GAS EQUIPMENT history

1946 – LPGA opened its offices in Chicago, Illinois.

1947: By this time, 62 percent of American homes are equipped with either natural gas or propane.

These companies were the basis of the Independent Welding Distributors Association (I.W.D.A.) in 1948.

1950: The first propane-powered buses are ordered by the Chicago Transit Authority.

By 1958, total national propane sales reach over 7 billion gallons.

The association remained LPGA until a 1964 merger with the National LP-Gas Council under the collective banner of the National LP-Gas Association (NLPGA).

The States were funded by the Federal government, beginning with the Clean Water Act of 1965, to scope and to deal with water pollution control issues.

By 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was signed into existence by Richard Nixon and the first, basic national Air Pollution Control Act was passed in that year.

By the early 1980’s, there were 54 I.W.D.A. members, which made it the largest unified welding distributor organization in the western United States, Mexico, and Canada.

1988 – The final name change to the National Propane Gas Association, or NPGA, was ratified by the membership.

In early 1990, a new, larger warehouse building was rented in Modesto, and all inventory was moved, administrative equipment purchased, and employees hired.

The Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative, Inc., was incorporated, and, on March 7, 1994, the membership voted to become a cooperative corporation retroactive to January 1, 1994.

Recognizing the growth of Members geographically throughout the United States and the need for a more centralized location, the IWDC moved its headquarters and warehouse to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1995.

Soon after, the Independent Distributor Group joined the IWDC, and as of January 1, 2000, the Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative included 142 members with 510 locations in the 46 states, Canada, and Mexico.