Lincoln Electric's marketing program is on the move. The welding products manufacturer inked a deal with NASCAR's Robert Yates Racing team, home of drivers David Gilliland, Ricky Rudd and Stephen Leicht.

Lincoln will provide the team with a full range of welding and cutting equipment, technical training and welding application support.

It's not the first time the company has gotten involved in the racing world. Lincoln regularly supplies welding equipment, training and application solutions to a number of NASCAR teams, as well as to the IRL, USAC, ARCA, and NHRA racing leagues.

Lincoln also hosts an annual welding seminar for an elite group of motor sports welders and technicians. About 40 of the world's top racing fabricators travel to Lincoln's Cleveland headquarters to learn about the latest techniques and share their expertise. The company also puts on the Lincoln Electric Welding School, with classes focused on the latest in motor sports welding techniques.

Three firms are celebrating anniversaries this year. In Fitchburg, Mass., cutting tools manufacturer Simonds International will mark 175 years in business. Livermore, Calif.-based ORCO Construction Supply, an independent building supplier for professional contractors, will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and Tower Fasteners, a fasteners and electronic hardware distributor based in Holtsville, N.Y., is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year…Bearing Headquarters Co. launched an upgraded Web site, www.bearingheadquarters.com, featuring a dynamic supplier database, real-time product availability and an in-depth services section…Applied Industrial Technologies also launched an update to its Web site, www.applied.com, with simplified navigation, enhanced product search capabilities and a product comparison tool…IBC added MRO distributor Impact Industrial Supplies Inc., the Little Giant Ladder Co. and industrial lubricants supplier Oemeta Inc. to its IndustrialSupplyPlus division…

Industrial gases distributor Pentair Inc. acquired Porous Media Corp., a St. Paul, Minn.-based manufacturer of filtration and separation products…White Cap Construction Supply Inc., a division of HD Supply, acquired the construction supply chain GSI General Materials from Geo-Synthetics Inc.…Bearings manufacturer SKF Inc. acquired ABBA Linear Tech Co. Ltd., a Taiwanese manufacturer of profile rail guides…The Barnes Group Inc. acquired the Di-Dro Manifold Systems product line from Di-Dro Systems Inc.…Praxair Inc. bought AGA S.A. de C.V., the Linde Group's Mexican industrial and medical gases business…Paris-based electrical distribution giant Rexel filed documents with France's AMF market regulator, marking the first step toward a possible IPO…Lone Star Fasteners acquired LWD Precision Engineering Co. Ltd., a manufacturer of precision engineered components used in the oil and gas industry, for roughly $6 million…US Electrical Services Inc. agreed to buy Rahway Electric Supply Co. and its subsidiary Asbury Park Electric Supply…B&D Industrial acquired Simco Technologies, a distributor of industrial electronics, sensors and motion control products based in Atlanta…

Fortune magazine named electronic products distributor Avnet Inc. as the “Most Admired” company in Arizona, according to the magazine's annual poll of public company executives, directors and analysts. Avnet ranked fourth among U.S. public companies in its industry…Julia Klein, president and CEO of specialty building materials distributor C.H. Briggs, was named one of Enterprising Women magazine's 2007 Enterprising Women of the Year…supplyFORCE announced its 2007 Commitment to Excellence awards for its electrical supply and PVF divisions. The winners included Mayer Electric Supply Co., Bostwick-Braun Co. and the Central States Group for excellence in sales leadership; and McNaughton-McKay Electric Co., Gulf Coast Marine Supply Co. and the Mallory Co. as owner-members of the year.