wage and overtime pay requirements for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer employees. The proposed revisions include increasing the standard salary level to $1,059 per week ($55,068 annually for a full-year worker) and increasing the highly compensated employee total annual compensation threshold to the annualized weekly earnings of the 85th percentile of full-time salaried workers nationally ($143,988). The Department is also proposing to add an automatic updating mechanism to adjust these earnings thresholds every three years. A final rule is expected in mid-2024.

• The Department of Transportation’s latest List of Significant Rulemakings indicates the following expected target dates for rulemakings:

• Speed Limiting Devices. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to issue a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in May 2024. This will replace a 2016 proposed rule issued by FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The new SNPRM will consider whether motor carriers operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more, whichever is greater, that are equipped with an electronic engine control unit capable of governing the maximum speed be required to limit the CMV to a speed to be determined

The “Best in Show” presented by IPC will be an annual program run during the Contact Booth Program at the Spring Management Conference each year.

by the rulemaking and to maintain that setting for the service life of the vehicle.

• Motor Carrier Safety Fitness Procedures. In an August 2023 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FMCSA sought information on how it might use data and resources more effectively to identify unfit motor carriers and to remove them from operating CMVs. FMCSA asked for information about the use of available safety data, including inspection data, in determining carrier fitness to operate; possible changes to the current three-tier safety fitness rating structure; and the list of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations that it uses in its safety fitness rating methodology. The agency is now planning to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in June 2025.

• Automated Driving Systems. FMCSA intends to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in March 2024 to amend certain Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to provide for the safe introduction of automated driving systems (ADS)equipped commercial motor vehicles onto public roadways. The proposed changes will affect CMV operations, inspection, repair, and maintenance regulations and will recognize the difference between human operators and ADS. FMCSA held listening sessions beginning in 2017 and published a 2018 request for comments on which of its regulations might be

a barrier to the safe testing and use ADS-equipped CMVs.

• Automatic Emergency Braking Systems. FMCSA and NHTSA plan to issue a Final Rule in April 2024 to require and/or standardize equipment performance for automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on heavy trucks. The rulemaking will establish performance standards and motor carrier maintenance requirements for AEB systems on heavy trucks and accompanying test procedures for measuring the performance of the AEB systems in NHTSA compliance testing. NHTSA and FMCSA have engaged in a national outreach, educational, and awareness campaign, and data collection analysis which included training materials for fleets, drivers, and maintenance personnel related to AEB technology.

• Hazardous Materials Modal Safety Advancements. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration plans to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in May 2024 to adopt a number of modal specific amendments intended to enhance the safe transportation of hazardous materials. PHMSA has consulted with FMCSA, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the United States Coast Guard to propose amendments identified during departmental review and from industry petitions for rulemaking.

INDUSTRY PARTNERING COMMITTEE

The Industry Partnering Committee introduced the newly formed “Best in Show” Award during the 2023 GAWDA Annual Convention in Hawaii. The “Best in Show” presented by IPC will be an annual program run during the Contact

Booth Program at the Spring Management Conference each year. The inaugural award will be presented during the 2024 SMC. Representatives from the IPC and GAWDA HQ staff will survey exhibitors during the Contact Booth Program and determine the “Best in Show” based on a checklist determining professionalism and presentation. To learn more about the Best in Show Award, check out the March 1st Episode of GAWDA TV, where co-chairs Justin Johnson and Terry Scanlan discussed the program.

Aside from the Best in Show, the Committee continues to work on its other primary objectives, including:

• To promote the AWS/WEMCO Excellence in Welding Award – Distributor Category

800.4 88.8816

Co-Chair Justin Johnson, Keen Compressed Gas

Co-Chair Terry Scanlan, Messer

presented by IPC

• Nominations were considerably up in 2023 from previous years, and the AWS did not need to extend the nomination deadline. Nominations will be considered and awards ready to be announced at the GAWDA Annual Convention.

• To Promote and Encourage Distrib-

utor Participation in the SMC and Annual Convention Contact Booth Program

• Completed a list of “Best Practices for Attending a Trade Show” which formed the basis for the “Best in Show” Award.

• Created a “Do’s and Don’ts while

INSURANCE AND BENEFITS COMMITTEE

The former Insurance Trustees Committee has changed its name to the Insurance and Benefits Committee and introduced a new mission statement: The purpose of the Insurance and Benefits Committee is to ensure our members have access to quality and comprehensive insurance products at the lowest possible cost for all of their business needs. The Committee will work towards having the most current insurance and benefit offerings possible and market them to the members.

The Committee also introduced its new co-chair, Liz Letke from The Horton Group.

Co-Chair Liz Letke also participated in an interview for the October 15th, 2023, Episode of GAWDA TV discussing the new Ancillary Benefits Program.

MEMBER SERVICES COMMITTEE

attending the Contact Booth Program” video series during the 2023 SMC that ran during the 2023 Annual Convention in Hawaii during the rollout of the “Best in Show” award.

• Continue to support and sponsor “Networking 360” program at the 2024 Annual Meeting

Transition from Trust Plan to Updated GAWDA Benefits Plan

• Horton’s plan that was proposed at the 2023 SMC was discussed and unanimously approved by the Executive Committee on 5/16/2023

• Since the updated program began on 7/1/23, GAWDA members have saved over $120k and currently 45 member companies are participating

• The updated GAWDA Benefits Program is a 10% rate reduction on dental, vision, life, disability while matching plan design, with rate guarantees, and benefits technology available through Employee Navigator.

During the 2023 Annual Convention in Maui, the Member Services Committee announced that John Tapley had replaced Rick Young as co-chair of the MSC. The Committee thanks Rick for his years of tireless service as co-chair.

The committee will meet in person during the 2024 SMC in San Antonio. In the leadup to the SMC, the committee worked with GAWDA HQ and GAWDA Media to launch a “What’s on Your Playlist” promotion, in recognition of this year’s musical theme. The “What’s on Your Playlist” video will appear in the April 1st Episode of GAWDA TV and a Spotify playlist of member responses will be distributed by GAWDA in the “Know Before You Go” email ahead of the SMC, so that members can listen to the playlist on the trip in.

Co-Chair Dan Kipka, Oxygen Service Company

Co-Chair Liz Letke, The Horton Group

Co-Chair Ben Black, Butler Gas Products

Co-Chair John Tapley, Chart Industries

The MSC continues to place a heavy emphasis on growing its subcommittees. The committee’s major activities include:

Engagement Subcommittee –Co-Chaired by Colleen Kohler and Peter Kaduc

• A four-part interview series with Engagement Subcommittee Co-Chair Colleen Kohler interviewing former MWSCO President Scott Myran aired on GAWDA TV. Colleen will continue to interview GAWDA members and consultants for these segments during the 2024 SMC.

• The Committee continues its Social Media efforts using GAWDA’s LinkedIn page.

• The Subcommittee continues its work to develop a webinar platform targeting smaller distributors who struggle to attend SMC, annual meeting or regional meetings. The webinar will provide specific topics of interest and help to engage members.

Lead Generation Subcommittee

- Chaired by Matt Cavalier

• The Lead Generation Subcommittee is focused on recruiting nonGAWDA companies who are part of other buying groups and may be prospects for GAWDA.

• Each subcommittee member was assigned a list of target prospects to generate warm leads for GAWDA HQ to pursue for membership.

• Talking points were created for prospects and to qualify leads.

The Member Services committee worked with GAWDA HQ and GAWDA Media to launch a “What’s on Your Playlist” promotion, in recognition of this year’s musical theme. A Spotify playlist of member responses will be distributed by GAWDA in the “Know Before You Go” email ahead of the SMC.

continued on next page

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COMMITTEE

Co-Chair Jim Herring, SafTCart

Co-Chair Bill Woods, American Welding & Gas

SAFETY COMMITTEE

The Safety Committee met at the Annual Convention to review the documents produced throughout the year listing the nine pictograms along with two new sample practices, all of which have been published on the GAWDA website under Members-Only Documents. The group discussed our path forward with continued pictograms along with sample practices as topics arise from the membership. We did decide to resurrect an only incident sharing format under the auspices of "Lessons Learned." See page 20.

In the past, we have asked GAWDA members to share their incidents and accidents with little success. Now we are tasking each subcommittee to generate a topic for Lessons Learned along with

creating a pictogram to accompany an existing sample practice. The Lessons Learned topic will be a personal experience of some incident that happened at a member’s location which will then evolve over time to get to the point of a sanitized lesson which can be shared with the GAWDA membership and hopefully, help save some company from a similar fate—no subject is out of bounds on this one.

We believe this new approach will foster more participation as the lessons each company has had to learn the hard way and educate those who have yet to learn—again, we shall see where this takes the committee as we strive for more interesting content to share with the GAWDA membership.

WOMEN OF GASES AND WELDING COMMITTEE

Co-Chair Judy Miller, WESCO Gas & Welding Supply

Co-Chair Sue Reiter, Air Products & Chemicals

The Women of Gases and Welding (WGW) committee continues work toward our mission objectives through personal and professional development as well as educational and networking opportunities. The WGW continues its Virtual Networking meetings with its third event on April 3rd. The Virtual Networking Events are a great, easy way to learn a little more about fellow members and the companies they represent and gain knowledge about how to support attendees’ personal and professional development. These free, one-hour long virtual video chats are open to any female professional that works for a GAWDA Member company. The next virtual meeting will be held in the Fall.

During the 2024 SMC, the WGW will hold a meet and greet event. Join us for a short meeting before all the fun kicks off at the GAWDA Spring Management

Conference. This annual networking event is a favorite among the GAWDA women not to mention the “take-home” value on what’s happening in our industry! The event is a great opportunity to learn more about the WGW Committee, exchange business cards, and learn how you can get involved and be supported within WGW.

During the Annual Convention in Phoenix, the WGW and Young Professionals Committees will hold a Pickleball Tournament at the world-class Pickleball Center at the JW Marriott Hotel. With 17 lighted courts, there will be plenty of space for both group and one-on-one instruction with a certified pickleball instructor and players of all caliber! WGW events traditionally sell out quickly, so sign up as soon as registration opens later this summer.

Co-Chair Andy Riordan, American Welding & Gas

Co-Chair Edward Leon, Cryogenic Industrial Solutions

The Young Professionals Committee hosted two events during the Annual Convention in Maui. The Committee hosted a Technical Workshop with Keynote Speaker Galen Emanuele and co-hosted a three-hour boat excursion with the WGW Committee. The event was sold out and gave attendees an incredible networking opportunity.

Also, during the Annual Convention, it was announced that long-time YP Committee co-chair Cody Patrick would be stepping down from his role as Co-Chair and replaced by Edward Leon from Cryogenic Industrial Solutions. We thank Cody for his years of service to the committee! It was also announced that Marie Ratermann would be taking over as the Networking & Event Planning Subcommittee chair while Kelly Gentry would become the new Outreach, Educational & Development Subcommittee chair.

During the 2024 SMC in San Antonio, the YP Committee will host a Lunch

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS COMMITTEE

and Learn with GAWDA President Gary Halter on Friday, April 19th from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Gary will share insights on his career path, leadership style, and approach to motivating a team. It will be an interactive session between Gary and attending young and emerging professionals for questions and answers. Following the lunch & learn will be the return of the Industry Scavenger Hunt, this year with a new twist! We’ve incorporated Legends of the industry this year! Join a team of young professionals partnered with a “legend of the industry” as you embark from the hotel by foot on a 90-minute scavenger hunt around San Antonio. Not only will you see the sights

of the city, but you will also learn from the legends of our industry along the way. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and get ready for a fun time! The scavenger hunt will end at the hotel lobby bar. Hang out and enjoy a drink while networking amongst the legends and the YP’s. We encourage all GAWDA members to swing by and say hello! (Cash bar) The goal of this event is to bridge the gap between the wonderful generations of our industry. $55 per person.

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Large Enough to Serve,

Small Enough to Care

WestAir Gases has grown by leaps and bounds since 1970 but still retains the tenets of a small family-owned business.

BY STEVE GUGLIELMO

In 1970, WestAir founder Andy Castiglione was working for National Cylinder Gas as an outside sales representative in San Diego. He was very successful but found himself disillusioned with the level of service that the company was providing for its customers. Recognizing that customers craved improved customer care, Andy and his wife Sue decided to strike out on their own and opened San Diego Welders Supply.

“It was just the two of them,” says CEO Steve Castiglione. “Dad was on the sales and mom answered the phones and did a little bit of bookkeeping. At that time, they didn’t have any money or resources to purchase cylinders, so they

focused on the hardgoods market.”

Andy’s knowledge and reputation in the industry, combined with his vision of providing the most exceptional customer service, along with San Diego’s burgeoning ship building markets, allowed San Diego Welders Supply to survive those early years.

Sales began to grow, and the company was able to quickly expand, hiring like-minded employees who embodied the company’s philosophy of special, one-on-one customer service.

“My dad and mom grew the business through their relationships that they had in Mexico and ship building,” Steve says. “That was how they got their foundation and how they really got started.”

EXPANDING BEYOND HARDGOODS

In 1980, Andy and Sue’s son, Steve Castiglione joined the company. Prior to joining the business, Steve worked as a welder in the San Diego shipyards. Around this time, San Diego Welders Supply began dipping its toes into the packaged gas markets. Andy was very familiar with the market and well-connected from his time with NCG. But the company didn’t have the capital when it first opened to operate in that industry.

“As time went on and the company grew, we opened up a second location and got into cylinders,” Steve says. “We used Air Liquide for our cylinders and bought cylinder gas products from Air

Liquide. In the late 80’s, Air Liquide had a contract for their location in San Diego that wasn’t going well for them, so they asked us if we would like to take over that location and their business in San Diego. That gave us our second location.”

Upon deciding that the packaged gas industry was one they wanted to build on, San Diego Welders Supply began investing in that side of the business.

THIRD-GENERATION OWNERS

“Our customer base was primarily smaller customers and that helped build a base,” Steve recalls. “As that grew, we opened more locations, and started putting more focus on our gas products.”

He continues, “We began to buy our own cylinders, financing them through Wells Fargo at a 15% interest rate. We put in a small lab for doing basic specialty gases. We put in a small fill plant

and then eventually moved it to a larger location.”

And then, in the early 2000’s, Andy decided to retire.

“My dad decided that it was time to retire, and he turned the business over to me,” says Steve. “And my focus was more

ANDY CASTIGLIONE

CHRIS CASTIGLIONE

STEVE AND ANDY CASTIGLIONE

GAWDA DISTRIBUTOR

Member Profile

gas-related and less on the hardgoods side.”

By now the company was well-established in San Diego and had built a reputation for customer service and being able to fulfill its customers’ needs quickly, efficiently and with integrity.

“We realized at that time, that our name was no longer appropriate for who we wanted to be. We no longer wanted to be a welding supply company,” Steve says. “We wanted to be an industrial gas company. And so, we changed to our current name, WestAir Gases.”

He continues, “We started focusing our attention on gas products. We began buying our own tube trailers, transports, and bulk tanks. We were one of the first companies to get into the microbulk business with Chart. We saw a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on new market share that was available through microbulk. We took the risk and it’s been very rewarding.”

