Air Products' Susan D. Reiter is Elected to the Board of Directors of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products' (NYSE: APD) Susan D. Reiter has been elected to the board of directors of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA), a 67-year-old trade organization representing the industrial gases and welding supply industry. The announcement was made today at the GAWDA 68th Annual Convention in Colorado Springs, Colo. Reiter becomes the first woman to hold the seat of supplier vice president on the GAWDA board.

An active member of GAWDA for nearly a decade, Reiter most recently served on the organization's member services committee and currently serves on the strategic planning committee for the Women of Gases and Welding—an organization launched at last year's convention for the advocacy, recruitment, and professional advancement of females in the gases and welding industry.

"We are all pleased to have Susan Reiter join the GAWDA board as the supplier vice president," said John Ospina, GAWDA Executive Director. "Sue is a well-respected member of GAWDA who brings a fresh perspective to the position."

Reiter has been with Air Products for 26 years and currently serves as the company's regional distributor sales manager for the West and Midwest regions.

"Sue is a very knowledgeable and valued member of our industry," said Mike Reinhardt, business manager for distributors at Air Products. "She is highly regarded among the distributors, and several of them have asked her to provide informal mentoring to members of their organizations."

A downloadable photo of Reiter is available in Air Products' online News Center at www.airproducts.com/company/news-center/2012/0910-air-products-sue-reiter-elected-to-gawda-board.aspx.

Air Products is exhibiting at this year's GAWDA Convention alongside its joint venture company, Indura―the largest independent industrial gas company in South America and a supplier of welding consumables and equipment to the U.S. market. Air Products acquired a majority stake in Indura in July. This partnership enhances the companies' offerings to independent distributors by combining Indura's comprehensive portfolio of welding products with the gases solutions offered by Air Products, enabling them to better fulfill the needs of customers across a broader range of industries.

About GAWDA

Founded in 1945, the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) is dedicated to promoting the safe operation and economic vitality of distributors of industrial gases and related welding equipment supplies. To date, through the GAWDA Gives Back drive, GAWDA members have donated over $1 million to charity organizations across the U.S. For more information, visit the association's website at www.gawda.org.

About Indura

Founded in 1948 in Santiago, Chile, Indura is the largest independent industrial gases company in South America, with $478 million/CLP 244 billion in annual revenues. The company operates in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru and has a distribution network in Central America, Bolivia, Canada, USA and Uruguay. Its regional presence includes over 20 production plants, over 40 filling sites, more than 100 retail outlets and more than 2300 employees. For more information, visit www.indura.net.

About Air Products

Air Products (NYSE: APD) provides atmospheric, process and specialty gases; performance materials; equipment; and technology. For over 70 years, the company has enabled customers to become more productive, energy efficient and sustainable. More than 20,000 employees in over 50 countries supply innovative solutions to the energy, environment and emerging markets. These include semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, coal gasification, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. In fiscal 2011, Air Products had sales of approximately $10 billion. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com. 

NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2011.

SOURCE Air Products