I feel very proud to be an IWDC member. There is a great deal of history with the group, and Barnes Welding Supply has been a member for over 40 years. I feel a bit of personal security by belonging to the IWDC.

We are a group of like-minded people with similar goals and challenges. This causes us to become close with other IWDC members that are not our direct competitors, helping us to avoid mistakes others may have made.

IWDC provides our company with a great deal of value, and I would break it down into three categories:

1. Knowledge: The IWDC is a place for my company to both Learn and Teach. The Round Table sessions conducted at the owners’ meetings allow for this exchange. The PurityPlus gas program put my company in the Specialty and Food Grade Gas business.
2. Products: Through IWDC our company has access to products and services that would not have necessarily been available to us. (Direct outsourced imported products: welding hoods, high-pressure cylinders, etc.)
3. Profit: IWDC provides my company with discounted pricing, rebates, and marketing allowances that I could not readily attain on my own.

We are the strongest, most organized group of independently owned welding equipment and gas suppliers in North America, if not the world. We are both a threat to and at times a feeding ground for the major gas suppliers and other major players in the industry. 

In my opinion, the IWDC Co-op represents a well-run, open, and honest business that provides members with high-quality products, services, and revenue.