This has been a hallmark of the newly christened WestAir Gases. It is willing and able to be on the bleeding edge when it sees opportunities to expand to new markets and segments. And it’s comfortable being an early adopter and taking the long view when it senses potential market shifts.

And it is also willing to expand through partnerships and acquisitions. In 2013, WestAir expanded into the North Texas market through an acquisition of Ward Welding, based in Springtown, TX. The next year, the company acquired Texas Welders Supply and Melo's Gas & Gear. Those acquisitions gave WestAir two locations in Texas as well as six more retail locations in California, along with another high-pressure pumping facility and acetylene plant.

Today, WestAir operates in 18 different locations, with five-cylinder gas facilities and one lab producing EPA protocols and hydrocarbon blends, and 290 employees.

COMMITMENT TO SERVICE

Though WestAir has grown far beyond its roots as San Diego Welders Supply, it still operates on the same tenets that it did when Andy and Sue were a two-man band. The company has grown strategically, partnering with companies who share its devotion to independence and exceptional customer service. And across its 18 locations and nearly 300 members, the company is still united under the banner of “Large Enough to Serve, Small Enough to Care.”

The company continues to be a family company, with Steve serving as CEO, while his sons, Andy Castiglione (Regional Vice President) and Chris Castiglione (Energy Specialist) serve as third-generation owners.

“My dad was always big on service. We like to refer to it as seamless service,” says Steve. “We want to be a support vehicle for our customers, we don’t want to be a problem for them. That’s been our competitive advantage in the marketplace. Providing top-notch service. Culturally, our employees know that our customers are number one, and we need to do our very best in taking care of them.”

WestAir’s vision is to be the best and most respected independent distributor of gases and equipment, and the company knows that in order to do that, it must provide the best customer service, with well-trained, courteous employees, providing customer solutions, guided by hands-on leadership.

The company’s “Commitment to Customer Service” is summarized in 12 points on the company’s website:

• Do what you say you’re going to do

• Greet guests immediately upon arrival

• Refreshments offered to all our guests

• Well stocked locations

• Answer all telephones by the third ring

• Maximum customer hold time is 20 seconds

• Respond to all inquiries within one hour

• First person who makes contact, owns the experience

• Will-calls ready within 30 minutes

• Same day delivery service available

• Cylinders maintained above industry standards

• The highest standard of professionalism from our employees, vehicles and all facilities.

“Our grandpa did an amazing job of building a foundation for our company to grow,” says Andy Castiglione. “And then our dad came in and focused on gases. We really have put a focus on controlling our own destiny and providing that seamless service to our customers. To do that, we needed to take control of our own destiny and have been investing in bulk transports so we can go to the spigot, pick up the gases and then deliver them to our customers or bring them back to our packaged gas facilities. When you take that seamless service on the gas distribution side and you couple it with technology such as telemetry and cylinder bar coding, which provides information such as cylinders delivered and received back and know where they're at, when they went out, who signed for them, and what PO they used, those little differentiators give us a competitive advantage because we can offer better service, we’re more reliable, and we're easier to do business with than our competitors. We recognize we don’t have a national presence, but we do feel like we have a competitive advantage in the regional markets that we service through our customer service and investment in technologies.”

THE NEXT 50 YEARS

54 years after Andy and Sue Castiglione opened the doors, WestAir continues to thrive. As they say, past is prologue. The company has itself well positioned to continue to grow in its quest to be the best and most respected independent distributor of gases and equipment. Built on the tenets of customer service that Andy and Sue instilled in the company and always willing to be on the leading edge of the next frontier, WestAir refuses to sit on its laurels and remains forward looking.

“We see a tremendous opportunity for WestAir to participate in the Hydrogen mobility market and other parts of the industrial market,” Steve says. “We hired a consultant about six months ago to help us identify what that market will look like and where we might be able to participate. We’ve made great progress with that. We’ve purchased several hydrogen tube trailers in the past year and are purchasing more now.”

Andy Castiglione adds, “In California alone, aerospace is huge, life science, beverage, the metal fabrication market is significant, food (agricultural, grows for lettuce, food packaging, dairy, cheese) the list goes on. There is so much opportunity in California. In five years, we'd like to cover the entire state and be able to outcompete our competitors through service and technology offerings.”

In addition to its M&A growth, WestAir has always been very good at forming relationships within the industry. Today, Steve Castiglione serves as the chairman for IWDC. The company is a staple at GAWDA meetings. And the company is also an active member in the BIG Group and Trend Leaders.

Says Steve, “All four of those organizations have been instrumental in helping us get to where we’ve gotten today. GAWDA is very important to us, and we primarily use it for relationship-build-

ing with our major vendors. The IWDC is important to us because it allows us to purchase through the co-op at very competitive pricing, but also gives us the ability to participate in round table discussions and talk to other distributors about the industry issues occurring or opportunities in the industry and we can all collaborate on that. And in the BIG Group and Trend Leaders we do a lot of information sharing, trying to keep up

with technology, marketing opportunities, things of that nature.”

Concludes third-generation owner Chris Castiglione, “Over the last 54 years, many things have changed, and many things have stayed the same. It’s impossible to predict how the industry or business will evolve over the next 50 years. But we can be certain that we will continue to focus on providing excellent products and services to our customers.

Hercules ™ Automated MIG Welding System Offers Distributors Differentiated Welding Technology

Productivity-enhancing system brought to you by Miller, Hobart Filler Metals and Tregaskiss

Every aspect of welding is a package deal. For quality welds, you need the right gas and wire for the job, as well as the appropriate torch and complementary components. To protect the welder, you need safety gear like gloves, a helmet and a jacket. To do it right, you need a bundle of products. The same goes for your customers. They need the right bundle of products to get the job done. And to build and maintain your relationship with them, you need to offer value with the right combination to help them effectively and efficiently meet their production demands. It takes the right package for both you and your customers to benefit — and profit — from the relationship. That’s what the Hercules™ Automated MIG Welding System offers.

SELL CONCEPTS

The idea of selling packages versus single products is an age-old retail technique. In stores, it’s common to see displays that present the customers with opportunities to bundle and add value, just like selling a bundle of welding equipment or PPE to your customers. The result? Multiple sales to one customer. It’s easier to sell to the same customer multiple times than to add to your customer base. Applying these concepts branch by branch can produce a nice sales lift and build your relationship with your customers.

A POWERFUL PREMIUM CONCEPT

ITW has leveraged its product mix to create the Hercules™ single-wire, high-deposition, automated MIG welding system. This targeted system combines three strong ITW brands into one powerful concept for GAWDA distributors to market and sell: Miller, Hobart

Filler Metals and Tregaskiss. The Hercules system can upgrade your top MIG welding customers, making them more efficient and more profitable in their business, easily showing them ROI.

The Hercules system significantly boosts welding productivity rates without the expense of adding more welding cells. Only the Hercules system can deliver a gain of up to 30% or more in deposition rates and up to 30% or more in productivity with no loss of weld quality — making customers more productive, competitive and profitable. Offering a product with such a powerful capacity will differentiate you as a distributor who can provide the solutions your customers need.

“Hobart Brothers has always prioritized solutions that maximize productivity, while retaining simplicity and sustainability for our end users,” said Caleb Haven, director of metal-core filler metals at Hobart Filler Metals. “It’s not every day that a solution like Hercules comes to market — allowing for 30% or more improvement in throughput, while maintaining the familiarity of a single-wire MIG welding process.  This is the step change in productivity that the welding automation space has been clamoring for!”

As a distributor, you’re a trusted advisor to your end users. By offering the Hercules system as a solution to their production bottlenecks, you’ll help them get their products out the door. The Hercules system enhances a traditional welding process and multiplies the results by adding speed and deposition. Simplified with just one wire, it’s less complex than traditional high-deposition welding processes. It’s also easy for welders to use and requires little training. By providing this solution to customers, you’re offering them value they can’t find with any other system. You’re also building your relationship with the customer — and your reputation — which will bring in more sales down the line.

MAXIMIZE CUSTOMER BASE

For distributors, this concept should be applied when selling all ITW welding products from machines to accessories. The same customer could potentially purchase three to six items from Miller, Hobart Filler Metals and Tregaskiss as opposed to just one. ITW has done an exceptional job branding their products to be highly coveted among welders globally. GAWDA distributors have leveraged the brand recognition these brands have for years, but are they maximizing the sales opportunities that come along with being a Miller distributor?

HERCULES SYSTEM COMPONENTS OPPORTUNITY

With a bundle of products to offer your customers with the Hercules system, you’ll continue to deliver real value at the same time that you differentiate yourself as a distributor in the crowded welding market. And they’ll likely need to buy more filler metal from you when they're working with an automated MIG system that’s 30% more productive. Together, these Miller, Hobart Filler Metals and Tregaskiss elements boldly go beyond the welding productivity rates you thought were possible. The Hercules system is a differentiated concept that GAWDA distributors will play a key role in by consulting, installing and servicing for customers.

LEVERAGE OUTSIDE SALES RELATIONSHIPS

Your most valuable assets in making sales are outside sales teams’ knowledge of your product and the relationships you have with your key end users — specifically those who use the automated MIG welding process. These end users already have a need for your product. They simply need to understand how it will help them. Here are the top industries where Hercules could be a fit:

• Construction Equipment

• Agricultural Equipment

• Heavy Truck Equipment

• Truck and Trailer

• Shipbuilding

• Tank & Vessel

• Underroof Confab

When your sales team is visiting these customers, they’ll know if they’re struggling to keep up with production. Here are some issues to look for that a Hercules system could solve:

• They have more orders than they can keep up with using their current MIG system.

• Their process is overly complex with the current equipment available.

• They have upstream or downstream bottlenecks.

• They’re experiencing costly repairs, weld failures or weld fatigue.

• They need to identify cost reductions for their operation.

Here’s what a GAWDA outside sales team member had to say about how he successfully articulated the value of Hercules to a customer:

“The Hercules system gave us a competitive advantage in addressing robotic automation scenarios where we struggled in the past with offering a better solution at an affordable price,” said Rob Soneson, outside sales representative for Matheson Gas. “With Hercules, we could now offer a simple, cost-effective solution that also increased the customers' production.”

When you find a customer who is experiencing these pain points and has been a heavy-duty MIG welder in the past… JACKPOT.

RECURRING CONSUMABLE SALES

Time to leverage your investments in your outside sales team, who are interacting with end users daily. They know the end users who have larger filler metal sales, pain points in their processes and could benefit from the productivity gains of a high-deposition welding process like Hercules. Once a Hercules system is adopted, it’ll offer an opportunity to retain more recurring consumable sales with Hobart® FabCOR® Hercules metal-coated wire and Tregaskiss® consumables. With robust availability and support from Miller, Hobart and Tregaskiss, the Hercules system is sure to keep you ahead of the curve with your customer base.

WIN-WIN SOLUTION

Hercules is a differentiated system that has strong incentives for both customers and distributors. Customers should see a great ROI from the increased productivity and continue to view the GAWDA distributor as a trusted partner and adviser in their business. For distributors, this system provides opportunities for value-added selling and recurring consumable sales.

Visit Miller, Hobart and Tregaskiss at the ITW Welding booth #500 at the GAWDA Spring Management Conference or get in touch with your regional sales representative for marketing material or to schedule a Hercules system training with your sales/retail staff.

Distributors Find Easy ROI Using TrackAbout

One common challenge among GAWDA distributors is keeping visibility on cylinder assets throughout their lifecycle. Not having software in place to track and maintain cylinders can lead to lost inventory, shortage of cylinders to fullfil customers on time, lost cylinder rental revenue, and an inflated cylinder inventory which is an unnecessary cost to burden. Bottom line, cylinders are expensive and not tracking them is a mistake. We spoke to three GAWDA distributors who partner with TrackAbout to work smarter, not harder when it comes to tracking their cylinder assets.

INDIANA OXYGEN FINDS CLARITY

Indiana Oxygen is America’s oldest gas and welding supply company. They have a long history of trust with their clients going back decades. However, prior to going live with TrackAbout and NetSuite ERP in 2018, the company did not have any formal asset tracking in place.

Less than accurate record-keeping during cylinder exchanges can lead to unreliable paper billing and ultimately a lack of trust between client and vendor. This led Indiana Oxygen to contact TrackAbout to put a better system in place.

“I think from a paperwork standpoint, we

were pretty good as a company,” says CEO Jay Brant. “But year-over-year, any inaccuracies compound. And it can get out of hand pretty quickly. The uptick in our rental revenue in the 12 months after implementing TrackAbout was pretty eye-opening.”

In the first year after implementing cylinder tracking, Indiana Oxygen saw an overall increase in rental assets of 6%. The company was able to recover old cylinders from customers that may have previously been written off as lost.

“The added revenue, for us, was a solid improvement,” says Brant. “But the bigger gain was the ability to talk with our customers and to reassure them that their cylinder balances were accurate. We have all this information at our fingertips to help show our customers or even give them access to it so that both sides have the same goal of keeping the cylinder balance correct. It helps to build trust and ultimately leads to customer retention.”

CORE INDUSTRIAL GASES SEES IMMEDIATE ROI

Canadian gas distributor Core Industrial Gases was founded in 2017. The company went live with TrackAbout in 2019.

“We’re a young company, but I wish we had started with TrackAbout on day one,”

says CEO Ben Ciceri. “There’s so much that you can do with it that I think we’ve barely scratched the surface four years in. It’s a really robust, powerful software.”

The company noticed immediate ROI from its ability to track high-value cylinders, as well as from its reconciliation metrics.

“The biggest ‘Aha!’ moment for us was being able to track high-value cylinders. You can see what’s sitting out that has likely been used up, particularly liquids. And anything that you’re short on, you can leverage existing inventory or make proactive calls to customers and get those high-value assets,” Ciceri says.

He continues, “You can also use it to supervise drivers a little bit more accurately. You can see anyone who might be careless or is generating unexpected transfers. It has just made the reconciliation process an easier process for us.”

That reconciliation process has also benefited the company’s customers, as well.

“We do wholesale trades with distributors in regions that we don’t service. And when one of their customers might return a cylinder directly back to us, it is still automatically tracked off their balance. Balance accuracy has been a huge help for us. The number of cylinders that we’re writing off or losing is substantially less than it was.”

HUBER SUPPLY DRIVERS AND FLEET BECAME MORE EFFICIENT

Up until recently, Huber Supply Company Vice President of Operations Cal Huber worked on the company’s loading dock. He has seen first-hand the potential for confusion when loading and unloading cylinders on the dock.

“As trucks are getting loaded and unloaded, there may be a tank sitting on a customer’s dock that is bad. And someone can easily pick that cylinder up by accident and load it onto the truck. We train drivers not to, but you’re dealing with human beings,” he says. “Before TrackAbout, we would have no way of knowing which truck it came in on and which customer it was associated with. We would have essentially lost that tank, because we can’t reuse it.”

The other cost-benefit to Huber has been the ability to schedule its truck routes more efficiently.

“We started selling forklift propane during COVID,” Huber says. “And at first, we were doing a lot of milk runs, where we were essentially just going to customers to see if they had empties. That was a lot of trips and a lot of weight on the trucks. Now, with TrackAbout, we’ve been able to cut down on those milk runs and we’re going to customers when they need it and give them exactly what they need. There’s no guessing. And that has saved space on our trucks, and, with the decreased weight, it has cut down on fuel consumption as well. And with the added space, we can add additional product offerings such as forklift propane, because we’re able to deliver product more efficiently. Without TrackAbout, we wouldn’t have had room on the truck.”

