Radnor, PA - Airgas, Inc. announced that Kevin M. McBride has been named President - Airgas South Region, and Emmanuel Dupree has been named President - Airgas Refrigerants, Inc. McBride succeeds Chuck Broadus who was recently promoted to President - Airgas South Division, and Dupree succeeds Ted Schulte who is retiring at the end of the month after nearly 16 years of executive leadership at Airgas.
McBride was most recently President - Airgas Great Lakes Region, headquartered in Cleveland, OH, one of 13 regions that make up the Airgas USA, LLC distribution business. He served in that capacity beginning in June 2007. In his new role as President - South Region, McBride will lead Airgas' efforts in an area that spans from southern Tennessee and eastern Mississippi through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Airgas' South Region headquarters is located in Kennesaw, GA.
McBride joined Airgas in March 2007 as Vice President of Business Development for Airgas Merchant Gases, after serving as vice president and general manager of the Linde Bulk Business Group, which Airgas acquired in March 2007 forming Airgas Merchant Gases. He started working at AGA (later acquired by Linde) in 1982, gaining extensive sales and management experience. Among his other roles were manager of on-site sales, regional manager, and general manager for process sales. In 2005, he was named vice president South Atlantic region for Linde Gas. McBride began his career as a sales representative and sales manager with Air Products & Chemicals. He graduated from the University of South Florida with bachelor's degrees in marketing and management.
"Kevin has been very successful in leading the Great Lakes region for the past six years," said Chuck Broadus, President - Airgas South Division. "With Kevin's leadership, the Great Lakes Region has been Airgas' top-performing region for two of the last three years and last year came in a close second. Rankings are based on organic sales growth, EBITDA growth, and safety excellence. Kevin is returning to an area where he has worked and lived before and I'm pleased to be working with him as we continue to grow Airgas' business in the South Region."
As newly appointed President - Airgas Refrigerants, Emmanuel Dupree brings to his role more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience, including financial leadership roles within Airgas. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for Airgas Refrigerants, Inc., Airgas Specialty Products, Inc., and Airgas Nitrous Oxide, Inc. As President - Airgas Refrigerants, he will oversee Airgas' full range of refrigerant products, reclamation services, and distribution networks that serve the air conditioning and refrigeration industries.
Dupree joined Airgas in 2008 from Innoware, LLC, Alpharetta, GA, where he has been the corporate controller since 2006. He held controller, accounting and auditing positions since 1993 and started his career as a financial analyst and senior accountant with McDonald's Corporation, Clearwater, FL. Dupree is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a bachelor's degree in accounting.
"Emmanuel has solid management experience as CFO for Airgas Refrigerants, Airgas Specialty Products, and Airgas Nitrous Oxide for the past six years," said Airgas President and CEO Michael Molinini. "His experience and management skills will serve him well in his new role as Airgas Refrigerants continues to expand refrigerant sales and reclamation services."
"Emmanuel assumes this responsibility as Ted Schulte retires from a very successful career at Airgas," Molinini continued. "Over the years, Ted has been instrumental in helping us expand a number of strategic product lines at Airgas. From leading our liquid carbon dioxide and dry ice business and spearheading our Specialty Gases operations to helping expand our medical business and assisting with the creation of Airgas Specialty Products which built our platform for distributing ammonia, refrigerants, and process chemicals, Ted has made considerable contributions to Airgas during his tenure."
Schulte joined Airgas in November 1997 as President - Airgas Carbonic. He then served as Vice President - Gas Operations from October 1998 until July 2000 when he became Senior Vice President - Gas Operations with responsibility for Airgas Puritan Medical, Midwest Carbide, Airgas Specialty Gas Operations, Airgas Carbonic and Airgas Dry Ice, Airgas Nitrous Oxide, and the Airgas Air Separation Units, as well as overall Gas Operations and SAFECOR. In 2003, he assumed the role of Gas Operations Division President, subsequently served as President - Airgas Specialty Products, and has led Airgas Refrigerants since 2011.
About Airgas, Inc.
Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), through its subsidiaries, is one of the nation's leading suppliers of industrial, medical and specialty gases, and hardgoods, such as welding equipment and related products. Airgas is a leading U.S. producer of atmospheric gases with 16 air separation plants, a leading producer of carbon dioxide, dry ice, and nitrous oxide, one of the largest U.S. suppliers of safety products, and a leading U.S. supplier of refrigerants, ammonia products, and process chemicals. More than 15,000 employees work in approximately 1,100 locations, including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities and distribution centers. Airgas also markets its products and services through eBusiness, catalog and telesales channels. Its national scale and strong local presence offer a competitive edge to its diversified customer base. For more information, please visit www.airgas.com.
