Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), Radnor, PA, No. 5 on MDM's list of top industrial distributors, announced the reorganization of its Southwest distribution region, effective Nov. 1, into two separate regions – the Gulf Coast region, headquartered in Houston, and the Southwest region, headquartered in Dallas.
Jason Favre, currently an area vice president within Airgas' Southwest region, has been named president of the Gulf Coast region, which includes coastal Texas and Louisiana. Brent Sparks, president of Airgas' current Southwest region, has been named president of the newly defined Southwest region, which includes the rest of Texas to the north, east and west of Dallas, and New Mexico.
"We continue to be optimistic about the long-term prospects for the U.S. manufacturing and energy industries, as well as non-residential construction, and this area of the country is expected to see significant growth," said Michael Molinini, president and CEO. "We're adding resources to further strengthen our position and ability to capitalize on the opportunities that lie ahead. This reorganization will enable us to focus more fully on the unique needs of the industries in each of these regions."
"The Southwest region represents one of Airgas' largest in terms of annual revenues, number of production facilities and branches, and number of associates," said Terry Lodge, president of Airgas' Central Division.