BEST MONEY WE’VE EVER SPENT ~ ADVANCED WELDING & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY

When John Brewer Jr. was first starting out in the industry, in the early 1980’s, he recalls going to pick up pre-packaged cylinders from

“We’re a young company, but I wish we had started with TrackAbout on day one,” says CEO Ben Ciceri. “There’s so much that you can do with it that I think we’ve barely scratched the surface four years in. It’s a really robust, powerful software.”

Jimmy Walker Sr. and Helen Walker from what was then known as Walker Welders Supply. He vividly recalls the Walker’s discussing cylinder demurrage, which piqued his curiosity. Cylinder demurrage is a daily, monthly, or yearly fee for renting cylinders. The Walker’s advice, along with conversations with another industry mentor, Bill Proctor, hammered home the importance of tracking assets to Brewer.

Prior to 2016, Brewer remembers taking a day or so, per month, to do this pain-staking exercise “the old fashion way.” This was basically pencil and paper and a make-shift Intuit add-on, doing the best he could with the information that he had to try accounting for around 3,000 cylinders every month. He recalls a conversation with longtime TrackAbout associate Doug O’Dell that pushed him to leverage TrackAbout’s barcode technology to streamline his cylinder tracking process. They went through implementation in 2019 and have not looked back ever since. “BEST MONEY WE’VE SPENT!” says Brewer.

Brewer mentions Sonya Becker, another longtime TrackAbout associate, being a memorable part of their implementation. “She made it so easy, speaking our language about cylinder rental and different ways to leverage this new powerful tool.” Admittedly, Brewer is not always fond of new technology and change. However, the TrackAbout interface is super easy to use, making it an

easy implementation. Basically, after only one week of implementing TrackAbout, AWIS took the technology to market to improve internal processes. TrackAbout worked directly with QuickBooks (AWIS current software) to make sure the transition was smooth. He also notes, for the few times they did need to reach out to TrackAbout’s customer service, that they were very responsive and super easy to work with, which is an invaluable piece of implementation.

Approaching 25 years in business, TrackAbout started helping gas distributors track assets in 2000. Through the years, TrackAbout has worked with distributors to refine their offering to be a seamless technology to instantly streamline one of the most important processes that will affect a gas distributors bottom line. Although TrackAbout is now part of the Datacor family of brands, you can still use TrackAbout alongside any ERP software that you may already be using. If you are interested in seeing TrackAbout in action, scan this QR code to schedule a demo.

Friday, April 19 – Sunday, April 21, 2024

SAN ANTONIO, TX

Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk

600 E. Market St., San Antonio, TX 78205

Scan the QR code to visit the GAWDA SMC 2024 event website

The average daily high temperatures during the conference time are mostly in the low 80s, with

SPRING MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE PREVIEW

Getting There

Conveniently located in south-central Texas, San Antonio is an easy trip for flights coming in from either coast. The nearest major airport to the event location is San Antonio International Airport (SAT), which is approximately 8.9 miles away from downtown.

Transportation options available from the airport include UBER, Lyft, Blacklane, and taxis.

Event Hotel & City

The event hotel, Grand Hyatt San Antonio, is in the heart of Downtown San Antonio, easy to get to and walkable, to explore the area. It offers modernized and cozy decor, as well as excellent services provided by its friendly staff. San Antonio boasts a vibrant mix of culture and cuisine, legendary architecture, moving history, and 300 days of sunshine a year. Local attractions include the Tower of the Americas, the River Walk, Rivercenter shops, and the LEGOLAND Discovery Center.

Be sure to tag @gawdaorg & @gawdamedia in your posts at the SMC Don’t forget to use the hashtag

PREVIEW

Explore The Many Things to Do in San Antonio

When you think of San Antonio, what comes to mind first is likely our charming San Antonio River Walk, the iconic Alamo, and phenomenal Tex-Mex food. All of these are great San Antonio experiences, but they’re just the beginning of an endless list of the best things to do in San Antonio. Whatever adventures you seek, you’ll find them in San Antonio! Located along San Antonio’s River Walk, the Grand Hyatt Riverwalk Hotel, near the Alamodome and Frost Bank Stadium (formerly AT&T Center) lets you experience the welcoming hospitality of Texas. From trendy cafés, open-air markets and Mission-Era sites like The Alamo, the city’s deep, rich culture is on display everywhere. Easily explore it all from this downtown hotel.

Make sure you explore all that San Antonio has to offer. See below for four amazing experiences and visit www.visitsanantonio.com/things-to-do/ for other experiences nearby.

The Alamo – A UNESCO World Heritage Site

A story bigger than Texas. And a landmark of San Antonio, Texas history. We all Remember the Alamo. The Alamo San Antonio is centrally located on Alamo Plaza in downtown San Antonio. Originally known as Misión San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site – the first and only in Texas! Featuring interactive tours, exhibits, and a Living History encampment where you can experience and learn more about frontier life in early Texas, visit the Alamo to watch demonstrations and get your hands on history. Visitors must reserve a FREE timed-entry ticket to go inside The Church.

The San Antonio Riverwalk

San Antonio is a city steeped in more than 300 years of traditions and heritage. As you explore the one-of-a-kind events, restaurants, rich history and art, you will see that the San Antonio River Walk is special and the perfect place to relax, renew and recharge in early 2024. From festive river parades, world-class entertainment and diverse cuisines to art and artisan markets, cultural experiences, outdoor recreation and plenty of activities for kids, the San Antonio River Walk is the place where traditions begin and continue through generations. GET SOCIAL AT THE SMC

LEGOLAND Discovery Center

Enjoy the ultimate two-story indoor LEGO® playground and build the BEST DAY EVER! Surround yourself with millions of LEGO Bricks, take flight on Merlin's Apprentice, blast skeletons on Kingdom Quest ride adventure, see your favorite characters on LEGO 4D Theater and build epic LEGO creations alongside master builders!

San Antonio Museum of Art

A visit to the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) takes you around the world and through five thousand years of art in a complex of buildings that once housed the Lone Star Brewery. SAMA is renowned for the most comprehensive ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian art collection in the southern United States.

Added Value

Returning in 2024 are the Educational Track Sessions. On Saturday, April 20th, GAWDA will host six engaging educational sessions with input from 10 different presenters, as well as two engaging Main Stage Presentations. These sessions will address relevant and timely topics on disruptors in the industry.

New this year during the Contact Booth Program that afternoon will be the first ever “Best in Show” Award presented by GAWDA’s Industry Partnering Committee. The IPC will have a panel of judges evaluate each booth and present an award for the best and most professional booth. To learn more, watch the video interview with IPC Co-Chairs Terry Scanlan and Justin Johnson by scanning the QR Code.

NOW INSTALLING OTODATA TELEMETRY MONITORING SYSTEMS AT CUSTOMERS REQUEST

SPRING MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE PREVIEW

SMC AGENDA

*All times Central TIME* MEETING

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024

12:00 pm – 5:30 pm  Early Badge Pickup

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024

8:00 am – 6:00 pm Conference Registration

8:00 am – 9:00 am Executive Committee Meeting

9:00 am – 12:00 pm Board Meeting with Committee and Regional Chairs

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Committee Meetings

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m

Lunch and Learn with GAWDA

President Gary Halter

Contact Booth Exhibitor Move-In (times are subject to change)

Young Professionals & Legends of the Industry Scavenger Hunt

Women of Gases & Welding Committee Meeting

Women of Gases & Welding Committee Meet & Greet

WGW is now offering a casual, quick opportunity to meet some fellow females in our industry before the large GAWDA Newcomers and Welcome Receptions begin.

Benefits include:

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

• You get to meet fellow females within GAWDA, expanding your professional network and become recognizable within your company

• Learn about roles, departments or companies

• Find a mentor or mentee

• Learn about training and development opportunities

This is for female GAWDA Members only.

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Newcomers Reception

6:00 pm – 9:30 pm

President’s Welcome Reception & Dinner

TIME* MEETING

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024

7:00 am – 5:00 pm  Conference Registration

7:00 am – 1:30 pm

Contact Booth Exhibitor Move-In (times are subject to change)

7:00 am – 7:30 am Networking Breakfast

7:30 am – 7:45 am GAWDA Presentation

7:45 am – 9:45 am Main Stage Session

DIRK BEVERIDGE Founder of Unleash WD Executive Producer of We Supply America

9:45 am – 10:00 am Break

JOHNATHAN BEIN Author & AI Speaker

10:00 am – 10:50 am Educational Sessions

10:50 am – 11:00 am Break

11:10 am – 12:00 pm Educational Sessions

12:10 pm – 1:30 pm Group Lunch

1:30 pm – 5:30 pm Contact Booth Program

5:30 pm Industry Hospitalities

SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2024

7:00 am – 11:00 am Conference Registration

7:00 am – 7:50 am Networking Breakfast

8:00 am – 11:00 am Main Stage Session

DAVE LAMBERT Group President of Sales & Marketing ITW Welding

SHARON SZAFRANSKI Executive Vice President, Welding Illinois Tool Works Inc.

ADRIAN GOSTICK Founder and Best-Selling Author The Culture Works

SPRING MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE PREVIEW

PRESIDENT'S WELCOME RECEPTION & DINNER

PRESIDENT'S Welcome RECEPTION & DINNER

APRIL 19, 2024

6:00 PM-9:30 PM

A little bit country & a little bit rock n roll!

wear your favorite band shirt /////////////////// ///////// dress up as your favorite musician

04-19-2024 6 – 9:30 PM San Antonio, TX

Attendees are encouraged to either dress up as their favorite rock star or wear their favorite concert t-shirt.

PREVIEW

MEET THE MAIN STAGE SPEAKERS

JOHNATHAN BEIN Author & AI Speaker

Jonathan Bein, Ph.D. has worked with over 100 distributors where he has applied advanced analytics and AI to improve customer experience, define value proposition, estimate sales potential, and create digital strategy.

Prior to Distribution Strategy Group, Bein has successfully led and been part of executive management for software product and services companies in information technology, healthcare, and communications.

Bein has been CEO of several companies including:

• SkyeTek — grew revenues and valuation four-fold of RFID manufacturer in seven months.

• GS, Inc. — delivered software solutions for companies such as AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and Lucent.

• Bolder Heuristics, Inc. — achieved Inc 500 ranking with software services for telecommunications, healthcare, and IT.

As CTO at Informed Access, a provider of phone-based healthcare triage, he drove development of core products and services and the company was subsequently sold for $300M. At Martin Marietta, he applied artificial intelligence to perform automatic real-time fault handling of spacecraft hardware.

DIRK BEVERIDGE

Founder of Unleash WD Executive Producer of We Supply America

Dirk Beveridge is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of UnleashWD, an innovative firm that creates transformative learning experiences and connections for growth-oriented distributors. With his one-of-a-kind perspective on the future of wholesale distribution, Dirk has been leading major change for over 35 years to advance growth, relevance, and transformation.

Over the last three years Dirk produced the We Supply America tour including a twenty-four-film docuseries high-

lighting and championing the noble calling of distribution. Dirk has authored four books including the best-selling INNOVATE! How Successful Distributors Lead Change in Disruptive Times.

ADRIAN GOSTICK Founder and Best-Selling Author The Culture Works

Adrian Gostick is a New York Times bestselling author and a sought-after keynote speaker on the topics of corporate culture, leadership, and engagement. He is the founder of The Culture Works, a workplace training and consulting company. Gostick provides advice to some of the world's most successful organizations on building culture, managing change, enhancing wellness, and leading high-performance teams.

Gostick's award-winning books, including All In, The Carrot Principle, Leading with Gratitude, and Anxiety at Work, have been translated into 30 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. He is a leadership strategy columnist for Forbes, and his work has been called "fascinating" by Fortune magazine and "creative and refreshing" by The New York Times.

Gostick has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CNN, and CNBC, and his insights have been quoted in The Economist, Financial Times, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2023, Adrian was ranked as a top 10 Global Guru in Leadership and Organizational Culture. As an executive coach, Adrian is a member of Marshall Goldsmith's 100 Coaches cohort. His consulting clients include Danaher, Cisco, Rolls Royce, and Duracell.

DAVE LAMBERT Group President of Sales & Marketing ITW Welding

ITW is a Fortune 200 global, diversified industrial manufacturer of value-added consumables and specialty equipment with related service business. The company focuses on profitable growth and strong returns across worldwide platforms and businesses.

SPRING MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE PREVIEW

These businesses serve local customers and markets around the globe, with a significant presence in developed, as well as emerging markets. ITW’s revenues totaled $16 billion in 2022.

Dave joined ITW in 1997 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in finance, operations, sales, marketing, and strategy across several ITW Welding divisions over his 25+year ITW career. In Dave’s role as Group President, he and his team are responsible for the creation of long-term revenue strategies that align outbound marketing, sales, and customer success teams for the full portfolio of ITW Welding brands across the Americas.

SHARON SZAFRANSKI

Executive Vice President, Welding Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Ms. Szafranski began her career with ITW’s Food Equipment segment in 1994 as a Sales Trainee. She progressed through

positions of increasing responsibility within the organization including Territory Sales Manager, National Account Manager, Product Line Director, Regional Sales Director, General Manager of Hobart’s Weigh/Wrap business, and Vice President & General Manager of the segment’s North American Refrigeration Division. In 2016, Ms. Szafranski was named Vice President & General Manager of Brooks Instrument, in the Test & Measurement segment. In 2019, Ms. Szafranski was named Group President in the Test & Measurement segment. She was elected Executive Vice President of the Construction Products segment in 2020 and elected Executive Vice President of the Welding segment in 2022.

Ms. Szafranski graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

SPRING MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE PREVIEW

11:10 AM12:00 PM

AI & Cybersecurity for Dummies

This session is tailored for professionals in any business role, providing practical solutions for understanding & utilizing AI. Discover how AI can revolutionize your work processes, enhance decision-making & drive innovation, including a special segment on cyber security & how to protect your company

Allison Earlbeck, CEO

Earlbeck Gas Technologies

Tony Hopkins, SVP, The Horton Group & Aaron Turner, Practice Group Leader, The Horton Group

BREAK

Building an Effective Talent & Compensation Strategy

Practical & actionable advice on how businesses can thrive in an increasingly complex labor market, including tactical strategies to improve talentoriented & compensationrelated initiatives.

Alex Chausovsky, Director of Analytics & Consulting, Bundy Group

Kickin’ Gas

Join us for an interactive discussion about best practices for profitably growing your gas business We’ll discuss how to win business, increase your margins, build your team, create a solid game plan, develop partnerships, offer incentives and more. Don’t forget that no discussion about gas is complete without talking about the Golden Goose that is cylinder rent

Bryan Keen & Justin Johnson, Keen Compressed Gas Co.

