Joplin, MO and Visalia, CA Named Airgas National Branch of the Year Winners
RADNOR, PA - July 1, 2009 -- Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG) today announced the winners of its National Branch of the Year trophies, which honor the best of its more than 850 local branches nationwide. The winners, based on fiscal 2009 performance, were the Joplin, MO, branch in Airgas Mid South among the large branches and the Visalia, CA, branch in Airgas Northern California and Nevada among the small branches.
"These two represent the best of the best Airgas branch locations, since they were chosen from among the 24 Regional Branch of the Year winners selected in the past few weeks," said Mike Molinini, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Airgas, Inc. "I'm proud to name Joplin and Visalia as this year's top branches."
This is the fifth year Airgas has recognized its top large and small branches for the Airgas Branch of the Year awards. The honor is based on customer service, financial performance and safety performance.
"The 17 associates in the Joplin branch, led by Branch Manager Richard Gorman, collaborated to attain high service levels and earn new business. They also simultaneously reduced expenses and beat their financial targets, which is no small feat considering the challenging economy," added Molinini. He also recognized the Joplin branch as leaders in safety practices with an impressive safety record, and cited a high frequency of favorable customer feedback, all of which contributed to their selection as Airgas Branch of the Year.
"In the small branch category, the winner is Visalia, in Airgas Northern California and Nevada. Branch Manager Mark Estavillo led this five-person branch to exceed their financial targets by making customer service a key component of daily life. They have been developing a customer-centric culture from their start in December 2005, and just as important, they have a clean safety record since the doors opened," Molinini noted.
As the National Branch of the Year winners, the two branches will soon display National Branch of the Year trophies, constructed from size 125 cylinders donated by Taylor-Wharton, which have been powder-coated platinum and mounted on a welded aluminum base. Like hockey's Stanley Cup, the trophies carry engraved bands with the winners' names and are passed along each year to the next winners.
The winning branches will also fly a "2009 National Branch of the Year" banner, and associates will receive silver "Branch of the Year" rings to commemorate the honor.
The 24 Regional Branch of the Year winners also fly a similar banner and display a size 80 cylinder, powder-coated gold trophy. Following is a full list of the small and large branch winners for each region:
Airgas East: Chambersburg, PA; Harrisburg, PA; Airgas Great Lakes: Hemlock, MI; Worthington, OH medical branch; Airgas National Welders: Fayetteville, NC; Wilmington, NC; Airgas Intermountain: Craig, CO; Cheyenne, WY; Airgas Mid America: Christiansburg, VA; Madisonville, KY; Airgas Mid South: Conway, AR; Joplin, MO; Airgas Northern California & Nevada: Visalia, CA; Redding, CA; Airgas Nor Pac: Hillsboro, OR; Bellingham, WA; Airgas North Central: Manitowoc, WI; Aurora, IL; Airgas South: Palatka, FL; Orlando, FL medical branch; Airgas Southwest: Big Spring, TX; Hobbs, NM; Airgas West: Mesa, AZ; Bakersfield, CA.
About Airgas, Inc.
Based in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and hardgoods, such as welding equipment and supplies. Airgas is also one of the largest U.S. distributors of safety products, the largest U.S. producer of nitrous oxide and dry ice, the largest liquid carbon dioxide producer in the Southeast, and a leading distributor of process chemicals, refrigerants, and ammonia products. More than 14,000 employees work in over 1,100 locations, including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities, and distribution centers. Airgas also distributes its products and services through eBusiness, catalog, and telesales channels. Its national scale and strong local presence offer a competitive edge to its diversified customer base.
For more information, please visit www.airgas.com.
For more information on Airgas, please visit www.airgas.com.
Airgas, Inc.
259 N. Radnor-Chester Road
Suite 100
Radnor, PA 19087
tel: (610) 687-5253
fax: (610) 687-1052
Jay Worley
Vice President
Communications and Investor Relations
(610) 902-6206
jay.worley@airgas.com
Barry Strzelec
Investor Relations Manager
(610) 902-6256
barry.strzelec@airgas.com
