The IWDC is pleased to announce
that effective December 27, Barry
Mitchell will join the IWDC as Regional Sales Manager. In this
role and under the direction of Keith Werkley, he will be responsible for promoting
IWDC’s value proposition to the Membership as well as drive profitable growth of our Vendor partner
brands and Weldmark® brand.
Barry’s career started in
Ireland where he served as General Manager of his family’s Industrial Supply
business. Upon the sale of his family business he continued his career with an
affiliate of OKI Bering in Warrington, England and then transferred to OKI
Bering’s headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio serving a number of roles over the
next 15 years.
Barry spent four years as District Sales Manager for OH, KY, WV and S.E.
IN, serving the needs of Independent Welding Distributors and branch locations
of larger Industrial Gas companies. He was promoted to the position of
Supply Chain Project Manager. Barry was
then promoted to the position of Director – Product Management and subsequently
Vice President – Product Management. In
2011, Barry assumed the role of Vice President – National Accounts, a position
he held until OKI Bering was sold in 2012.
Following OKI Bering’s acquisition in 2012, Barry formed his own
consulting company, working closely with a number of privately held
manufacturers of welding supplies, select Majors, leading Independent
distributors, and in 2016 the IWDC.
Barry lives with his wife Linda and two sons, Patrick and Liam, in
Lawrenceburg, IN and has a wide range of interests including all sports, music,
travelling and current affairs.
The IWDC is a cooperative, formed in 1994, which leverages the
strengths of its independent welding distributor members across North America.
IWDC Member companies collectively represent over $2.2B in sales, serving a
wide range of industries. The common denominator is that these industries look
to them for industrial, specialty, and medical gases as well as related
equipment, hard goods, and consumables. End-use customers served by IWDC
Members benefit from having the unparalleled expertise of a local Member
distributor who has access to national-scale purchasing and marketing programs.