1,500

1. Stay up-to-date with announcements & event reminders

2. Get full access to the attendee list

3. Message & set up meetings with attendees

4. View the complete SMC agenda & set your schedule

5. Learn about our featured speakers

6. Post & share on our social media wall

7. Easily view area maps & meeting locations

8. Plan your Contact Booth experience with interactive floor-plans & exhibitor Info

9. Get a chance to interact with live polls

10. Call an UBER back to the airport when it’s time to go home Available

TORAGE VESSEL

REPAIR AND REHAB

ALERT! Call soon as we have a surplus of 6,000 gallon, 250 psi vessels ready to turn around quickly!

CTR offers a full line of services for the repair, rehab, refurbishment of cryogenic storage vessels. We

e the capacity to:

CRYOGENIC STORAGE VESSEL REPAIR AND REHAB

CRYOGENIC STORAGE VESSEL REPAIR AND REHAB

CRYOGENIC STORAGE VESSEL REPAIR AND REHAB

ompletely replace all piping, valves and gauges

Restore vacuums

CTR offers a full line of services for the repair, rehab, and refurbishment of cryogenic storage vessels. We have the capacity to:

Repaint tanks

CTR offers a full line of services for the repair, rehab, and refurbishment of cryogenic storage vessels. We have the capacity to:

CTR offers a full line of services for the repair, rehab, and refurbishment of cryogenic storage vessels. We have the capacity to:

• Completely replace all piping, valves and gauges

Our full menu of service REPL

• Tank inspection

In fact, CTR specializes in re-manufacturing older, preowned tanks so they work and look like new. We regularly bring tanks from as far back as the 1960s back to life, and we guarantee our tanks meet ASME standards. Alert! Call soon as we have a surplus of 6000 gallon, 250 psi vessels ready to turn around quickly!

55,000sqftfacilityon10.5acres

55,000 sf facility on 10.5 acres

• Restore vacuums

act, CTR specializes in re-manufacturing older, reowned tanks so they work and look like new. We ularly bring tanks from as far back as the 1960s back to life, and we guarantee our tanks meet ME standards.

• Completely replace all piping, valves and gauges

• Completely replace all piping, valves and gauges

• Restore vacuums

• Restore vacuums

• Repaint tanks

• Repaint tanks

• Repaint tanks

In fact, CTR specializes in re-manufacturing older, preowned tanks so they work and look like new. We regularly bring tanks from as far back as the 1960s back to life, and we guarantee our tanks meet ASME standards

In fact, CTR specializes in re-manufacturing older, preowned tanks so they work and look like new. We regularly bring tanks from as far back as the 1960s back to life, and we guarantee our tanks meet ASME standards

Fully rehabbed cryogenic vessel

Fullyrehabbedcryogenicvessel

Call CTR’s Sales Manager Shane Dilling for all information at 803-992-0640.

Call CTR’s Sales Manager Shane Dilling for all information at 803-992-0640.

• New vacuum valve

Our full menu of services include:

55,000 sf facility on 10.5 acres

REPLACE PARTS

Our full menu of services include: REPLACE PARTS

• New thermocouple tube

Our full menu of services include:

• Tank inspection

• Tank inspection

• New vacuum valve

RESTORE VACUUM

REPLACE PARTS

• New vacuum valve

• New thermocouple tube

• Tank inspection

• New thermocouple tube

• Replace vacuum relief plate Buna type O-ring

• New vacuum valve

• New thermocouple tube

RESTORE VACUUM

• Leak check inner/outer

RESTORE VACUUM

• Inspect piping support

• Replace vacuum relief plate Buna type O-ring

RESTORE VACUUM

• Leak check inner/outer

• Replace vacuum relief plate Buna type O-ring

• Pressure test

• Leak check inner/outer

• Inspect piping support

• Replace vacuum relief plate Buna type O-ring

• Inspect piping support

• Leak check inner/outer

• Top-off with new Perlite if Perlite insulated

• Pressure test

• Inspect piping support

• New piping, valves and components

• Pressure test

• Top-off with new Perlite if Perlite insulated

• Pressure test

• New CGA 1.5” fill connection

• New piping, valves and components

• Top-off with new Perlite if Perlite insulated

• Top-off with new Perlite if Perlite insulated

• New piping, valves and components

• New CGA 1.5” fill connection

• New pressure building regulator

• New piping, valves and components

• New CGA 1.5” fill connection

• New CGA 1.5” fill connection

• New pressure building regulator

• New three-way safety relief diverter valve

• New pressure building regulator

• New pressure building regulator

• New three-way safety relief diverter valve

• Replacement of tank safeties

• New three-way safety relief diverter valve

• New three-way safety relief diverter valve

• Replacement of tank safeties

• Replacement of tank safeties

• Replacement of tank safeties

• Replacement of liquid level gauge

• Replacement of liquid level gauge

• Replacement of liquid level gauge

• Replacement of liquid level gauge

• Replacement of liquid level isolation and equalization valves

• Replacement of liquid level isolation and equalization

• Warm/cold vacuum retention test

• Warm/cold vacuum retention test

• Replacement of liquid level isolation and equalization valves

• Replacement of liquid level isolation and equalization valves

• Warm/cold vacuum retention test

• Warm/cold vacuum retention test

REPAINT

REPAINT

REPAINT

REPAINT

• Sand blasting

• Sand blasting

• Sand blasting

• Sand blasting

• Paint priming

• Paint priming

• Paint priming

• Paint priming

• Final coating with urethane type paint – white

• Final coating with urethane type paint – white

• Final coating with urethane type paint – white

298 Porter Road

• Final coating with urethane type paint – white 298

888-424-8101

Rock Hill, SC 29730

Hill, SC 29730

www.ctrinc.org

CONTACT BOOTH PROGRAM

Saturday, April 20, 2024 | 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Texas Ballroom Level 4

The Contact Booth Program is one of the best networking opportunities in the entire gases and welding industry. Distributors, make sure to walk the floor and meet with all of the more than 130 suppliers exhibiting this year. See the latest and greatest products and services that the industry has to offer and form invaluable relationships that could benefit your business in the future.

presented by IPC

NEW THIS YEAR

GAWDA’s Best in Show Award Sponsored by the Industry Partnering Committee!

Representatives from GAWDA and the GAWDA IPC will evaluate each booth on appearance, professionalism and branding to determine who the “Best in Show” exhibit is.

2024 GAWDA Regional Meeting Preview

In 2024, GAWDA will expand its Regional Meeting Slate from four meetings in 2023 to six this year, as it has reintroduced the Southeast Regional Meeting and sees the Southwest Regional return after a one-year hiatus.

The Southeast Regional took place from March 18-19, 2024, at the Hilton Atlanta Marietta Hotel and Conference Center in Marietta, Georgia. The reintroduction of the Southeast Regional was a tremendous success with attendees having been treated to a diverse lineup of speakers as well as the introduction of the brand-new Young Professionals and Industry Legends Mentoring Cocktail Hour. Stay tuned for the Q3 Issue of Welding & Gases Today for a full recap and photo gallery from the event. Thank you to the Southeast Regional Meeting co-chairs, Britt Lovin, Rafael Arvelo and Linda Smith.

The remaining five Regional Meetings for 2024 will take place throughout the Spring and Summer. The Regional Meetings are a chance for GAWDA Members to meet and network in a more intimate setting than the National Conventions. Past President Abydee Butler Moore described them as “the ground level view of the industry, whereas the National Meetings are more of a 10,000-foot overview.”

SOUTHWEST REGIONAL MEETING MAY 20-21, 2024 | LEAGUE CITY, TX

After a year off, the Southwest Regional Meeting returns to League City, Texas from May 20-21, 2024. The event will take place at the beautiful South Shore Habor Resort and include golf at the South Shore Harbor Country Club on Monday, May 20th at 12:30 p.m., as well as a networking reception that evening at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 21st will see speakers begin at 8:30 a.m. While speakers are still being finalized, check back in the GAWDA Connection for more information. A special rate for the Hotel for attendees will be offered at $139 per night.

2500 South Shore Blvd. League City, TX 77573

281-334-1000

REGIONAL MEETING CHAIRS:

Ashley Madray, Gas Innovations

Gary Degenhardt, Chart Industries

EAST/MIDWEST REGIONAL MEETING

JUNE 25-26, 2024 | SEVEN SPRINGS, PA

The GAWDA East/Midwest Regional Meeting returns to Seven Springs, PA, June 25-26, 2024. The Seven Springs Regional Meeting is traditionally the highest-attended of the Regionals, with more than 230 industry leaders gathering at the beautiful Seven Springs Mountain Resort, which is just 60 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With hotel lodging, convention center, restaurants, golf, shooting clays, swimming pool, zip lining, bowling, etc. all onsite, Seven Springs is an action-packed family and business destination.

The event features the Reverse Contact Booth Program, which “turns the tables” on the traditional Contact Booth Program and allows the distributors to exhibit while the suppliers come to their tables. It is the ideal opportunity to foster business connections, forge supply chain relationships, and soak in business education.

Photos from 2023 GAWDA East/Midwest Regional Meeting

News From GAWDA

According to Regional Chair Abydee Butler Moore: “We have secured an exciting breakfast speaker for Seven Springs! Meet the new Messer President and CEO of the Americas, Elena Skvortsova, at the GAWDA Seven Springs Regional June 25-26. Elena will be featured in a Leadership Spotlight to open the business content on Wednesday, June 26th prior to the Reverse Contact Booth Program and Business General Session. During the General

Session, attendees will get an opportunity to hear from Airgas CEO Marcelo Fioranelli who will give a keynote presentation, as well as Intelligas Consulting LLC President Maura Garvey, who will provide a market outlook on the gas business in the Northeast and Midwest!”

Additionally, Jay Spielvogel will return this year to open the Regional with the second annual half-day Sales Workshop. And the GAWDA Young Professionals will be featured during this

year’s Regional, so be sure to send your organization’s next generation to engage with the industry!

All that in addition to Seven Springs staples like the Sporting Clays Competition, Mountain BBQ and Axe Throwing, Golf Tournament and Reception at the exclusive Mountain Club. Stay tuned to the GAWDA Connection for more information closer to the event.

Tube Trailers, ISO-Containers, CO2 Transports, Ground Storage Modules

For superior product quality and performance, call on Weldship! We have met virtually every global standard or code, and have the engineering, technical and manufacturing experience to assure you the right size and configuration for your gas product transports and containers. Weldship is now ISO 9001 Certified.

All of our products are available for lease or purchase. In addition, we provide a complete testing service for required container certification.

•

Contact us today to keep your product safe, your fleet moving… and your profits rolling!

NORTHWEST REGIONAL MEETING JULY 17-19, 2024 | SUNRIVER, OR

The Northwest Regional Meeting returns to Sunriver, Oregon, from July 17-19, 2024, at the Sunriver Resort. The Sunriver Resort is the Pacific Northwest’s treasured outpost for adventure. The one-of-a-kind wilderness setting is abundant with natural beauty and features four award-winning golf courses, a full-service wellness spa, restaurants and cafes, an indoor-outdoor aquatics center and more.

This year, in an effort to ensure that attendees get the most bang for their buck from the Northwest Regional, co-chairs Nicole Kissler and Clinton Bush are soliciting feedback from potential attendees.

“Before you join us, share your thoughts! We want this meet-

ing to be of value for you, your team and everyone attending.

Interested in hearing from an economist on market forecasts?

Curious about AI and its potential applications? What about automation technology used in other parts of the world? Maybe a panel discussion with industry experts or leaders? Share your suggestions with Nicole at nicolek@norco-inc.com. Any and all recommendations are encouraged.”

Stay tuned to the GAWDA Connection for more information, as well as registration details and sponsorship opportunities closer to the event.

SELECT SERIES

CENTRAL REGIONAL JULY 29-30, 2024 SOUTH BEND, IN

•

Ultra-high quality cylinders filled with NorLab’s specialty and calibration gases.

• High-tech cylinders from Luxfer made with SGS (superior gas stability) technology

• More consistent, better performing internal surface, cylinder wall is conducive to greater gas stability

• Proprietary, time-sensitive manufacturing process

• ISO 7866 approved cylinders

• Available in several sizes

• Improved shelf life

Learn more about the Select Series Call Norlab at 800-657-6672 or email us at norlabcs@norco-inc.com Visit us online at norlab-gas.com to find a Norlab distributor in your area.

The Central Regional Meeting moves this year from Huron, Ohio, to South Bend, Indiana. Details for the meeting are still being finalized, but each year the meeting features a vendor tabletop event, followed by a networking event where all attendees to get to mix and mingle. Last year, co-chair Mike Roach said, “This was the best turnout ever for the vendor tabletop event!” Roach and co-chair Bob Ranc will be looking to raise the bar even further this year. Stay tuned to the GAWDA Connection for more information, as well as registration details and sponsorship opportunities closer to the event.

NORTHEAST REGIONAL AUGUST 13-14, 2024

GALLOWAY, NJ

The 2024 Regional Meeting slate will conclude from August 13-14, 2024, with the Northeast Regional Meeting set to take place in Galloway, NJ at the Seaview Hotel & Country Club. Regional Meeting co-chairs Michael Trueba and Tom Biedermann saying, “We have a lot of fun filled networking activities scheduled with an excellent venue for the business meeting and golf. Please mark your calendar!”

The tentative schedule for the Northeast Regional is: TUESDAY

• 8:00 a.m. – Bus departs from the Seaview Hotel for Kart Racing at New Jersey Motorsports Park

• 1:30 p.m. – Bus departs from New Jersey Motorsports Park for Shooting Clays

• 4:30 p.m. – Bus departs from Shooting Clays for hotel.

• 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. – Reception/Dinner

WEDNESDAY

• 8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. – Business Meeting with Supplier Tables and Industry Speakers

• 11:45 a.m. – Box Lunch

• 12:30 p.m. – Golf

• 5:30 p.m. – Dinner

• 7:30 p.m. – Meeting Concludes

Stay tuned to the GAWDA Connection for more information, as well as registration details and sponsorship opportunities closer to the event.

If you are a GAWDA Distributor Member who is interested in speaking at one of our Regional Meetings please visit gawda.org/ regional-speakers/ to submit a proposal to address members at one of the GAWDA 2024 Regional Meetings. GAWDA will follow up on all submissions.

Is your business celebrating an anniversary in 2024?

Let us know and be a part of the anniversary issue of Welding & Gases Today.

Below is our current list of members with anniversaries in 2024. If your company is missing contact steveg@gawdamedia.com to be added to our list.

Scan the QR code to read the 2023 Milestone issue.

YFrom Frustration to Revenue How CRMs Bridge the Gap Between Sales & Marketing.

BY BRIAN BLUFF, CEO, SITE-SEEKER

our marketing team may spend hours crafting captivating campaigns and generating stacks of leads. Those leads that marketing garners may be getting tossed over the fence to sales, who drown in a sea of unqualified contacts, struggling to convert them. Deals stall, opportunities dry up, and fingers get pointed. Sound familiar?

This, unfortunately, is the all-too-common consequence of siloed sales and marketing efforts. You may have already come to the solution of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This is a step in the right direction, but collaboration and adoption are very important.

You might already have a CRM; which one did you choose? Is it worth the investment? Are you seeing the benefits of adopting one, or are you still looking for the best one for your team? More than just a fancy contact list, CRMs are the bridge that connects these crucial departments, transforming lead generation into a well-oiled machine backed by data:

• 37% increase in sales win rates for companies with strong CRM adoption (Aberdeen Group, 2023).

