IWDC celebrates 30th anniversary
Just over three decades ago, the Independent Welding Distributors Association formed the Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative (IWDC) and, shortly afterward, merged with the Key Distribution Group (KDG).
"We had a great starting point to build off of," said Frank Kasnick, CEO of IWDC. "Over the last 30 years the co-op has grown significantly as Membership's combined sales more than tripled. Since formation, we opened an Indianapolis, Indiana, distribution center and added a second distribution center in Reno, Nevada, to serve members out west. We built out a gas program and a branded specialty gas initiative, our PurityPlus program, launched an online university and expanded our Weldmark brand, to name a few milestones over the years."
"Like all companies, we must continue to evolve and change with the times. Most recently, our membership addressed private equity ownership and voted to amend our bylaws to create an Affiliate Membership, allowing companies owned by private equity to participate in our co-op. These companies are former independents who value participating in our purchasing and marketing programs and together with our Regular Members, we all benefit. This change was approved in April 2024, and we have signed on five Affiliate Members with more to come."
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The November/December issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Kimball Midwest. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and Mike Marks, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
