Welding Supply Tampa
Welding Supply Tampa operates as the online presence of the American Welding Society (AWS), a nonprofit founded in 1919 that develops 350+ welding standards, certifies welding professionals (notably CWI), and serves 65,000+ members worldwide across industry and education.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1919
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Welding Supply Tampa does
Welding Supply Tampa operates as an online presence for the American Welding Society (AWS), a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1919 and headquartered in Doral, Florida (8669 NW 36th Street, #130). AWS is the preeminent U.S. standards development organization and certification body for welding and allied joining/cutting processes, serving welding professionals, manufacturers, fabricators, contractors, and educational institutions across North America and select international markets. Its core offerings include a multi-tier professional certification stack (Certified Welding Inspector, Senior CWI, Certified Welding Supervisor, Certified Welding Educator, Certified Welding Engineer, Certified Robotic Arc Welding, Certified Radiographic Interpreter, Certified Welder Program, and others), specialized CWI endorsements (Structural Steel D1.1, Aluminum D1.2, Bridge D1.5, Railroad D15.1, Aerospace D17.1, Pipeline API 1104, plus NDE methods), and over 350 consensus-based welding standards adopted as American National Standards through ANSI. AWS also administers U.S. technical advisory groups to ISO/TC44 and serves as the Authorized National Body (ANB) to the International Institute of Welding (IIW).
The business model is diversified across five recurring and transactional revenue streams: (1) membership dues across Individual, Early Career, Student, Corporate (Sustaining, Supporting, Affiliate, Welding Distributor), and Educational Institution categories (Educational Institution at $273/yr); (2) professional certification exam fees ($540 member / $630 non-member for endorsements; CWI and SCWI credentialing); (3) education and training seminars and self-paced/in-person/online instructor-led courses ($770-$860 for endorsement seminars; bundled seminar+exam at $1,135-$1,225); (4) publications and bookstore sales (codes, standards, handbooks, Welding Journal, Spraytime, Inspection Trends, with 40% member discounts); and (5) events and conferences, including co-hosting FABTECH, ASME Section IX workshops, Welding Summit, and 22 District Conferences. Distribution combines self-serve digital channels (My AWS Portal, AWS Bookstore), 14+ in-person CWI training cities (including Tampa, FL), an accredited testing facility network, FABTECH event sponsorship, and corporate membership programs.
The platform is supported by a community of 65,000+ members, 22 Districts, 250 Sections and student chapters, 1,500+ volunteer professionals serving on 300+ standards committees, and approximately 39 in-person or virtual training courses. Technology assets are modest and operational rather than differentiated: the My AWS Portal (my.aws.org), AWS Standards eLibrary, QuikCheck certification verification tool, and AWS Specbuilder committee balloting platform. Notably, 66% of the welding workforce supplements their education with AWS certifications, signaling deep market penetration. The organization is led by Executive Director and CEO Carey Chen (since January 2025) with a named C-suite covering finance/HR, marketing/strategy/communications, operations/membership, welding and technology, and managing directors for publishing, education & training, and expositions & sales. AWS operates as an independent nonprofit with no parent company, venture backing, or disclosed acquisitions.
Welding Supply Tampa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Welding Supply Tampa
- Legal name
- American Welding Society
- Website
- https://weldingsupplytampa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1919
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Welding Supply Tampa operates as the online presence of the American Welding Society (AWS), a nonprofit founded in 1919 that develops 350+ welding standards, certifies welding professionals (notably CWI), and serves 65,000+ members worldwide across industry and education.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Welding Supply Tampa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Welding Certification & Standards
- NAICS
- Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Skilled Trades, Safety & Compliance Certification Prep (OSHA, HAZMAT, welding, electrical, HVAC) (EDANAIAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Welding Inspection, QA/QC & NDT Prep Training (e.g., CWI) (EDAOADAF), Welding Codes, Safety & Compliance Training (AWS/ASME/OSHA) (EDAOADAG)
Keywords
Where Welding Supply Tampa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Welding Supply Tampa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: AWS generates revenue through various membership categories including Individual, Early Career, Student, Corporate (Sustaining, Supporting, Affiliate, Welding Distributor), and Educational Institution memberships. Annual dues vary by category, with Educational Institutions at $273/year.