• Up to 30% boost in lead conversion rates thanks to CRMs (Salesforce, 2023).

• 47% increase in sales productivity and a 27% win rate boost reported by CRM users (Nucleus Research, 2023).

• 13% reduction in customer churn, leading to loyal customers and thriving bottom lines (SuperOffice, 2023).

• 20% improvement in cross-departmental collaboration for businesses using CRMs (HubSpot, 2023).

• 38% increase in operational efficiency and a 23% reduction in administrative costs (Salesforce, 2023).

But the benefits go beyond just numbers. Here's how CRMs empower both sales and marketing:

SALES SAVVY:

• Personalized pitches: Gain a 360-degree view of customers, allowing for tailored pitches that resonate deeply (think relevant product recommendations based on past purchases.)

• Predictive insights: Leverage prospect behavior and data or AI-powered analytics to identify high-potential leads, predict customer behavior, and prioritize efforts (imagine focusing on the most likely-to-convert leads instead of wasting time on dead ends.)

• Automated follow-up: Free yourself from tedious tasks and ensure no lead gets left behind. Use your CRM to create automations to connect with prospects.

Brian Bluff is the CEO and co-founder of Site-Seeker. You can contact him by e-mail at brianbluff@site-seeker. com

MARKETING MARVELS:

• Lead scoring, simplified: Identify high-quality leads based on their behavior and engagement, allowing you to focus resources on the most promising prospects.

• Attribution analysis demystified: Understand the true impact of your marketing campaigns by tracking how they contribute to the sales pipeline.

• Customer journey mapping, empowered: Gain a holistic view of the customer journey to personalize your marketing efforts at every touchpoint.

THE CRM SYMPHONY:

The real magic happens when CRMs break down silos and foster collaboration.

• Marketing qualifies leads based on Sales insights, and Sales nurtures relationships based on Marketing interactions.

• Customer service reps have instant access to a customer's entire history, leading to faster issue resolution and upsell opportunities. This seamless flow of information empowers both teams to work smarter, achieving greater results together.

Ditch the siloed approach and embrace the CRM symphony. Invest in a system that fosters communication, leverages data, and empowers both sales and marketing. Invest in CRM training and consulting to ensure both teams use the system to the best of their ability. Good data in is good data out. A collaborative team armed with the right tools is an unstoppable force, ready to conquer the market and leave your competitors in the dust.

Your CRM to-do list:

• Explore different CRMs to find the perfect fit for your business needs.

• Invest in proper training for both teams to ensure adoption and accountability.

• The CRM is only as good as the data you put in.

By following these steps, you can transform your CRM from a potential frustration into a revenue-generating powerhouse.

Enterprise Sales in 2024

BY ART WASKEY

Art Waskey has over 50 years’ experience in the welding and gas industry. He travels across the country consulting and giving seminars on business skills and has published 3 books on sales skills stories. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and a Master of Ministry in Leadership Development. You can subscribe to Art’s weekly sales/leadership tips and monthly articles on his website. Also, check out his Posts on LinkedIn. For services, contact Art at 720-3419405 or artwaskey@ ispeakd.com.

ADAPTABILITY

As I start the New Year, I like to make observations about the previous year. Looking back, 2023 was a year replete with some big challenges for business. Stubborn inflation affected pricing. China’s post-COVID chaos continued to exacerbate supply chain issues and accelerated attempts to reshore manufacturing. Labor shortages plagued many business sectors. The third-worst year of global economic growth this century (behind 2009 and 2020) slowed sales, and geopolitical tensions made us all uneasy. And, finally, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) accelerated the pace of change in how business is conducted.

The secret to success in 2023 was adaptability. The best distributors got creative in confronting the year’s biggest challenges. The most important consideration in finding the right path through the weeds was maintaining focus on customer-centricity. The greatest advantage independent, privately owned businesses have over alternative channels is their customer relationships.

SELLING THEN

In the 1970s and early ‘80s, I worked for an international company that distributed welding supplies and atmospheric gases. We sold primarily through independent, privately held businesses. Our field salesforce was comprised of both generalists and specialists. The generalists, who were sales engineers, called on distributors in 8 to 10 local territories. The product specialists covered a larger geographic region. Both sales engineers and product specialists reported to regional offices. The sales engineers were

responsible for maintaining personal relationships with their distributors. They managed new product demonstrations, pricing, backorders, administrative issues, and all other corporate communications. The product specialists managed specific technical offerings. For our industry, this included cutting and welding products to identified industries such as railroads, large manufacturers, and other highly sophisticated end-users. All product specialist accounts were assigned to sales engineers to ensure customer-centric relationships.

SELLING NOW

The sales model above changed radically with the introduction of the internet. Consider today’s digital- driven Enterprise Sales approach. Account reps have the IoT (Internet of Things), which connects them to all manner of advanced technology applications. The Enterprise Sales rep is now a customer advocate. Communication is online and things like product demonstrations can be virtual. Enterprise Selling in 2024, therefore, requires that sales reps be tech savvy and use the latest development tools.

VIRTUAL CALLS

One valuable tool in Enterprise Selling is the virtual call. While personalization with your customers should include both in-person and virtual calls, data shows customers are beginning to prefer the latter. For your high-profile accounts, I recommend two virtual calls for each in-person call. Consider that a salesperson can make an average of 3 to 4 in-person calls per day, vs. 6 to 8 virtual calls. Time is saved and transportation

costs are lowered with virtual calls.

In addition, virtual providers now offer AI companion summaries of calls. For example, Zoom calls can include a quick recap, summary, and list of next steps. These reports are automatically generated and can even be read aloud to you.

THE DIGITAL SCHEDULE

Keep track of your schedule with a digital calendar. This tool provides a history of calls and is excellent for planning purposes. Digital calendars minimize time spent scheduling or rescheduling meetings.

The days of waiting in the lobby for a client to squeeze you in at the last moment are over. If you are not already doing so, all appointments, virtual or in-person, should be initiated using digital calendar software. Before ending a meeting, share calendars with your customers and prospects. Then send them your suggestion for your next appointment. Your contact will send back an email accepting, rejecting, or changing the appointment.

DIGITAL CAPABILITIES

How is your company supporting you in implementing and using digital practices? Forrester Research suggests that, among B2B buyers, those born in 1981 or later, “now hold the keys to decision making for the majority of purchases” (Younger B2B buyers accelerate demands for more digital commerce, Mark Broham, Jan. 15, 2024)( digitalcommerce360.com/2024). That means digital natives are in charge and you need to be able conduct business accordingly.

Digital capabilities are now critical to success. Make sure your team is current with these technologies.

ERP

Enterprise selling requires a centralized software system, known as an Enterprise Resource Program (ERP). These programs support your customers by streamlining your company’s essential processes. Inventory control, asset and rental management, customer sales records, accounting, business intelligence, are all tasks supported by ERP. When ERP data is integrated with your Customer Relationship Management

(CRM), your internal processes are unified. Your customers are able to make purchases, review orders, search inventory, check delivery status, and review accounts payable online. This frees the field salesperson to focus on relationship building and value-added selling versus the traditional quoting, pricing, and chasing of backorders and deliveries.

E-commerce

E-commerce software offers consumers the ability to order 24/7. It integrates your ERP with your website and mobile apps. Ongoing innovations in multichannel marketplaces allow your customers the convenience of purchasing from third parties through your website.

E-commerce also offers the opportunity to develop deeper relationships with customers as it tracks their purchasing behavior over time. That data leads you to a better understanding of your customers’ needs and requirements and helps project future demand.

AI

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly infiltrating the sales cycle and offers exciting possibilities for transforming how business is done. Its applications are complex and there is a lot to consider when choosing which AI tools to implement.

Distributors collect a myriad of valuable internal, customer, and vendor information in the process of doing business. AI can generate outputs based on that data. Remember, AI outputs are only as good as the data you input. It must be properly managed. In a recent Forbes article on this topic (forbes.com/ garbage-in-garbage-out), Simon Jelley points out that only 23% of your collected data will probably be “good” data. According to Jelley, there is a lot of data to clean to get to the good stuff. Make sure your team does this.

Sales reps bring knowledge and experience to the deal. With the right AI applications, your best salespeople become even better. AI is most effective in sales when it’s treated like an aid, as opposed to a replacement, for key human practices.

CONTENT MANAGEMENT

To keep your customers on your website, your website needs to stand out from competing sites. To provide an exceptional E-commerce experience, you must provide superior product content. Buyers today are looking for more (and better quality) images, videos, 360-degree spins, and countless types of documents (spec sheets, installation guides, application, and warranty information). They are interested in finding and evaluating your products in a fast and easy to use format.

PRICING STRATEGIES

While the methods of creating pricing strategies have changed, their importance to your success has increased. Are your pricing policies clear? Do your customers get different pricing from outside sales reps, inside sales reps, E-commerce orders, customer service reps, and/or counter store reps? Do your salespeople know how the pricing works? Inconsistency in pricing breeds customer complaints and less scrupulous customers can play one employee’s quote against the other, costing you money.

Technology has changed the dynamics of pricing strategy. With digitalization, application programming interface (API) software for pricing are readily available. These can be added to a functional ERP, and they can measure customer pricing performance. Sales should be supported with data-driven processes. Pricing software removes concern in making critical pricing decisions and eliminates divisive customer profitability sessions between sales reps and management.

CUSTOMER PERSONALIZATION

For your Enterprise sales team to represent the company with increased customer personalization in 2024, distributors will need to pay attention to the changing dynamics in vendor managed inventory, robotics, and warehouse automation.

Vendor Managed Inventory — According to a report in Modern Distribution Management, business for one of our industry’s largest distributors is good. “Fastenal reported their 2023 fourth quarter and full-year financial results on January 18, showing that sales and profits had edged up during the period despite what’s been cited as softening demand conditions by most of the industrial distribution sector. Fastenal posted a 2023 operating profit of $1.53 billion, up 5.2% compared with 2022. They reported total sales of $7.35 billion, up 6.3%” (Onsites Push Fastenal Profits Higher in 4Q as 2023 Sales Top $7.3B)(www.mdm.com). Of note, E-commerce represented 58.1% of Fastenal’s total sales.

Fastenal transformed their company from a distributor-dependent-on-its-branch-network to one that prioritizes integrated supply and self-service at the customer location using vendor managed inventory (VMI). This created significant savings in transportation, reduction in inventory, and ease of operation to both Fastenal and the customer. Introducing this level of ease of operation and personalized attention allowed Fastenal to gain market share within the customer base. Why would the customer buy from other channels when they can put it all in one digital order?

Fastenal’s continuous growth of in-location personalized sales is a wake-up call to the independent distributor. Distrib-

utors need to build VMI manufacturer partnerships and start installing units. Fastenal’s goal for 2024 is to add 400 additional onsite customer locations. They added 326 in 2023. These gains will come from the traditional distribution network!

Robotics — As a vice president of sales for an independent distributor from 1985 to 2018, I watched robotic equipment costs decrease and product efficiencies increase. This enabled our company to increase sales of this equipment each year.

Today, the cost of selling a Cobot is less than $100k. The ease of training customers on this product is negligible, particularly for the computer savvy operator under age 30. To be successful in 2024, Enterprise salespeople must be selling robotics.

Warehouse automation – One of the biggest issues a distributor faces is warehousing errors. As a sales executive, I spent countless hours working to resolve warehouse related problems. Customers were constantly warning us that if we couldn’t correct our warehouse delivery issues, they were going to switch vendors.

Today, logistics software can streamline your warehouse operations and save your company time, money, and customers.

A typical logistic warehouse automation center uses less space than a traditional warehouse and can receive and retrieve stock quickly while eliminating shipping errors. Automated warehouse logistics includes the management of networking operations, information, transportation, inventory, warehousing materials, and handling and packaging. Having an automated warehouse enables the Enterprise salesperson to take inventory correction responsibility off their customer support list.

KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES

Independent distributors succeed based on the added value they bring to the customer relationship. Think of digital applications as a means to make those relationships even stronger. In 2024, focus on the integration of digital tools in your Enterprise Selling process. Developing new hybrid enterprise skills for your sales team is a necessary transition and will require effort. Salespeople will need to work closely with their organizations to make the most of the digital transformation. I hate to say, “You need to keep up with the Joneses,” but in the digital era nothing could be truer!

KEEPING YOUR GAS FLOWING SAFELY

The Big Pivot

What’s old is new again.

BY KEN THOMPSON

As an executive and advisor, Ken Thompson has been dedicated for over 60 years to strengthening manufacturers’ and distributors’ supply chain relationships through the sharing of best practices, managing disruptions, and coordinating visions and implementation of systemic technological change to further solid strategic alliances.

Keeping tabs on one’s competitors is not a bad idea, particularly when they come from alternate channels and are somewhat out of sight. Welding and Packaged Gases distributors began seeing some industry specific SKUs slip into alternate channels with the emergence of e-Bay. Managers would become distressed when a customer would appear in one’s showroom, sight a machine sitting on the floor, and remark that they had just purchased the identical product from an e-Bay site. At that point, terms like B2C and B2B were not even in our vocabulary.

We learned quickly that Amazon, and a whole group of industrial distribution supply companies – Grainger, MSC, Motion, and Fastenal, to name just a few, were building a web presence that was gaining acceptance across a wide range of clients. We had no idea of the magnitude of welding equipment, supplies, and accessories that were escaping from our channel and finding their way to clients we considered as “our customers.” While we would prefer suppliers to welding and gases distributors remain “loyal” to our channel, everyone understands that all suppliers have a fiduciary responsibility to their respective stakeholders to pursue profitable business regardless of where it may lead.

While managers in the Welding and Gases distribution business were becoming aware of electronic business practices, we still were convinced that relationship selling would prevail in an atmosphere where we provided local inventories, tech-

nical advice, installations, training, repairs, and were part of local community involvement.

Along came COVID, and relationship selling collapsed, as face-to-face engagements and customer visits came to a halt, and electronic interfaces became the only way to exchange information and conduct business transactions.

The good news is that the Welding and Gases Distribution community has figured all of this out and is building a multi-front solution. Our manufacturing and supplier colleagues are providing high quality, syndicated content on their web pages to aid in easy research; ERPs are being modified to connect to B2B platforms, Artificial Intelligence will assist with predictive analytics in support of VMI and Telemetry that drives auto-replenishment and logistics efficiency.

We will use these new tools of technology. But we will also reinvent the value of Relationship Selling, upscaled in the Consultancy World now calling it by the new name of “ENTERPRISE RELATIONSHIPS.” This expands the role of our outside salesperson to include selling of the Process of Digitalized Business between trading partners, in addition to offering manufacturing solutions, equipment recommendations, installation, training, and maintenance. In an atmosphere of automation, it will clearly include Robotic or Cobot considerations.

However, our competitors are not “asleep at the switch.” MDM just released a series of articles authored by John Gunderson examining Fastenal’s BIG PIVOT. It is worth reading. Fas-

tenal is taking up residence in their customer locations. No longer just vending machines, but managing customer tool cribs, stockrooms, offering manufacturing engineering on production floors, conducting preventative maintenance and repair services, as well as providing Continuous Improvement trainers to set up and lead Value Mapping Teams. They are embedding themselves deeply in their customers’ operations, establishing solid ENTERPRISE RELATIONSHIPS.

