Valley National Gases history

Valley Welding had annual revenues over $700,000 by 1970, the year the company was bought by Gary E. West and two other investors.

In 1973, with 15 employees in two locations, the company made its first acquisition when it bought N.C.G., an Airco-owned competitor.

Central Welding Supply: A History of Service Central Welding Supply was born in a very small building in Lynnwood, Washington in 1975.

In 1987, Valley was one of two companies honored by Airco for significantly increasing sales of welding, medical, industrial, and special gases.

By April 1995, Valley had expanded into two more states, added 50 more employees, and was preparing to move its senior management team and several departments into its new 12,000-square-foot Wheeling corporate headquarters.

In January 1996, Valley announced the completion of a 1,900-square-foot training facility near its Wheeling headquarters.

In August, Valley reported that net sales had increased by 37 percent to $73.9 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1997.

In August, Valley reported that sales for fiscal 1998 had risen almost 30 percent to $95.0 million but net income was up only 5 percent to $3.0 million.

In August, Valley reported net income for fiscal 1999 had increased just shy of 10 percent to $3.2 million on sales of $102.3 million, up about 8 percent.

Net sales for fiscal 2000 increased by 23 percent to $126.1 million.

Sales for fiscal 2001 were up 12 percent to $141.3 million and net income again rose about 11 percent to $3.9 million.

At the same time, the company reported net sales for fiscal 2002 ticked up by only 2 percent to $144.5 million while net income rose just 8 percent to $4.2 million.

In August, the company released the dismal figures for fiscal 2003.

Company stock started to rebound as well, trading at a five-year high of $10.30 on March 9, 2004, up 92 percent from the previous year.

The company's fiscal 2005 ended on June 30, 2005, with net sales climbing almost 9 percent to $167.7 million.

On November 14, 2006, Valley announced that it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Caxton-Iseman Capital, a New York-based private investment firm.

As 2007 began, the company that made an impact in its industry by gobbling up smaller fish was on the verge of being devoured by a giant whale with no experience in the industrial gas business.

In June of 2009 Central Welding Supply acquired Compressed Gas Western Inc of Seattle WA, which had a proud 35+ history of service in this region.

The momentum continued deep into 2010, when Central opened a new location in Anacortes, WA in west Skagit County.

On September 6, 2016, Central Welding Supply announced the acquisition of United Welding Supplies Inc, located in Portland, OR. The new business represented Central Welding Supply's first location in Oregon State.

Central Welding Supply completed build out of its Wasilla retail store, warehouse, offices and cylinder storage yard in January 2017.