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.
