Airgas, Inc., a publicly traded corporation with over 11,000 locations world-wide, opened their newest production, distribution and retail center Sept. 23 on a six- acre industrial site in Arlington.
The opening of the facility brought about a dozen new jobs to the area, a fact that was well appreciated by Arlington Mayor Margaret Larson, who attended the open house along with several other dignitaries and city council members.
Airgas is the largest distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, related equipment and safety supplies in the United States. One of their key product lines serves welding and metal fabrication manufacturers. The company is also the largest producer of dry ice in the country.
The high demand for this very necessary production product, combined with an exacting set of standards and safety procedures, has helped Airgas to expand its manufacturing footprint and become the success that it is today, company officials said.
The parent company selected Arlington for the new production, distribution and retail center based on several factors. First was the need for a site north of Seattle and away from the traffic gridlock that plagues King County in general
“We service needs up into the western Canadian provinces and down into the Woodinville area,” said Patrick Merkel, strategic account manager for Airgas-Nor Pac, Inc. “Arlington was a strategic location. We also believe strongly that Arlington and the surrounding area is a growth area.”
Another consideration was that the company was welcomed into the area by Arlington’s mayor and the city council.
“They really helped us make sure that we were in compliance and in an expeditious fashion that met our timeline,” Merkel said. “We’ve been welcomed with open arms, which isn’t always the case even though we’re one of the most heavily regulated businesses around.”
It is this high level of regulation that has made it difficult for some businesses in the industry. Some cities don’t care to partner with businesses that come heavily wrapped in compliance and regulation requirements.
Every regulatory agency, from the Environmental Protection Agency to Homeland Security, wants to be sure that such facilities are completely safe and secure.
Airgas is unique in that it is not only regulated by outside agencies but also regulates itself. The company even trains local fire departments on how they should respond in case of an emergency in their type of industry. The company has set its standards high as it has grown over the last 26 years.
Airgas, Inc. was founded in 1983 by then and still current CEO Peter McCausland. Back then, McCausland had an opportunity to acquire Connecticut Oxygen. He could foresee the huge opportunities that were about to open up in gas and welding supply industries.
At the time of the acquisition, there were scores of Mom-and-Pop welding supply shops that had opened up in the post-war era. These business owners had taken advantage of a time when cylinders and other military surplus equipment was fairly inexpensive. At that time, these business owners were thinking about retirement and looking to sell. Airgas was looking to acquire. The timing couldn’t have been better to create an industry-leading corporation.
“It was a very small start,” said Brent Fernyhough, area vice president for Airgas-Nor Pac, Inc. That small start quickly gained momentum and continued to grow rapidly. At the end of the company’s fiscal year last March they had net sales of over $4 billion.
“We’re running about $4.5-4.6 billion right now,” Fernyhough said.
The company’s customer base currently exceeds one million, drawn from such diverse areas as industrial manufacturing, the medical field, the food and beverage industry, utilities, transportation organizations, retail and many others.
Airgas supplies products in all sizes, from the refillable cylinders seen on the back of service vehicles that are destined for drop off around the region to real bulk pipeline-style production. More than 850 Airgas retail outlets can be found nationwide including this newest location in Arlington.
In addition, the corporation was named to Standard &Poor’s “S&P 500” list of companies just before the grand opening of the Arlington plant.
It looks to be a strong future for a company that literally can draw its product out of thin air. Because, oddly enough, that is part of what the company does. Air, of course, is composed of nitrogen, oxygen and argon — all of which Airgas extracts, processes and sells to its customer base.
While most Americans never think about gases, they are at the base of almost all products and manufacturing in the country. Almost every product, at some point, uses or is touched by gas. This doesn’t even take into consideration the amount of medical gases that are used in hospitals, doctor offices, dental offices and veterinary practices. On a lighter note, it even fills birthday balloons.
The new Airgas facility is located at 5925 199th St. NE in Arlington. For directions to the facility or more information on products and services, call 360-435-7151 or visit the company’s Web site at www.airgas.com.
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