11 minute read
Industry News
Central Welding Supply Opens in Fairbanks to Expand Service to Alaska Interior
Dale Wilton, CEO of Central Welding Supply, announced the opening of a new location at 3209 Industrial Ave, Fairbanks, AK. Wasilla, AK was Central Welding Supply’s first location in Alaska, opened in February 2017. The opening of this second Alaskan branch in Fairbanks extends retail, industrial, equipment, gases & safety sales for walk-in customers and direct gas delivery to the Interior Region of Alaska, Fairbanks and the Tenana Valley. Fairbanks, AK represents Central Welding Supply’s 26th location in a 3-state territory that includes Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.
FIBA Recruits Staff and Plans More Growth
FIBA Technologies is continuing to expand across its six U.S. locations, having already recruited many new hires in recent weeks. The Littleton, MA-based business is enjoying increased demand for its products and services, so plans to continue recruiting to enable a further expansion.
A FIBA spokesperson said: “We are increasing our headcount at all locations and there continues to be a recruitment drive company wide. FIBA Technologies is now actively sourcing welders and general technicians at all our locations, throughout the United States. With further growth planned it’s a great time to join FIBA.”
Jeremy Ramage Joins Wright Brothers, Inc. as CEO
Wright Brothers, Inc. is pleased to announce Jeremy Ramage has been named CEO. Jeremy has been in the industrial gas industry since 2001 and has worked for several industrial gas companies.
In this role, Jeremy will lead all operations out of the Cincinnati production and transportation hub as well as the Kentucky retail location and future expansion. Jeremy adds a unique addition to the Wright Brothers, Inc. team allowing the team to continue to excel with its many opportunities. Additionally, Jeremy will be a great resource to Wright Brothers Global Gas including the telemetry product, Vendor Managed Gas™ (VMG). Charlie Wright will remain involved as an owner, coach, and member of the Board of Advisors.
Tim Springer joined IWDC as Senior Accounting Manager. Tim will report to Steve Sandler, IWDC Controller, and will lead the IWDC accounting team responsible for co-op-wide accounts payables, accounts receivables, and centralized invoicing processes. In this role, Tim will be accountable for driving accuracy and productivity as well as enhancing the invoice processing support IWDC’s Members and Vendor partners rely upon.
Tim Springer
AWG Names Brinkley Brown as VP of Thoroughbred Industrial Cylinder Exchange
AWG is pleased to announce the promotion of Brinkley Brown to Vice President of Thoroughbred Industrial Cylinder Exchange (TICE), a division of American Welding & Gas, Inc. Brinkley has been in the AWG family since December of 2004 as Customer Service and Logistics Coordinator, as Director of Customer Service and currently, as Director of Sales and Operations for TICE. Brinkley also serves as cochair of the AWG Women’s Committee. Brinkley has led tremendous growth and diversification in TICE’s customer base and has exceeded earnings quality of the entire business. Brinkley will continue reporting to Jason Krieger, AWG’s President and CEO.
Mark Simon Named Vice President Operations & Manufacturing for Nikkiso Clean Energy
Nikkiso Cryogenic Industries’ Clean Energy & Industrial Gases Group is pleased to announce that Mark Simon has been named Vice President, Operations & Manufacturing for the Pumps Functional Unit.
In this role, Mark will lead global operations for the Cryogenic Pumps Business Unit and work to align and adjust the Group’s sites for growth, quality standards, safety, and reporting. He will develop and implement the global manufacturing strategy and operational excellence management system.
Oxygen Service Company Announces Opening of Appleton, WI Store
Oxygen Service Company is excited to announce that it is officially opening in Appleton, Wisconsin. OSC’s new store location will be 2932 N. Tempest Ct, Appleton, WI. 54913
“We are looking forward to opening our seventh location in the Midwest and our second in Wisconsin. We currently have several customers that operate in the area and employees that live in Eastern Wisconsin. We feel that the Fox Valley is a strong market, and we are well-positioned to be successful here.” said President Ryan Diekow. “I am looking forward to growing the Oxygen Service customer base and bringing new jobs to the area.”
