| Murray Hill, New Jersey, U.S., September 8, 2008 – The Airco Distributor Association (ADA), a group representing 90 independent U.S. distributors of industrial gases and related products, has named several new leaders to its executive board.
The ADA, founded in 1993, enables independent distributors to leverage group purchasing power to achieve volume discounts and earn rebates. Linde North America, a member of The Linde Group, provides marketing and administrative support to the ADA.
The ADA’s executive board provides guidance to its independent distributor members and vendor partners such as wholesalers, equipment manufacturers and business services. The leaders will assume their new roles following the ADA’s annual meeting, to be held this October in Las Vegas.
Mark Falconer, president, of the Minneapolis-based Minneapolis Oxygen Company, will become the ADA’s co-chairman. For the next three years, Falconer will work alongside Craig Wood, ADA board emeritus and outgoing ADA co-chairman. Wood’s position is a new one, created by the ADA board to help transition leadership roles and responsibilities. Wood is president of the Sandusky, Ohio-based O.E. Meyer Company’s welding division.
“We’ve been members of ADA since its inception, “says Falconer, who points out that ADA is more than just a buying group.
“We have developed great relationships with the vendors and have generated programs with them that go beyond the original agreement – like creating marketing opportunities, training and other valuable services related to our partnership,” Falconer said.
Falconer says another major advantage of ADA is that it affords him the opportunity to get tips from other member distributors that can benefit his own business. “The ADA also gives all members the ability to stay abreast of changes in the industry.”
The ADA also named two new board members: Gary Lichtenheld, president, Terrace Supply Company of Villa Park, Illinois, and Kelly Root, vice president of sales for Capitol Welders Supply, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The ADA’s three new board alternates are: Emmett Aldredge III, vice president of planning and finance for Machine and Welding Supply of Dunn, North Carolina; Bob Iverson, president of Springfield, Massachusetts,-based Ivey Industries, Inc., and Lloyd Robinson, president of AWISCO, New York Corp., based in Maspeth, New York.
The ADA annual meeting, scheduled for October 3 – 5, 2008, enables independent distributors and vendor partners to attend both the ADA annual meeting and the FABTECH/AWS Convention, which also will be held in Las Vegas, from October 6 – 8.
In other business, the ADA board has renewed its vendor agreements with ORS Nasco for wholesale supplies, Weldcraft for TIG replacement parts and Taylor Wharton International for high pressure and cryogenic containers. The board also received a mid-year update on industry trends and purchases from Worcester, Mass- based vendor Norton Abrasives.
The ADA’s 90 independent distributor members have over 400 retail locations throughout the U.S. Today the members represent approximately $1 billion in annual purchases and have earned about $24 million in rebates since inception achieved through compliance with their vendors.
The Linde Group has more than 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2007 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.3 billion (USD 18.7 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based and sustainable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.
Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
For more information, see The Linde Group web site at www.linde.com
Contact:
Peter Gavigan
Linde corporate communications
908-771-1512
Peter.gavigan@linde.com |
