Meet the Presidents

Ashley Madray is President and Co-Founder of Gas Innovations, a specialty gas business known for high-purity hydrocarbon gases, purification, packaging, and technical gas solutions. As both an entrepreneur and Meritus board member, Ashley brings a highly specialized operator’s perspective to the platform, shaped by the complexity of specialty gas supply, customer-specific applications, and international distribution. His leadership reflects the Meritus model at its best: pairing founder-led expertise with the resources and strategic alignment of a broader independent gas network.

Steve Stobaugh is President of Meritus Great Plains, including Tulsa Gas & Gear, a regional business serving industrial, welding, and gas customers across Oklahoma and Kansas. With deep experience in branch operations, customer service, and local-market execution, Steve brings a practical operator’s perspective to Meritus. His leadership reflects the work of building a stronger regional platform while preserving the service mentality and customer relationships that define a respected local distributor.

Ryan Brubaker is President of Craig Welding Supply, a long-standing regional distributor serving welding supply and industrial gas customers in Vernon, California and the surrounding SoCal market. Ryan brings a hands-on operator’s perspective to Meritus, grounded in local customer relationships, responsive service, and the practical realities of running a market-facing distribution business. His leadership reflects the value of pairing local expertise with the broader capabilities of the Meritus network.

James Cain is President and Chief Operating Officer of Atlas Welding Supply, a long-standing Alabama distributor serving industrial gas, welding, safety, and dry ice customers across the state. His leadership reflects both a financial discipline and a deep connection to the Atlas business, shaped by the company’s family ownership history, its Birmingham and Tuscaloosa roots, and its role as a solutions-based supplier in the greater Alabama market.

John Mark McMurtry is President and Co-Owner of Volunteer Welding Supply, a Tennessee business founded by his parents, Harold and Evelyn McMurtry, in 1973. Having grown up in the company, John Mark brings a generational operator’s perspective rooted in customer service, employee loyalty, and long-term relationships. His leadership reflects the Volunteer culture: take care of customers, invest in people, and build a business that feels more like a work family than a branch network.

Chris Leifsen leads OXARC in the Pacific Northwest, a regional business with roots dating back to 1968 and a reputation as a single-source provider for gases, welding, safety, training, and technical services. With public experience tied to Praxair/Linde in the Vancouver market, Chris brings a major-gas-company perspective to a broad regional platform serving customers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and the greater Northwestern U.S.

James Garner is President of Ozarc Gas, an Ozark-based industrial gas and welding supply business with family roots dating back to 1945. As part of the Garner family’s continued leadership, James brings a generational operator’s perspective to Meritus, shaped by decades of service across southeastern Missouri, western Kentucky, northeastern Arkansas, Huntington, Indiana and the surrounding region. His leadership reflects Ozarc’s long-standing reputation as a locally grounded supplier with deep customer relationships and broad gas, welding, and application expertise.

Kelly Kleinwolterink is President of A-OX and A&B Welding, leading a Dakotas-based platform with long-standing roots in industrial gases, welding supplies, safety products, and customer service. With A-OX and A&B now part of the Meritus Gas Partners network, Kelly brings a regional operator’s perspective shaped by rural and industrial markets across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa. His leadership reflects the strength of a legacy family business combined with the execution required to serve a broad, multi-location customer base across the Upper Midwest.

Ryan Diekow is President and CEO of OSC, a Saint Paul-based industrial gas and welding supply distributor serving customers across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Leading a company with roots dating back to 1959, Ryan brings a sophisticated operator’s perspective to Meritus, shaped by OSC’s strong culture, broad technical capabilities, and long-standing reputation for customer service and quality. His leadership reflects the value of pairing employee ownership and independent-company discipline with the scale, resources, and shared expertise of the Meritus network.

Steven Schwegman is President of Buckeye Welding Supply, a Colorado industrial gas and welding supply platform with roots dating back to 1979. With more than a decade of industrial gas experience, including prior experience with Matheson, Steven brings a growth-oriented operator’s perspective to Meritus as Buckeye expands across the Rocky Mountain region. His leadership reflects the work of strengthening a respected Colorado business while building broader capabilities in packaged gases, helium, welding supply, and regional service coverage.

Bill Visintainer is a former President and CEO of Atlas Welding Supply and one of the early leaders who helped establish the Meritus Gas Partners federation. Under his leadership, Atlas became one of Meritus’ founding platform companies, bringing a respected Alabama distributor with deep roots in industrial, specialty, and medical gases into the network. His legacy reflects decades of industry leadership, entrepreneurial stewardship, and a lasting contribution to both Atlas and the broader Meritus platform.

Marv Rodgers is Co-Founder and former President of Airco Gases Southwest, a Dallas-based industrial gas platform that became part of Meritus Texas. With a background in building and integrating high-performing gas businesses, Marv brings a strategic growth perspective shaped by acquisitions, owner partnerships, and regional platform development. His continued work with Meritus reflects the value of experienced operators who understand both the commercial realities of local distribution and the integration work required to scale a broader network.

Tom Elliott is the former President and CEO of A-OX Welding Supply, part of a multi-generation Elliott family business with roots across the Dakotas and the Upper Midwest. Through A-OX and A&B Welding Supply, Tom helped build a respected regional platform serving industrial gas, specialty gas, welding, safety, and technical customers across rural and industrial markets. His legacy reflects family ownership, disciplined regional growth, and a long-term commitment to customers, employees, and the communities the business serves.

Mike Hamilton is the founder and former President of Advanced Gases & Equipment, a Northern California business serving industrial gas and welding customers across the greater Sacramento region. Since founding the company in 2007, Mike helped build Advanced Gases into a regional supplier serving metal fabrication, construction, wineries, agriculture, and other local industries. His legacy reflects entrepreneurial resilience, customer-focused growth, and the specialized market knowledge required to build an independent gas business in Northern California.

Greg Walmsley is the former President of OXARC, a Pacific Northwest industrial gas, welding, safety, and specialty services business with roots dating back to 1968. As part of the Walmsley family’s long stewardship, Greg helped carry forward OXARC’s reputation for diversification, service quality, and regional strength across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. His legacy reflects the transition of a founder-led family business into a durable regional platform while preserving the independent identity and customer focus that defined OXARC for generations.

Ray Borzio is the founder and former President of Global Calibration Gases, a Sarasota-based specialty gas business focused on calibration gases, custom mixtures, EPA Protocol gases, and NIST-traceable standards. With an industry career dating back to 1973, Ray brings rare technical depth in specialty gas manufacturing, analytical standards, and distributor support. His legacy reflects the highly specialized knowledge required to build credibility in calibration gases and the role Global plays in strengthening Meritus’ specialty gas capabilities.