Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and related supplies has acquired six businesses. Three of the six acquisitions closed as recently as Aug. 1. Combined, the six acquired businesses had annual revenues of $17 million in 2011.

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Airgas is No. 5 on MDM’s list of the top 40 industrial distributors.

"We're beginning to see greater interest on the part of packaged gas and hardgoods distributors, as well as product-line adjacency businesses, in enhancing their product and service offerings to their loyal customers under the Airgas brand," said Les Graff, Airgas Senior Vice President – Corporate Development.

On Aug. 1, Airgas acquired Terjan Co., Inc., which was doing business as Valley Welding & Industrial Supply, based in Bakersfield, CA. Founded in 2000 by 30-year welding supply veteran Jan Meyer, Valley serves the region's industrial and agricultural customers. The company's 14 associates, along with the Bakersfield location which accommodates cylinder filling and warehousing operations, are now part of Airgas USA, LLC's West region.

On Aug. 1, Airgas also purchased the assets and operations of AEON Corporation, which was doing business as Ferguson Industrial Gases, an industrial gas and welding supply distributor in Texas. Ferguson Industrial Gases was established in 1978 and has served industrial and medical customers out of its Frisco, McKinney, Lewisville, and Sherman, TX, locations. Ferguson Industrial Gases' 17 associates and four locations are now part of Airgas’s Southwest region.

Mountain Welding Supply, LLC, an industrial gas and welding supply distributor based in Pioneer, CA, joined Airgas’s Northern California and Nevada region effective Aug. 1. Mountain has been servicing its customers for more than 12 years.

Florida-based carbon dioxide and dry ice distributor Carbonic Group joined Airgas Carbonic effective July 2. Carbonic has locations in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Miami, FL, and 40 associates.

Reese Oxygen & Hydro-Testing, LLC, Gibsonville, NC, joined Airgas National Welders effective July 1.

Red-D-Arc Limited, an Airgas company, acquired the Chicoutimi, Quebec, location of Soudogaz Inc., a privately-held business based in the Province of Quebec, Canada, that sells, services, and rents used welding and positioning equipment. The location also offers an accredited equipment repair service, provides 24-hour emergency services and offers training programs for specialty welding applications. Seven employees from the Soudogaz Chicoutimi location are now part of Red-D-Arc's operations. The acquisition, which closed in April, has enabled Red-D-Arc to increase its footprint in northeastern Quebec with additional sales and repair resources.