Weldship Acquired by Markel
Bethlehem, PA — Markel Ventures, a subsidiary of Markel Corporation, acquired a majority interest in Weldship Corporation, headquartered in Bethlehem, PA, with a division, Texas Trailer Corporation, in Gainesville, TX, from RAF Industries, Inc. Robert Arcieri, CEO and president of Weldship, says, “With the added strength Markel provides as our permanent business partner, we anticipate our business will continue its consistent growth pattern, providing security for our employees and support for our customers.” Markel Corporation is a diverse financial holding company serving a variety of niche markets.
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Pacific Welding Supplies’ Bremerton store features a clean, modern showroom.
Pacific WS Opens Bremerton Branch
Tacoma, WA — Pacific Welding Supplies opened a new branch in Bremerton, WA. The 4,900 sq. ft. building features a retail showroom, steel prep and cutting areas, a hardgoods warehouse and an expanded receiving area. The relocated branch allows Pacific Welding Supplies to expand its inventory and services, while providing a more efficient work environment for its staff. The store serves the greater Kitsap County, including several naval shipyards as well as regional contractors serving government, manufacturing and construction.
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Ratermann Dubbed Master Distributor
Livermore, CA — Ratermann Manufacturing was named a master distributor for Sherwood Valve. Under this new title, Ratermann sales representatives will meet with customers to match the correct valve for applications in various segments of the compressed gas industry, including specialty, industrial and medical gas, chlorine and LPG. The company serves customers from its distribution centers located in Livermore, CA, and Nashville, TN, and is one of only 4 master distributors listed by Sherwood Valve.
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Jackson Gets Ready to Relocate
Rochester, NY — Jackson Welding Supply is renovating a building in Rochester that will serve as its new headquarters once completed. The 30,000 sq. ft. building came with an existing firewall from its previous owner that will separate the gas packaging operations from the showroom, warehouse and offices. The company has occupied its current headquarters for close to 40 years, expanded through additions over time as the company grew. Due to surrounding railroad tracks and other property, Jackson can only access its current building from the front and has had to store its 9 delivery trucks indoors, using about 3,000 of the location’s 22,000 sq. ft. for parking.
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Jackson Welding Supply’s future headquarters in construction. At left, roofing panels being installed; right, a loading dock in progress.
Praxair Acquires Houston Distributor
Danbury, CT — Praxair Distribution, Inc. (PDI) acquired National Alloy and Equipment, located in Houston, TX. National Alloy’s core competency is technical support to the fabricators of high-pressure control packages and drilling risers for harsh off-shore environments that require low-alloy, high-strength wires and fluxes. “The addition of National Alloy is a great example of the targeted approach Praxair Distribution is taking to acquire high-quality independent distributors in geographies with attractive growth profiles which complement our existing infrastructure,” says John Panikar, president of PDI.
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Air Liquide employees are joined by local dignitaries at the groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new nitrogen liquefier in Cleburne, TX.
Air Liquide Breaks Ground in Texas
Houston, TX — Air Liquide broke ground on a new nitrogen liquefier at its air separation plant in Cleburne, TX. The additional liquefier, scheduled to begin commercial production in the third quarter of 2012, will enable Air Liquide to nearly double its supply of industrial gases from the facility in Cleburne to the Texas and Oklahoma merchant markets. To support the increased production capacity, Air Liquide plans to increase its workforce in Cleburne by at least one-third by hiring as many as 21 permanent employees, including production technicians and truck drivers.
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Norco Acquires Medical Supply Business
Boise, ID — Norco, Inc. acquired the respiratory and medical supply business of MedNow, a joint venture between Walgreens Infusion and Respiratory Services and the St. Alphonsus Health System. “This will enable Norco to better compete with the 8 other providers of oxygen and medical equipment providers in the Boise, Nampa, ID, and Ontario, OR, areas. Although some of these competitors are large, national providers, Norco will continue to offer broad scale service with a local flair,” says Norco President Ned Pontious.
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Chart Expands LNG Production
Garfield Heights, OH — Chart Industries’ Distribution & Storage Group will expand manufacturing capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) equipment to meet growing LNG infrastructure demand in North America. Chart plans to begin with a first phase investment in the Fourth Quarter 2011 of approximately $4 million at a site to be located in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. Site selection is nearing completion, and the additional capacity is expected to be ready to fulfill customer orders before the end of this year. Tom Carey, president of Chart Distribution & Storage, says, “We believe we are in the early stages of a substantial LNG infrastructure build-out in North America that we expect will last for many years.”
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