Eighty years ago, at the age of 22, Harry W. Bennear founded Dale Oxygen, Inc. Located in the Dale section of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the company began as a shop that sold and delivered oxygen and acetylene gas cylinders and related equipment for welding and cutting applications. Having expanded several times since 1939, Dale Oxygen now supplies a 13-county area in Pennsylvania.
Dale Oxygen has been a family business from the start, with Harry W. selling goods and services and his wife Ruth managing the books. Together they grew the company. Harry and Ruth sons, Dale and Harry D., joined Dale Oxygen in the 1970s and learned the business by working their way from the ground up. Upon their father’s unexpected death in 1981, Dale and Harry D. took over the leadership of the company. Harry D. became President in 1990, and his wife, Mary Ann, joined the operation to help fill Ruth’s shoes. Their sons Chris and Evan have since become integral to the company as Operations Manager and Sales Manager, respectively.
While family is central to Dale Oxygen’s success, Harry attributes the company’s ability to reach its 80-year milestone to its incredible, determined, and professional employees, stating, “Truly they have made our longevity and growth a reality.”
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