To Jim Turner, entrepreneur/salesman, business was just a friendly game between himself, customers who thought they had the power to make or break him, and bankers whose approval offered another chance to grow into the future. He never gambled with cards or horses, but he made many bets on business when he thought the odds were in his favor, and he almost always won. Possessing a natural sense for marketing, he understood the laws of supply and demand. Mr. Turner understood, but never feared the risk in every venture, and he believed in his employees and his objectives.
After World War II, Mr. Turner set out to buy every available surplus cylinder. Often, when he had the opportunity to purchase cylinders from the government, he would buy the entire lot, sight unseen. In 1948, Mrs. Turner wanted to buy a coat she had seen in Canada. Mr. Turner said, "Can't afford it now. I'll buy it for you after I finish buying cylinders." Someone, hearing the conversation, turned to Mrs. Turner and said, "You'll never get that coat because he will never finish buying cylinders". Whenever Mr. Turner felt he couldn't afford something for Mrs. Turner, he would use the excuse, "It's not good enough for you!"
His three major competitors, at that time, were Air Reduction Company (Airco), Linde (Praxair), and National Cylinder Gas (NCG). Being the new guy on the block, they would comment there was no way he could compete with them, saying that he thought "big" because he called his company "National". These statements only fueled his competitive nature.
As the business quickly grew, cash flow became a problem, forcing him to go to the bankers to float yet another loan. At one point, creditors cut him off, and he came close to losing the business. Even making payroll was a problem, so the Turners put up their home as collateral to keep the business running. When a North Carolina Bank denied a loan, Mr. Turner went to a New York bank to borrow money, convincing them that he was as "good as his word". Master salesmanship! YES INDEED! The plan and survival of the company was successful due to his iron will and sales ability.
The decade of the fifties was a time of massive growth for the company with the opening of the first satellite store in Florence, SC, and the company's first acquisition, McElvoy Welding Supply in Charleston, SC. Contracts and agreements with Western Electric, Duke Power, Duke University and DuPont ensured expansion. In 1960, Mr. Turner had the idea of forming a buying cooperative using the purchasing power of National Welders and nine other independent welding supply distributors across the country. Welding Engineering Research Company (WERCO) was founded, and for years acted as welding supply wholesaler to the members. Expansion required that WERCO take in associate members, who became customers, then the company re-invented itself as a manufacturer by purchasing Coyne Cylinder and Jackson Products. WERCO decided to go public with it's stock, changed its name to Airgas, and began buying welding distributors. Mr. Turner was always very supportive of these changes, and why not? His initial investment of $30,000 through National Welders had made a fortune for the company through the increased stock values of Airgas.
As the years and decades passed, the visions and goals set by the founder blossomed into reality. Mr. Turner and National Welders had passed from being an entrepreneur with a small company to being the head of a corporation which was too large to be classified as "small business" by the US government. Success was not to be followed by rest, but rather, the rewards of success were to be reinvested in ideas which would shape the company's future. At the age of seventy and eighty, his pace didn't slow; the enthusiasm for new ideas, new products and expansion never wavered; and his belief that each individual employee possessed within him or her the ability to significantly help the company, only grew. He would often push for spending half a million dollars on a new facility, not based on market surveys and projections, but on the enthusiasm shown by the salespeople and managers in the area.
Linerieux, Jimmy and Judy Turner
Linerieux Turner