This is all part of Fastenal’s “Big Pivot” strategy. They have, or are in the process of shuttering many brick and mortar retail sites, abandoning their rapid delivery fleet, and reassigning associates to customer on-site Teams. They are convinced that their digital platform superbly manages inventory, price files, VMI, EDI, and Punch Out transactional functions, as well as handling logistics matters. This allows their embedded associates to concentrate on building a full portfolio of ENTERPRISE RELATIONS.

Another element of the Big Pivot is product line expansion. It is the complementary nature of welding accessories and welding related PPE items that brought manufacturers and suppliers of these goods into Fastenal’s focus. As they look at every item in use in their customers’ plants, they will decide whether such an addition will be a revenue producer for them. They then showcase their business model to a new potential supplier hoping to convince them that their approach to their client base will represent new sales for that vendor.

It is certainly reasonable to assume that others in the Industrial Distribution Vertical will adopt like strategies.

THESE STEPS ARE NEITHER NEW NOR REVOLUTIONARY.

If we dare roll the clock back MANY years, we will see that our welding and gases industry deployed these techniques

before many of us were born. Union Carbide’s Linde Division had “resident sales engineers” in steel mills to guide the operations of cutting tables and scarfing machines. The Oxweld Railway Division placed full time welding engineers in locomotive roundhouses to oversee rail car wheel maintenance, and on right of ways to supervise welding of continuous rails. The Linde Division’s Medical Group hired full time Inhalation Therapy Nurses to train hospital account staff in the use of Linde Equipment. Airco, the predecessor to BOC, placed welding engineers in shipyards, its medical division, Ohio Medical staffed respiratory therapy departments in hospitals.

Lincoln Electric was resident in John Deere, Caterpillar, Ingalls Shipbuilding, and Newport News Shipyard. National Cylinder Gases built, operated, and

maintained the ASU inside the South Chicago Inland Steel Works. With the acquisition of UGI, Nucor Steel is doing that today.

As we all seek to find the summit in providing the ultimate in the outstanding Customer Experience, we realize that some “tried and true” practices still work. The augmentation comes from taking full advantage of digital processing and yet to be perfected processes buried within Artificial Intelligence.

Yes, it makes sense to pay attention to things your competitor may be either doing or considering. And these practices may already reside in a distribution model similar to your own. But the goal remains the same – provide your customer with the best possible relationship expereince.

Sales Process –The Path Less Traveled

BY JAY SPEILVOGEL, VENATOR SALES GROUP, LLC

Jay Spielvogel is CEO of Venator Sales Group (GAWDA member), a sales consulting and training firm specializing in boosting Welding and Gas distribution sales performance. Contact him at: Jay@ venatorsalesgroup.com

“The sales team is too quick to send a quote and are not qualifying their opportunities.”

“My team does a great job of delivering demos and explaining our products and services, but struggle with asking questions and actively listening.”

“My salespeople forget everything they learned in sales training the moment a prospect shows interest in a proposal.”

These challenges plague many organizations that have implemented sales process training. Regardless of the program, the goal is to help the salespeople ask more questions and better qualify their opportunities. Unfortunately, despite the investment companies are making in training, as well as technology, it seems a small percentage of salespeople benefit.

WHY DON’T THEY FOLLOW THE SALES PROCESS?

To answer this question, we need to first acknowledge that the sales team is following a process. The process they follow is the one dictated by the prospect, which includes delivering demos, product trials, references, and pricing. In this process, the prospect will give very little information except for technical needs meant to enable a salesperson to provide the most appropriate presentation and proposal.

When following the prospect’s process, a salesperson may delicately inquire about timing and decision steps, but the approach lacks any

depth. This becomes even more apparent when sales managers discuss opportunities with a sales team. During these reviews, there tends to be a lack of detailed knowledge regarding the business drivers, budgetary process, decision makers and potential competition.

WHY MUST SALESPEOPLE CHOOSE BETWEEN OUR PROCESS AND THE PROSPECT’S?

The issue for most salespeople is they feel it is an either/or scenario: they either follow the qualifying process, which requires receiving information, or they take the path of least resistance which is all about giving information.

This behavior is even more evident during internal opportunity discussions between managers and salespeople. The reviews focus on what else we need to deliver to the prospect. The guidance most managers offer during these reviews centers around delivering product information, engaging other technical resources, presenting solutions, and delivering quotes.

These conversations focus on what we delivered rather than the qualifying information we have received. When managers do ask about the buying process and decision makers, the answers given are vague and quite often represent a salesperson’s hopeful inference rather than reality. This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that most pipeline stages are set at “delivery milestones” vs. “qualifying ones.”

A common example of these stages includes the following:

• 10% - They are interested in learning more.

• 25% - We did a demo, and they liked it.

• 50% - We presented a solution, and they want it.

• 75% - We gave a proposal, and we are negotiating it.

• 90% - We sent a final contract, and they are reviewing it.

A revealing question to ask, based on the stages above, is “what percentage of the 75% and 90% deals are actually closing?”

RECONCILING THE TWO PROCESSES

If we want the salespeople to receive as much as they give, then we need to embrace a “two-process” approach. We need to empower our salespeople to give the prospect what they need, while also getting the information we need.

Driving our salespeople to adopt this approach would require a change-effort with the following three steps:

• Taking the time to clearly define the steps in both processes.

• Coaching the salespeople to see both giving and receiving as parallel processes.

• De-coupling the two processes in our sales pipeline stages.

1. DEFINING THE PROCESS PATHS, WITH ONE WINWIN OUTCOME.

For the sales team to embrace a “two-process” sales approach, it helps them to see it as a negotiation. On the one hand, they must help a prospect with their validation process. This is includes giving the prospect the following:

• Presentations and Demos

• Samples and Proof-of-concepts

• References and Proposals

The key is to clearly define the information the salespeople need to get along the way:

• A deep understanding of their issues and all decision makers involved

• Clarity around process and timeline

• Open dialogue regarding budget, roadblocks, and competition

If the salespeople are taught to see these two parallel processes as a win-win in every sales opportunity, then they are more apt to “buy-in”

2. COACHING THE SALESPEOPLE TO EXECUTE A WIN-WIN.

If we want the salespeople to execute a two-process approach, then we need to include both in every deal coaching

discussion. Rather than simply focusing on the delivery steps in the sales cycle, we need to ask detailed questions about the qualifying process as well.

A few sample questions we can add to our internal opportunity discussions are as follows:

1. Is there pressure on their department to fix this?

2. How much consensus is there regarding the need to make a change?

3. What are other priorities that could interfere with this initiative?

4. Is there competition or an incumbent vendor?

5. Who needs to give their blessing and sign off on this?

3. ALIGNING PIPELINE STAGES WITH THE TWOPROCESS APPROACH

The third step is to remove the delivery milestones from the pipeline stages. Rather than defining the stages based on action items including demo, presentation, and proposal, we need to separate these out as independent process steps. A sample set of pipeline stages could include the following:

• 10% - Interest in speaking/meeting.

• 20% - They shared issues that must be resolved.

• 35% - We have a clear map/access to all stakeholders involved.

• 50% - We are all aligned on the solution, process, budget, and timeline.

• 70% - We have remediated all roadblocks and are reviewing final contracts.

• 90% - We have an agreed upon close-date and a scheduled follow-up call.

This sample set of stages does not diminish the prospect’s process, it simply separates it from the pipeline staging. The key is to create a separate set of parallel steps for delivery of demos, trials, quotes, etc.

TRAINING TO A TWO-PROCESS SALES APPROACH

When implementing this approach, training to both process paths is critical. When pushing for salespeople to embrace and commit to a qualifying process, we should never diminish the delivery part of the sales cycle. When the sales training program presents the two paths in opposition, the salespeople see it as unrealistic and end up tuning out.

Teach your reps that in a two-process sales approach, both parties are equal. However, it will always be the salesperson’s responsibility to create the win-win.

Distributors: Stop Approaching Transformation with a Piecemeal Approach

BY MIKE MARKS, INDIAN RIVER CONSULTING GROUP

Mike Marks is co-founder and managing partner of Indian River Consulting Group, a consulting firm to distributors and manufacturers. He specializes in helping distributors and manufacturers accurately diagnose problems and identify risk-bound alternatives. Contact him at mmarks@ircg.com or visit ircg.com.

Many distributors have approached transformation in a piecemeal fashion. Most have only so many resources available and focus on one critical area at a time – in isolation from other dimensions of the business. Our team at IRCG has seen distributors addressing transformation in overlapping succession according to the most pressing priority, often starting with digital and moving on to sales, analytics and culture.

Yet, as Tom Gale of Modern Distribution Management and I discussed on the MDM QuickTake podcast, those distributors who take a holistic approach and account for all the ways each dimension will interact tend to realize greater competitive advantage and overall success.

This is especially true as we head into a new year. The pressing nature of these four elements – digital, sales, analytics and culture – has converged. All are as important as each other, and all are going through consequential enough change that they warrant an integrated strategy – a business model transformation.

Fortunately for smaller distributors – and smaller businesses in general – innovative technologies are now more accessible and affordable. And smaller businesses are more agile, so change can be initiated quickly. Now, it’s less about your ability to afford and integrate them and more about your willingness to invest and work on your business, instead of continually working in it.

Don’t let urgency take precedent over strategy.

Give yourself an advantage by taking a holistic approach and looking at all four dimensions in relation to one another. Also, understand that your strategy will look different from anyone else’s. There’s no one-size-fits all for a business model transformation, and different strategies for each element will have a different impact on your business compared to others.

4 ELEMENTS OF DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS MODEL TRANSFORMATION

Digital Transformation: When it comes to digital transformation, technologies that help your sales efforts, and that take the friction out of the customer experience, are key. Investing strategically will mean salespeople won’t ever have to make a cold call again, and there will be no long-term payback periods for your return-on-investment.

You might consider adopting:

• A modern Customer Relationship Management system

• An easy-to-use Quote-to-Cash electronic processing system

• A modern, cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning system

• E-Commerce

• Inventory sharing

• Pricing software

• A modern Warehouse Management System

• Marketing Automation software

Sales Transformation: For sales transformation, it’s all about creating multichannel and omnichannel selling and buying experiences.

“The companies that are really going to advance are those that can manage these different elements of trying to create competitive advantage in an integrated fashion.”

– Tom Gale, MDM

Distributors must rethink their sales pipeline and understand that, today, it’s not as much about pricing and more about how customers find and interact with you. Additionally, distributors must think strategically about taking field sales from being a lone ranger to being the point of the spear in a sales team, where they drive the market-making activities instead of being a traditional market-serving generalist.

Analytics Transformation: Already, analytics have made a major difference in productivity for distributors, significantly improving profits and generating reliable predictions. With

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analytics transformation, you’re giving management and your sales teams the data and tools to understand and segment your customers to make better decisions. Today, this doesn’t involve a massive overhaul and investment, and it doesn’t require extensive training to enable your team to make more informed decisions because they have timely facts.

Talent and Culture Transformation: For talent and culture, you want to build a culture that attracts the best people. Once you have that, there’s a snowball effect of acquiring good business and the best suppliers. This means accounting for the fact that today’s workforce has different priorities. And where profitability used to drive business, now it’s key to acknowledge that customers don’t come to you because you’re profitable –they come to you because your team creates value for them.

This is where smaller companies have a greater advantage. While larger companies have more bureaucracy and middle management following old handbooks, smaller distributors can adapt and pivot more quickly.

No matter your size, distributors need to adapt and change. A strategy for growth requires distributors to analyze their performance in all four elements and be willing to change to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

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• WesMor Cryogenics, is the sole US distributor for Cryolor products. WesMor stocks bulk tanks in Magnolia Texas from 1,500 gallon to 15,000 gallon These units are available in vertical & horizontal configuration, 250 & 500 Psig MAWP.

• Proudly partners with WesMor Cryogenics as our exclusive distributor in the US.

WESMOR CRYOGENICS, LLC

• Serves as the sales, service and warranty distributor for CRYOLOR products.

• WesMor Cryogenics, is the sole US distributor for Cryolor products. WesMor stocks bulk tanks in Magnolia Texas from 1,500 gallon to 15,000 gallon These units are available in vertical & horizontal configuration, 250 & 500 Psig MAWP

• WesMor also stocks vertical vacuum jacketed SS inner 6-ton through 50-ton LC02 tanks. The Cryolor bulk LC02 tanks are equipped standard with and internal refrigeration coil for applications that require a refrigeration unit.

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Provides complete rehab and repair services on existing bulk tanks and trailer fleets.

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Give Joe or Jay a call today — we’ll be glad to help you with your cryogenic needs!

• WesMor also stocks vertical vacuum jacketed SS inner 6-ton through 50-ton LC02 tanks. The Cryolor bulk LC02 tanks are equipped standard with and internal refrigeration coil for applications that require a refrigeration unit.

• The Cryolor vacuum insulation systems come with a 5 year warranty.

WESMOR CRYOGENICS, LLC

• When you purchase a new Cryolor bulk tank you have the WesMor team to rely on for the duration of your ownership. our team has a combined 100 years of service in the Cryogenic industry.

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jwalters@plugpower.com | 281-802-6418

Houston, Texas 77024

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Lessons in Life and Business Success from Margaritaville

WWJBD

BY JOHN TAPLEY

John Tapley is a Business Development Manager at Chart Industries with expertise in new business startup, innovative business growth and marketing strategies and digital/social media marketing. He has significant experience in all facets of the industrial gas industry, both domestic and global and can be reached at john. tapley@chartindustries. com and 470-332-4686.

Inspiration and wisdom will sometimes come our way from unexpected sources. And Jimmy Buffett might be in that unexpected category, but, when reflected in the proper context, his stories and lyrics are rich in wisdom and lessons for finding your way to a successful personal or business journey. His lifestyle as a laid back, beach loving troubadour with an entrepreneurial spirit developed into a global brand. And the music led to success with a diversified portfolio of hospitality, F&B, entertainment, and resorts. Jimmy was an entertainer, pilot, author, investor, and business owner. And he reached the pinnacle of success as a billionaire. Yes, billionaire with “B”. So, there are nuggets of wisdom to be uncovered if we ask, What Would Jimmy Buffett Do?

CHANGES IN LATITUDES…

Changes in Attitudes. Here we go, first up, if you’re stuck in neutral, spinning your wheels and confused about finding a new way forward, it’s time to change the scenery. If even for a day or week, anything to break the pattern and find a fresh look ahead. The literal sense of changes in latitude, get out of your territory, go south or

north and feel the different perspective. Work out of a different office if you can or set up in a co-workspace to get a new feel. And, if your whole team needs it, consider a “changes in latitudes” team retreat in an offsite location and focus on brainstorming new ideas and strategies for the business. If you find yourself saying “no” more often than “yes,” changes are calling you. And, as Jimmy says, “yesterday’s over my shoulder, too much to see waiting in front of me.”

THE CAPTAIN AND THE KID

The lesson here, if you don’t have one, is find yourself a mentor. Develop a bond and cherish the rich and enduring impact of shared experiences and passions. I was fortunate to connect with my mentor early in my business career and still maintain the coaching relationship today. And, while it’s great to have a close personal relationship with a mentor, if that’s not possible, find someone you aspire to in public life, study them and find ways you can emulate their path to success.