Superior Products Team Announcements
Superior Products announced that Allyson Kostalnick has been promoted to the role of General Manager of Superior Products, located in Cleveland, Ohio. Allyson joined the Superior Products Allyson Kostalnick team in February 2015 as a Product Manager and became the Sales & Marketing Manager in 2020. The company also announced that it had hired Melissa De Jesus to the role of Sales Manager. Melissa was the Strategic Sales Manager at Phoenix Lighting/Phoenix International and Melissa De Jesus brings 9 years of sales experience and 8 years of experience in the industry. Melissa received a Master’s in Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix in 2018.
Introducing Hypertherm Associates, the New Corporate Name of Hypertherm Plasma
Hypertherm is changing its corporate name to Hypertherm Associates, a name that represents the company’s evolution from a manufacturer of plasma cutting products to a multi-technology provider of industrial cutting solutions, with its people (“Associates”) at the heart of everything it does to support and solve customer challenges.
Along with the new name, Hypertherm Associates is introducing a new corporate logo and updated logos for its technology brands. The Hypertherm Associates logo, designed to resemble a nest of cut parts, serves to visually link the corporate brand with the company’s respected technology and product brands. At the same time, it demonstrates the company’s industry and technology leadership—and its commitment to lean manufacturing, sustainable practices, and innovative engineering—as well as the strength of cross-technology offerings that solve customer challenges.
CPV Manufacturing Announces Ryan Howard as Regional Sales Manager Gulf Coast
Admiral Valve, LLC dba CPV Manufacturing announced the appointment of Ryan Howard as Regional Sales Manager – Gulf Coast.
Ryan obtained a B.B.A from Texas State University and brings 7 years of sales experience in the industrial market. Ryan Howard Throughout his career, he has gained a great knowledge about valves and fittings used in industrial applications, specifically in the vast Oil & Gas and Petrochemical industries.
Ryan will be the first employee at CPV hired for this position that will not be based out of headquarters in Kennett Square, PA. The hire of Ryan is a monumental step for the expansion of CPV into new territories that hold significant growth opportunities for the company’s reliable valves and fittings.
Norco Announces New Executive Management
Norco announced that Larry Booth has been named Executive Vice President of its Industrial Division. He was most recently Norco’s Welding and Automation Product Manager and brings significant industry knowledge and his 37 years of Larry Booth experience to this new role.
Larry began his career at Norco in Boise, Idaho, on June 5th, 1985. His first job included putting away freight and stocking retail showroom shelves. His next role at Norco was on the
purchasing team where he continued to learn more about the business. A move to Elko, Nevada to help with a new Norco location, resulted in even more opportunity. While there he was an integral part of the store’s operations, first in a sales role and later as the branch manager. After ten years, he and his wife Heather, who he met at Norco, returned to Boise with their growing family, when he accepted the position of Industrial Product Manager.
Harris Products Group Names Dave Thayer Director of North American Sales
Dave Thayer has been promoted to Director North America Sales at The Harris Products Group. Thayer previously was Regional Sales Manager–West for parent company Lincoln Electric, where he worked for more than 25 years. In his new role, Thayer is responsible Dave Thayer for executing Harris’s corporate sales and customer service strategies, ensuring customer needs are met through the company’s full suite of product offerings and custom, turnkey solutions. Harris manufactures a wide range of gas distribution and regulation products as well as brazing and welding equipment and consumables.
New Appointments and Promotions at Ratermann
Ratermann appointed Tony Rios as National Sales Manager for Branding Solutions; Madeline Westerhoff as Customer Service Representative; and Eric Mensik as Cryogenic Outside Sales Account Manager for Ratermann’s Cryogenic Division.
The company also announced the promotion of Sean Barry to Purchasing Manager. Tony, Madeline, Eric, and Sean will be indispensable players in Ratermann’s continued success.
Surewerx USA Inc. Welcomes Aidin Prince & Jose Zavala to the Team
Aidin Prince joined the SureWerx USA Sales team as a Territory Account Manager for the Southwest on April 4, 2022. Aidin joins the team with over 17 years sales experience, having most recently worked for Weiler Abrasives as a National Account Manager. She has also held sales positions with Stanley Black & Decker and Fastenal to name a few.
