Contact: Mark Maley, 608.210.6706
mark.maley@wedc.org
BELOIT, WI. – Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Secretary and CEO Mark R. Hogan visited the Welders Supply Co. in Beloit today as part of the statewide celebration of Wisconsin Manufacturing Month.
Hogan, along with State Senator Janis Ringhand and State Representative Mark Spreitzer,
toured the company’s facility and met with company officials and employees to learn more about
the opportunities and challenges that manufacturers face, and to see firsthand what has made
the company a success.
Hogan also presented Welders Supply Co. Co-Presidents Pete and Ed Mueller with a plaque to
recognize the company’s new CryoCarbTM division—a unique and new specialty gas
company—on joining WEDC’s Made In Wisconsin Program. The program provides state
companies with a new tool—an official Made In Wisconsin logo—to help market the origin and
quality of their products. More than 210 companies now participate in the program, which was
created in 2016 as a way for Wisconsin businesses to show their state pride.
“As a dependable source of top-quality welding products and expert technical support for more than
80 years, Welders Supply Co. is an outstanding example of the more than 9,000 manufacturers
in Wisconsin who contribute significantly to the state’s economy,” Hogan said. “I applaud
Welders Supply Co., CryoCarb and its employees for taking part in our Made in Wisconsin
Program and for the role they play every day in continuing to move our economy forward.”
“We have deep roots in Wisconsin and are very happy to participate in the Made in Wisconsin
Program,” said Ed Mueller, Co-President of Welders Supply/CryoCarb. “We will proudly put the
Made in Wisconsin label on our dry ice containers, trucks and promotional literature.”
Established in 1938, Welders Supply Company is a locally-owned regional supplier of gases,
equipment and supplies for welding and a myriad of industries, using atmospheric and other
types of gases. The company has a wide variety of commercial, industrial and medical
customers in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, the company has stores
and operations in Beloit, Big Bend and Burlington. It also has facilities in Rockford and Crystal
Lake, IL.
In addition to the traditional metalworking customers, Welders Supply Co. now serves a diverse
array of industries including chemical, medical, construction, food processing and vocational
schools.
The new CryoCarb division offers cryogenic and carbonic gas solutions with focus on customers
in the food, beverage, biotechnology, healthcare, water treatment and other “clean” industries.
CryoCarb’s goal is to provide innovative solutions, and high-quality products and services.
Ed Mueller, co-president of Welders Supply/CryoCarb, said the new division is a perfect match
for the Made In Wisconsin Program because of the role other state businesses play in the
production process.
“There are many parts of the dry ice manufacturing process that tap into Wisconsin resources,”
he said. “The gas we use to make dry ice is sourced and purified in Milton and transformed into
high quality, food and beverage grade, super dense dry ice at our facility in Beloit. We also use
robotic technology designed in Monroe to package our dry ice.”
Tuesday’s visit comes as Governor Scott Walker has declared October as Wisconsin
Manufacturing Month to celebrate the accomplishments and the future of this key industry.
Wisconsin manufacturers produced more than $59 billion worth of output in 2017, accounting for
18 percent of the state’s gross domestic product. From September 2017 to September 2018,
Wisconsin added 22,800 manufacturing jobs—the second-highest increase in the nation and
tops in the Midwest.