COME MONDAY

“I spent four lonely days in a brown heavy haze.” A song describing his feelings at a very low point

Listen if someone needs to talk and talk if you need someone to listen.

and later to find out he contemplated suicide at the time, thinking he would never be good enough. This song’s success actually turned it around for Jimmy. The message is never give up.

Mental health discussions are much more acceptable today than 50 years ago but still the stigma is there. Listen if someone needs to talk and talk if you need someone to listen.

IT’S FIVE O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE

Reaching beyond the literal meaning here, a song that celebrates escapism and the desire to separate from monotony and stress of everyday life. Break free of societal norms and expec-

tations that confine us, a reminder to live in the moment and make the most of every opportunity. Time is now and ok to move forward. Just because everyone else does it that way and I’m expected to go that way, I have another idea and I want to talk about it. I’m not stuck in the flow, and I can grow in a different direction. Just tell me it can’t be done, and I’ll show you how it can be done. And, I must confess, when I’m driving down the highway by myself and this song plays, the volume is up and I’m singing every word in perfect harmony with Jimmy (and Alan).

BUBBLES UP

A song released just before he died and knew his time was short, a final lesson in hope and inspiration. He’s guiding us to stay positive and move forward regardless of life’s challenges. And, in a business sense, resilience and perseverance can always serve as motivation and inspiration for entrepreneurs and the challenges they face. These lyrics, “Bubbles up, they will point you toward home, no matter how deep or how far you roam, they will show you the surface”.

And there you have it, a tribute to Jimmy the philosopher, the teacher, and the mentor. His words and actions taught us well about living life to the fullest, being happy and respectful. Afterall, he lived his life like a song.

10 Ways to Use AI to Drive Innovation and Competitiveness

BY DAMIAN RADCLIFFE

Damian Radcliffe is a journalist, researcher, and professor based at the University of Oregon, where he is the Carolyn S. Chambers Professor in Journalism, a Professor of Practice, an affiliate faculty member of the Department for Middle East and North Africa Studies (MENA) and the Agora Journalism Center, and a Research Associate of the Center for Science Communication Research (SCR).

In the last issue of Welding & Gases Today (Q1 2024) I outlined the excitement behind the latest wave of Artificial Intelligence, known as Generative AI. This technology is being rapidly adopted by a wide range of businesses and consumers, and it continues to develop at pace.

The gas and welding industry is not immune to these developments. Moreover, they cannot afford to be left behind as the adoption of these new tools gathers pace.

So, how can you and your business take advantage of this latest technological revolution?

Here are ten ways that integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI, can reshape – and is already reshaping - operations across the industry. In the process, these efforts can support strategic business goals focused on efficiencies, safety and innovation:

1. Predictive Maintenance: One of the most financially impactful applications of AI relates to predictive maintenance. As a recent scientific paper from researchers in China

has indicated, AI algorithms can process sensor data from digital welding equipment to more accurately predict the remaining service life. In turn, this can be used to determine maintenance schedules and forecast potential failures, effectively reducing “the risk of equipment damage and downtime.”

2. Quality Control and Inspection: IBM and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are partnering on an initiative using AI to provide manufacturers with real-time weld defect insights, resulting in a faster diagnosis of problems. It does this through automated inspections and sending alerts when work is not up to scratch. This enables remedial action to be quickly taken. “Manufacturers could reduce re-work costs by up to $18 million per 1,000 robots annually based on scrap, material and labor cost savings,” they predict.

3. Supply Chain Optimization: European engineering researchers have observed how “AI algorithms can analyze supply chain data, forecast demand, and optimize distribution

4. Safety Enhancements: AI-driven monitoring systems can identify unsafe behaviors or conditions in real-time, significantly reducing the risk of accidents and the potential disruption to operations. The use of cameras, drones, and other sensors be used to monitor workplace safety, compliance and the health of equipment. It’s also being used for training too, improving quality as well as safety.

Image on page 86: Promotional image for Siemens Industrial Copilot, courtesy of Siemens

Image Right:  IBM Smart Edge for Welding and AWS solution building blocks

Measurement

MethodMaterial

6 M Inputs

• Automate the identification and measurement of key features

• Discover and exploit hidden patterns

• IIoT, fast processing with multiple sensors

Monitor Analyze Predict Control Improve Prevent

• Prevent overengineering

• Improve administrative, enigneering control processes

• Drafting synthesis

7th M: Machine Learning with AI

“The Six Ms of Manufacturing. These processes feed into a type of AI known as machine learning.

Image from November 2023 The Fabricator magazine, “How Machine Learning Helps Perfect Welder Skill.”

5. Welding Process Optimization: Using AI to analyze data from the welding process, AI algorithms can be used to improve weld quality and operational efficiency. As ESAB reflects, “when you have data on hand, you can track nearly every aspect of your operation, down to the materials used to weld a part and the welder who worked on it.”

6. Reducing Energy Consumption: High costs, coupled with a desire to improve sustainability, means that optimizing energy usage is a key business imperative. Smart monitoring, alongside AI-powered predictive analysis tools can be used to reduce costs and drive efficiencies. “AI algorithms can predict future energy consumption patterns with high accuracy,” Energy5, an energy and renewables company, says. “This enables organizations to optimize their resource allocation strategies and avoid over or underutilization of energy resources.”

7. Training and Development: AI-driven simulators offer realistic training environments for a wide variety of professions. Beyond this, the use of AI to help perform repetitive tasks can free up workers to work on higher-level work that requires human knowledge and ingenuity. Workers therefore need to be trained not just in the use of AI, but also to have the skills to perform these higher-level tasks too, tasks in areas that AI frees them up to focus on.

8. Design and Problem-Solving: Generative AI is being used by companies like Siemens and Microsoft to enhance automation and solve bugs as well as support “AI-powered software development, problem reporting and visual quality

Environment Safety Quality Productivty Profitability

Outputs

inspection.” Products like Siemens Industrial Copilot, an AI-powered assistant, have the potential to revolutionize the way companies design, develop, manufacture, and operate,“ says Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens AG.

9. Customer Service and Support: More widely, the Gas and Welding industries can also tap into wider non-sector-specific trends, like the use of AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants. These tools can provide instant support, advice, and troubleshooting assistance, enhancing the overall customer and employee experience.

10. Automated Content Creation: Lastly, looking beyond operational applications, generative AI is increasingly making strides in the automated creation of content. This can be used in everything from website content to social media posts, presentations, promotional materials, technical reports and more. If your Comms and Marketing teams aren’t using AI for this yet, they soon will be.

LOOKING AHEAD

Like all major manufacturing and construction sectors, technological advancements have always reshaped, and redefined, working practices. These sectors do not – and have never been able to afford – to stand still. Automation, the use of robotics, widespread deployment of data and analytics, as well as the emergence of practices like plasma and laser welding, or efforts focused on sustainability, are just some examples demonstrating this principle in action. The advent of AI is merely the next step in

“As the needs of an ever-evolving economy change, the future is sure to see the continuation of the storied tradition of innovation and adaptation of welding technology that has shaped the world we live in today,” American Torch Tip explains.

Some of these AI-led developments are a continuation of more established working practices. Others might take you and your businesses into new realms. Regardless of where you are on this spectrum, AI and generative AI offer the promise of enhanced operational efficiency, quality control, safety and sustainability.

Subsequently, AI has the potential to be a transformative technology. In many cases, it already is.

As the author William Gibson once memorably stated, “The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.”

upcoming industry events

APRIL 2024

CGA Annual Meeting

New Orleans, LA

APRIL 7-10

WEMCO Annual Meeting

San Antonio, TX

APRIL 16-18

GAWDA Spring Management Conference

San Antonio, TX

APRIL 19-21

MAY 2024

AIWD Annual Convention

Atlantic City, NJ

MAY 4-7

GAWDA Southwest Regional MEETING

League City, TX

MAY 20-21

JUNE 2024

IWDC Sales & Purchasing Convention

Phoenix, AZ

JUNE 11-13

MDG Annual Meeting

Dallas, TX

JUNE 23-25

GAWDA Seven Springs Regional Meeting

Seven Springs, PA

JUNE 25-26

JULY 2024

GAWDA Northwest Regional Meeting

Sunriver, OR

JULY 17-19

GAWDA Central Regional Meeting

South Bend, IN

JULY 29-30

Check the EVENTS tab on the GAWDA website at www.gawda.org for more information on the events listed.

AUGUST 2024

2024 Young and Emerging Professionals Summit

Virtual

AUGUST 1-31

GAWDA Northeast Regional Meeting

Atlantic City, NJ

AUGUST 13-14

OCTOBER 2024

GAWDA Annual Convention

Phoenix, AZ

OCTOBER 11-14, 2024

FABTECH

Orlando, FL

OCTOBER 15-17

NOVEMBER 2024

IOMA Annual Meeting

Buenos Aires, Argentina

NOVEMBER 2-5

IWDC Owners Meeting

Rancho Mirage, CA

NOVEMBER 10-15

INDUSTRY

Maine Oxy Announces New Corporate Roles

Maine Oxy announced the following corporate restructuring: Will Gentry will be exclusively focusing on sales and pricing. He will continue to work together with the sales team, retail stores, and the bulk team with the title of Partner – Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.

Simultaneously, Kelly Gentry will expand her role and be working with Operations and Productivity in addition to her current role working with Human Resources and Safety with the title of Partner – Chief Operations and Safety Officer.

Chris Campbell will continue in his role of Chief Financial Officer to oversee Accounting, Credit and Collections, IT, and Purchasing.

Jason Gentry will continue to work with both operations and finance departments producing timely and critically valuable data and analytics with the title of Partner.

Hypertherm Associates Appoints CEO

Hypertherm Associates announced that Aaron Brandt, EVP of Technology, will succeed Evan Smith, CEO, upon Smith’s planned retirement at the end of 2024. Brandt will become the third CEO since Hypertherm Associates’ founding in 1968, following the strong leadership legacy of co-founder Dick Couch, CEO from 1968-2014, and Evan Smith, who succeeded Couch.

Airgas Named to Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Workplaces 2023 and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2024 Lists

Airgas, an Air Liquide company, has been featured on two of Newsweek’s prominent lists: America’s Greatest Workplaces for 2023 and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2024. The America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2024 list, by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group, features the top large and mid-size companies recognized by their employees for respecting and valuing individuals from different walks of life. Airgas

was also recently recognized as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces 2023. Companies were evaluated by 61,000 respondents living and working in the U.S. and over 389,000 company reviews in eight different categories such as company image, corporate culture, working environment, sustainability and career progression.

AWG Promotes Danny Villanueva to Branch Manager

AWG announced that Danny Villanueva has been promoted to branch manager of the company’s Waller, TX branch. Danny began his career in the industry at Bestway Welding Supply in 2013 as a delivery driver. By 2018, he had transitioned to counter sales. In 2021, Danny joined AWG in Waller, TX as a Counter Representative. Later, in 2022, he moved to the Market Street location in Houston to assist with inside and counter sales. Outside of work, Danny prioritizes spending time with his family. He is a proud father of two lovely young ladies, aged 17 and 18, and a dedicated husband to his wife of 22 years.

The Horton Group's Tony Hopkins has Been Named a “2023 Agents of the Year” by Insurance Journal

The Horton Group is pleased to announce that Tony Hopkins, Senior Vice President of Horton’s Risk Advisory division, has been named one of the “2023 Agents of the Year” by Insurance Journal, a nationally recognized property and casualty publication.

Tony Hopkins

United Abrasives, Inc. / SAIT Has Launched a New & Improved Website

United Abrasives has launched their newly revamped website, offering a smoother and more user-friendly experience. Visitors can explore a range of top-quality abrasive products and innovative solutions tailored for grinding to finishing needs. Check out their new website at www.unitedabrasives.com to experience the enhancements and discover their product offerings.

Equigas Announces Their New Sales Representative

Nicolas Arvelo

EQUIGAS is thrilled to announce that Nicolas Arvelo has officially joined the team as a Sales Representative. He is now the third generation of EQUIGAS's Family-Owned Business, whose passion for the gas industry has been ingrained since early ages, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and lots of energy. Nicolas graduated last year from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a Bachelor of Science in International Business & MarketingProfessional Selling, making him a valuable addition to the company.

Epicor Named MSP Partner of the Year by SonicWall

Epicor has been recognized for its ongoing commitment to excellence for the second year in a row. Epicor was named Managed Service Provider (MSP) Partner of the Year by SonicWall, a leading cybersecurity company. SonicWall works with vendors from across the globe, and chose to honor Epicor to showcase the company’s “tremendous performance, comprehensive expertise and unsurpassed service.”

American Cap Company Appoints Candis Schiek as Account Manager for IWDC and AIWD Accounts

American Cap Company LLC announced that Candis Schiek has been recently appointed as the account manager for IWDC and AIWD customer accounts. Candis has worked as a Customer Service/Sales Coordinator at American Cap Company since 2021 and assists the purchasing department. Candis is focused on providing exceptional customer service and has a strong desire to help people. She has served as a member of the United States Army Reserve for eight years, where she held administrative positions and provided support to the unit and all its members.

Candis Schiek

News INDUSTRY

IWDC Announces Key Role Change

The IWDC is pleased to announce Jessica Keck's expanded role, effective February 12, 2024, to include leading its marketing department in addition to her current Vendor Engagement responsibilities. In this new capacity, the following team will report to Jessica:

• Jenne Carney - Manager, Events & Member Engagement

• Erik Mayes, Digital Marketing Specialist

• Tom Missler, Creative Services Manager

Jessica will continue to report to Keith Werkley, Vice President of Sales and Vendor Management, and will lead the team that markets IWDC’s value propositions leveraging a combination of analytical, technical, and creative approaches.

Alliance Distribution Partners Welcomes Matt Parker as Welding Regional Manager, East

Alliance Distribution Partners is excited to welcome Matt Parker to the team as the Welding Regional Manager, East, where he will primarily focus on business activities east of the Mississippi. However, Troy Saylor emphasizes Matt's significance to Alliance as a whole, stating that he will contribute to all facets of the business. Drawing on his extensive experience in both distributor-level and wholesale operations, Matt is expected to play a crucial role in supporting Alliance's mission to assist customers in their growth, aiming to become the premier wholesale vendor in the welding and industrial channel across North America.

Thompson Brothers Welding & Industrial Supply Named 2023 Business of the Year

Thompson Brothers Welding & Industrial Supply announced on its Facebook page that it had been named the “2023 Business of the Year” by the Coffeyville Area Chamber of Commerce. The company says, "This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our amazing employees and the incredible support of our community. What a perfect capstone to end 2023 and begin 2024. We are truly honored, thank you!"

FIBA Technologies, Inc. has Appointed Dan Spalding as its New Parts Sales Manager

FIBA Technologies, Inc. has appointed Dan Spalding as its new parts sales manager. Dan is stepping up having spent his last three years as FIBA’s chief parts purchaser, based in Ohio. Dan started his career as a trailer technician and has 22 years in the industry – 13 of them at FIBA, including as an assistant plant manager – so he really knows every part of every trailer inside out.