Jose Zavala joined the SureWerx USA Sales team as a Territory Account Manager for the Western Region on April 4, 2022. Jose joins the team having most recently worked for Walter Surface Technologies as a Territory Account Manager. Prior to that, Jose held positions as a Territory Manager for Pearl Abrasives and Klingspor Abrasives. Aidin Prince Jose Zavala
Premier Cryogenic Expands Repair Capabilities in Delphi, Indiana
Premier Cryogenic Services, LLC announced the move of their recently acquired West Lafayette, Indiana cryogenic repair business into a larger facility located at 1338 N Washington St., Delphi, IN 46923.
The prior cryogenic repair facility served customers with an 8-bay shop. CEO Mark Morreale apprises that “the larger 35-bay Delphi cryogenic repair shop permits us to better serve existing and new customers in the region.” Moreover, “the recently opened 35-bay shop is already filled,” reports COO Joe Morreale, “and we are eager to provide quality and timely cryogenic repair services throughout the region.”
PCS also announces the hiring of Curt Hillenberg to manage the Delphi shop. Another recent and notable hire at the Delphi facility, with significant cryogenic engineering expertise and experience, as well as industry name recognition, is Everett Snoeberger.
Anova Welcomes Matthew Toone as CEO
Anova announced that Matthew “Matt” Toone has been appointed CEO. An experienced and entrepreneurial business leader, Matt succeeded Chet Reshamwala and assumed responsibilities as of July 18th.
Matt Toone is a highly entrepreneurial, motivational leader with deep experience in industrial technology markets and product development.
Matt was previously the CEO of Bacharach, a leader in gas analysis which was acquired by MSA, Inc. in 2021. Prior, Matt spent 11 years with Emerson, Inc. in a variety of progressive leadership roles, including leading Cooper Atkins, Vilter manufacturing and Sales and Solutions for the group’s Cold Chain platform.
Matthew Toone
Meritus Gas Partners Welcomes Allen Jezouit and Dan Snitzer
Meritus Gas Partners is pleased to announce two new management team additions that took place during June and July.
Allen Jezouit joined Meritus in June as Vice President, Product Management and Digital Marketing. Allen comes to the company with over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, business development and e-commerce. He also has significant experience in the packaged gas industry.
Dan Snitzer joined the team in July as Director of Engineering & Project Execution. Dan has over 10 years of experience in the industrial gas industry focused on project management, plant engineering and design, construction, commissioning, and startup.
SuperFlash LLC announced the promotion of Brittany Fichter to Sales and Marketing Representative. She will continue her marketing role with the exciting addition of a sales representative. Fichter joined the company in 2018 as a customer care representative and Brittany Fichter was quickly added to the marketing team. She has been able to work closely with each department in the company to understand the needs of each. In this past year Fichter has shown her dedication and interest in the industry by taking an 8-week welding course where she was top of her class.
Gas Innovations Announces Wade Welch Appointed Director, Mexico & Latin America
Gas Innovations is excited to announce that Wade Welch has been appointed Director, Mexico & Latin America. Wade joins Gas Innovations following a 29-year career at Air Products, where he held both marketing and global product management responsibilities for product lines including commodity chemicals and electronic specialty gases. Wade’s extensive international background with customers and distributors will further boost the company’s growing presence and commitment in Mexico and Latin America.
Wade Welch
MWSCO to Open New Appleton, Wisconsin Store
Mississippi Welders Supply Co. is excited to announce we are opening our newest store in Appleton, Wisconsin. Our new store location will be at 3900 N Providence Ave, Appleton, WI 54913 and is planned to open August 2022.
MWSCO continues to grow in distribution and service, providing solutions for industrial gas, welding, automation, vendor managed inventory, fire protection, and beverage CO2. We have four stores in Minnesota, one in Iowa, and this will be our seventh in Wisconsin.
IN MEMORIAM
John Thomas (Jack) Tilley
GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of John Thomas (Jack) Tilley, who passed away at the age of 78. Jack was a long-term veteran of the industry, having worked in industrial gases for the past 47 years, and he was well-known throughout the industry. Jack was a New York-native who lived in South Carolina for the past 27 years while he was employed by CTR. He started his career in the gases industry with Airco Gases and remained into the BOC years.
Jack played a critical role in the development and growth of CTR. He was a very knowledgeable and creative individual who loved the outdoors and was an avid outdoorsman. He will be missed by all who knew him, but never forgotten.