Norton Announces New National Account Manager Sheramy Jonsson

Norton Saint-Gobain Abrasives announced that Sheramy Jonsson has joined the company as National Account Manager, responsible for the MRO and Welding Markets. Sheramy was formerly a National Account Manager with CertainTeed Insulation, also a Saint-Gobain company. Originally from Northern Utah, Sheramy joined Saint-Gobain Abrasives in June 2023. Sheramy’s career in contracting and distribution began in 1995. Throughout her career, Sheramy grew to hold various sales and leadership roles.

ESAB, American Welding Society Award $60,000 in Scholarships, Launch Future Fabricators Program

ESAB has launched its Future Fabricators Program with the announcement of 12 scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each that are awarded through the American Welding Society (AWS) Foundation. ESAB’s Future Fabricators program was developed for aspiring welders and fabricators to provide tools, equipment, scholarships, training and educational materials to technical and trade education programs from high schools to four-year welding engineering programs across North America.

Jessica Keck

Carbonic Systems Organizational Announcements

Carbonic Systems would like to make the following organizational announcements.

Todd Murdough was promoted to Operations Manager effective January 1, 2024. Todd has been with Carbonic Systems Incorporated for over 20 years and has done a bit more than just service in his time here. In addition to his current duties, he will take a more active role in the day to day management of our fleet of tractors & trailers and assist in the day to day operations of the company.

Karen Rider was promoted to Account Manager effective January 1, 2024. Karen has been with Carbonic Systems for over 7 years and has continued to take on additional responsibilities. Karen will be taking a more active role with our customer accounts and contract renewals.

In addition to these promotions, the company introduced Nick Rounds as Operations Specialist. Nick comes to Carbonic Systems with a wealth of experience in information technology, management and operations. Nick’s initial focus will be compliance and regulations and assist where needed throughout the business. Nick holds Bachelor’s Degree in business from Southern New Hampshire University.

A MINDUSTRY

Carbonic Systems also welcomed Francina (Frankie) Marvin to the team as Finance and HR Specialist. Frankie will be focusing on accounts payable, payroll, human resources and the general financials of the business. Frankie comes from Corning Incorporated where, most recently, she was a Financial Analyst. Francina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management from Keuka College.

Brady Melo Joins Ratermann Manufacturing

Ratermann Manufacturing announced that Brady Melo had joined the company as Account Manager. As an Account Manager, Brady will be focusing his expertise on Ratermann’s valued customers in the Southwest and West Coast regions. Brady brings a wealth of industry knowledge and a passion for delivering top-notch service. He can't wait to connect with our amazing customer base and contribute to the success of your projects.

MassBio and Middlesex Gases Announce a New 7-Year Contract, Extending their Partnership Through 2030

MERGERS,

PARTNERSHIPS & ACQUISITIONS

Industrial Source Acquires ADCOA Gases and Equipment

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio®) and Middlesex Gases are pleased to announce they have agreed to a new seven-year contract. This contract extends the partnership between the two companies, which began in 2017, through the year 2030 and ensures that Middlesex Gases will remain the preferred supplier of packaged (cylinder), MicroBulk, and Bulk lab gases for MassBio members.

In October of 2023, Industrial Source completed the acquisition of ADCOA Gases and Equipment LLC, a strategic move that marked a significant milestone for both companies. Since its establishment in 1972, ADCOA has been dedicated to offering a comprehensive range of services to healthcare professionals.

Through this acquisition, ADCOA will not only improve its current service offerings, but also provide its current customers with enhanced accessibility, expand its current product offerings and range of services to new areas, and overall, increase its operational efficiency.

MERGERS, PARTNERSHIPS & ACQUISITIONS, CONTINUED

This expansion also marks a significant step in the journey for Industrial Source. It creates opportunities to explore new industries, introduces an extended range of products and services to our company, and establishes new partnerships.

Messer Emerges as High Bidder in GSA Auction for Helium Assets

Messer officially acknowledged that it is the high bidder for the two lots of Federal helium assets, including the Federal Helium System, auctioned by the General Services Administration (GSA) on January 25, 2024.

“We are pleased with the outcome of the GSA auction,” said Elena Skvortsova, President and CEO, Messer Americas. “Messer is committed to providing a safe and reliable supply of this vital resource that is used in many industries including scientific, medical and defense applications.”

Messer is prepared to complete the transaction with the GSA and other US regulators and is confident that it possesses the technical abilities and expertise to own and operate these critical assets responsibly and with the public interest in mind.

OPW Clean Energy Solutions Announces Launch of its New Cryogenic Customer Service Division

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Cryogenic Customer Service Division at Clean Energy Solutions. We will be assisting you with all your Cryogenic needs (Hydrogen, IG, and LNG) As part of our commitment to enhancing your experience, we have expanded our services to better address your needs and provide even more comprehensive support.

What you can expect from our Customer Service Division: Dedicated Support: Our team is exclusively focused on ensuring your satisfaction. We are here to assist you with any inquiries, concerns, or feedback you may have.

Timely Responses: We understand the importance of quick and efficient assistance. Our goal is to respond promptly, addressing your needs promptly.

Personalized Solutions: Every customer is unique, and so are your needs. Our team is committed to tailoring solutions that cater to your specific requirements, ensuring a personalized and satisfying experience.

A-OX Welding Supply and A&B Welding Supply Join Meritus Gas Partners

Meritus Gas Partners announced that it entered into a partnership with A-OX Welding Supply Co. Inc., headquartered in Sioux Falls, SD and A&B Welding Supply Co. Inc., headquartered in Rapid City, SD. Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

A-OX and A&B are leading independent distributors of industrial, specialty and medical gases, and welding and safety supplies, with eight combined locations in North and South Dakota and Iowa. A-OX and A&B have been owned by the Elliott family since their inception and operated as separate businesses. Co-owners and brothers, Tom and Michael Elliott, and their family will continue to lead the companies while maintaining significant equity ownership in Meritus.

Techniweld USA Acquires Welding Material Sales

Techniweld USA has acquired Welding Material Sales, the nation’s leading private labeler of filler metals. Welding Material Sales, Inc., is known for its Blue Demon brand of filler metals and welding products. The collaboration brings together the strengths and resources of both organizations, and, as a result, Techniweld USA will now offer all of the combined customers a larger distribution footprint with seven locations, a larger breadth of filler metals, and an even more expansive offering of specialty welding supplies.

NEW MEMBERS

DISTRIBUTOR MEMBERS

BORDER WELDING SUPPLY INC.

1033 Hawkins Blvd., Suite A

El Paso, TX 79915

www.borderwelding.com

Cesar Cisneros, President cesarc@borderwelding.com

915-304-0305

UNIVERSAL COMPRESSED AIR

4647 Saucon Creek Road

Center Valley, PA 18034

www.ucaair.com

Rick Kowey, EVP & COO

rkowey@ucaair.com

215-740-3446

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR

AIRLIFE GASES

112 Center Ave.

Chatham, NJ 07928

www.airlifegases.com

John Bigham, President john.bigham@airlifegases.com

862-485-7004

SUPPLIER MEMBERS

ADOR WELDING LIMITED

1161 Inverness Lane

Stow, OH 44224

www.adorwelding.com

Robert Sauders, Business DevelopmentUSA & Canada

robert@adorians.com

678-876-5227

DAVY GAS

8630 Twilight Tear Lane

Cincinnati, OH 45249

Gary Bender, Chief Business Development Officer

215-421-8291

gary.bender@davygas.com

www.davygas.com

EVERLAST WELDERS

380 Swift Ave. Unit #12

South San Francisco, CA 34987

www.everlastwelders.com

Norm Sted, Director of Sales & Business Development

norm@everlastwelders.com

650-588-8082

GOOCH TRUCKING COMPANY INC.

29 Gooch Drive

Blairsville, GA 30512

www.goochtrucking.com

Marvin Strange, General Manager marvin.strange@goochtrucking.com

706-400-1904

STERLING SEACREST PRITCHARD

2500 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 400

Atlanta, GA 30339

www.sspins.com

David Mathews, Partner dmathews@sspins.com 404-202-4579

TRANSLAS NORTH AMERICA

1099 Commerce Way

Woodstock, ON, CN N4V 0A2

www.translas.com/na

Duncan Beaumont, President dbeaumont@translas.com 226-602-8760

TURBINES INCORPORATED

112 #A Lumber Lane

Seneca, SC 29672

www.turbinesincorporated.com

Mitch Anderson, ManagerCryogenic Business Development

manderson@turbinesincorporated.com

864-784-2604

1. CO2Meter Adds Oxygen Sensor to Multi Gas Safety Sensor

CO2Meter has released a new addition to their Multi Gas Safety System, now featuring an oxygen sensor. This enhancement caters to a broader range of industry needs and requirements. The Oxygen Sensor for Multi Gas Safety System is designed to ensure gas safety and monitor oxygen levels down to -50°C across a variety of industry applications. This sensor integrates with the Multi Gas Safety System. It uses advanced zirconia sensing to monitor and detect leaks of high concentrations, protecting staff when working near nitrogen, argon, helium and other gases. The Multi Gas Safety System allows you to pick and choose only the components you need to create a fully integrated system.

2. Lincoln Electric Launches Sprinter 180Si

Lincoln Electric® introduces the Sprinter™ 180Si stick welder. This versatile machine delivers superior arc performance for stick welding combined with advanced TIG functionality, all wrapped up in a portable, lightweight package, thanks to the newest inverter technology. The 180Si is designed with a maximum output of 180 amps to enable exceptional stick welding quality. Operators can weld up to 5/32-inch electrodes (6010/7018) and can even choose a dedicated 6010 mode for cellulosic stick electrodes. The 180Si is also portable and versa-

tile. Weighing in at less than 20 pounds, it goes anywhere easily, and the dual-input voltage enables the operator to plug into any common power supply. Once it’s up and running, the simple user interface includes an easy-to-read seven-segment display and easy push-button controls. And it all packs up neatly in an ergonomically designed case with a handle and shoulder strap that make it easier to carry and move – around the shop or to any location.

3. Save Time and Prevent Injury with Ratermann Medical Dust Covers

Repetitive motion is one of the top causes of on-the-job injuries. In the medical gas industry, an oxygen distributor can fill thousands of cylinders a day, and each fill requires a new seal and dust cover. In the past, that repetitive work of popping off and replacing covers and seals quickly resulted in thumb and hand overuse injuries. And the ripple effect could be decreased productivity and fewer cylinders moving out each day.

To alleviate that problem and increase efficiency, Ratermann worked with manufacturers to design a faster, easier solution that improves ergonomic function and reduces the chance for thumb and hand injury, which in turn increases overall productivity. The Ratermann Medical Dust Covers are uniquely designed with a preloaded washer (you can also opt for non-preloaded), which cuts out the extra step of installing

the MC-1 or MC-G1 seals. Anyone with arthritis or other hand usage limitations has struggled in the past with those seals. Now, an easy finger-pull tab changes the game entirely.

4. CPI Proflo® PF2 by Chart Industries

The CPI Proflo® PF2 by Chart Industries is a newly launched programmable shutdown device designed to monitor lubricant flow in divider block metering systems. It features multiple cycle time displays, onboard graphical trending, troubleshooting tools, LED status indicators, and wireless communication. The device is certified and aims to enhance the safety, reliability, and economic operation of compressors in various applications. Cycle times are continuously monitored and communicated through both the LCD display and the LED indicator lights. The Proflo PF2 is a learning device that monitors and calibrates to the installed magnet assembly. This eliminates the historic issue of devices not working with alI magnet assemblies requiring field adjustments for optimal function. The Proflo PF2 allows users to configure the relay outputs which feature a shutdown alarm and a pulsed output signal or warning alarm. New diagnostic tools allow users to easily test the device functionality and validate settings, simplifying installation and troubleshooting.

5. Insight Centerpoint™ A Real-Time Welder Feedback System by Miller

Insight Centerpoint™ from Miller is a real-time welder feedback system that offers arc data monitoring, guidance, and control within the weld cell. It enhances weld quality and reduces training time and costs. The system guides welders through weld sequences, helps contain defects, and reduces costs by alerting to missed or out-of-parameter welds. It includes features like Part Tracking™ for weld sequence control, WorkFlow™ for comprehensive fabrication guidance, and integrated reports for extensive weld process information. The system, deployable locally or on a network, includes a graphical HMI monitor in each weld cell for instant feedback. For more details, please visit Miller's Website.

6. ABICOR BINZEL USA Introduces its First-Ever COBOT

ABICOR BINZEL USA introduces its first-ever COBOT, announcing a new era in advanced robotics solutions. The Abicor Binzel iBOTone has been designed with user friendliness in mind, with an intuitive operation and programming system and easy-to-use configuration buttons. The programming interface utilizes self-explaining pages with visuals and diagrams to show the user exactly what they’ll be expecting. This means anyone can use the iBOTone — there’s no program-

ming knowledge or long training sessions required.

The iBOTone boasts a high level of precision and speed, promising repeatable accuracy to complete high-quality welding seams and projects correctly the first time. It’s also extremely durable, with die-cast aluminum components and dust proof seals (protection class IP66) allowing the iBOTone to be used even in harsh work environments.

7. 1sourcevend Releases Game-Changing API V2 with Expanded Capabilities

1sourcevend announced the release of Version 2 of its API (Application Programming Interface), marking a significant advancement in its software technology.

This new version of the 1sourcevend API offers a range of enhanced features:

• Expanded Data Endpoints: Increases from 11 to 32, providing broader data access.

• Two-Way Communication: Allows external systems to both retrieve and send data to 1sourcevend's platform, facilitating interactive and integrated user experiences.

• Automated Unit Price Updates: Ensures real-time accuracy in pricing, reflecting 1sourcevend's commitment to advanced, user-centric solutions.

This update is a substantial step in addressing operational challenges in inventory management and vending services. 1sourcevend's enhanced API is not just about streamlining operations; it's about offering sustainable and reliable business solutions, keeping pace with evolving client needs.

8. Cold Jet CONNECT

Data. Information. Insights. These are today’s currencies and the keys to your success. Cold Jet CONNECT introduces Industry 4.0 capabilities to our portfolio of dry ice technologies, providing you with a clear view of the data you need to make decisions that will accelerate your return on investment and profitability through increased machine efficiency and uptime. This allows machine operators, management, and Cold Jet technical experts to access vital operational data, ensuring your machines are running at peak performance. Accelerate your profitability and return on investment by improving machine efficiency and uptime with machine analytics.

CONNECT enables tracking and support of your installed fleet of Cold Jet equipment and helps you understand, control, delegate and orchestrate your daily business without us needing to be physically present.

GAWDA members shared these posts using LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. We encourage GAWDA members to keep the conversation going all year long by using #GAWDA next time you post.

Arcos Delivers Solutions to Stainless Steel Alloy Welding Challenges.

Discover for yourself how Arcos stainless steel alloy electrodes can help you solve your critical welding problems. Call us today at 800-233-8460 or visit our website at www.arcos.us

Arcos Industries, LLC offers over 100 stainless steel electrode products to handle the countless array of demanding welding applications that challenge you daily. Our reputation for exceptional quality and outstanding service ensures that you can depend on Arcos to provide you with the finest in bare wire, covered and tubular stainless steel alloy welding electrodes.