- Professional Certifications: Revenue from certification exams and credentials including Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), Senior CWI, Certified Welding Educator, Certified Welding Engineer, and various endorsements. Fees range from $540-$630 for endorsement exams.
- Education and Training Programs: Fees from training seminars, courses, and exam preparation materials. Training is offered in multiple formats including dual-format (in-person and online), self-paced online, and in-person seminars. Pricing varies by format and membership status.
- Publications and Bookstore: Revenue from AWS Bookstore including codes, standards, guides, handbooks, and subscriptions to publications (Welding Journal, Spraytime, Inspection Trends). Educational Institution Members receive 40% discount on bookstore purchases.
- Events and Conferences: Registration fees for conferences including FABTECH, ASME Section IX Decoded workshops, Welding Summit, and various technical conferences. Also includes sponsorships and exhibition revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Educational Institutions Membership - Annual membership for schools with welding programs |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Welder Performance Qualifier Endorsement Exam |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Welder Performance Qualifier Training Seminar |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate Membership Tiers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Welding Supply Tampa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AWS is a nonprofit standards development and professional certification body that issues welding credentials (CWI, SCWI, CWS, CWE, CWENG, CRWT, CRAW, CRI, CAWI, CWSR), publishes more than 350 consensus-based welding standards adopted as American National Standards, and delivers education, training, publications, and membership services to welding professionals and organizations worldwide. Revenue is generated through membership dues, certification and endorsement exam fees, training seminars, publication and bookstore sales, and conference/event registration.
Product overview
Welding Supply Tampa operates as a website for the American Welding Society (AWS), offering a comprehensive platform of professional certifications, education programs, industry standards, publications, and career services for the welding industry. The portfolio includes professional certifications (CWI, SCWI, CWS, CWE, CWENG, CRWT, CRAW, CRI, CAWI, CWSR, CWP), specialized endorsements for various welding codes (Structural Steel D1.1, Aluminum D1.2, Bridge D1.5, Railroad D15.1, Aerospace D17.1, Pipeline API 1104), education and training services (in-person, online instructor-led, self-paced), over 350 industry standards and codes, publications (Welding Journal, Spraytime, Inspection Trends), conferences and events (FABTECH, Welding Summit), AWS Instructors Institute for educator development, career resources, and membership services. The core offering centers on certification and education for welding professionals with standards development as a foundational capability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) The flagship AWS certification credential that advances careers and ensures quality in welding inspection. Offers flexible training options and is the most recognized welding inspector certification in the industry, used by manufacturing, fabrication, construction, energy, aerospace, and transportation sectors.
- Senior Certified Welding Inspector (SCWI)
- Certified Welding Supervisor (CWS)
- Certified Welding Educator (CWE)
- Certified Welding Engineer (CWENG)
- Certified Resistance Welding Technician (CRWT)
- Certified Robotic Arc Welding (CRAW)
- Certified Radiographic Interpreter (CRI)
- Certified Associate Welding Inspector (CAWI)
- Certified Welding Sales Representative (CWSR)
- Certified Welder Program (CWP)
- CWI Endorsements (Structural Steel, Aluminum, Bridge, Railroad, Aerospace, Pipeline)
- Welder Performance Qualifier Endorsement (WPQ1) Endorsement for CWIs/SCWIs focusing on best practices for conducting welder qualification tests and evaluating welder performance. Member $540, Non-Member $630 for the exam; seminar $770/$860.
- Welding Procedure Qualifier Endorsement (WPQ2)
- Nondestructive Examination Endorsements (MT, PT)
- AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2025 Structural Welding Code – Steel ANSI-adopted consensus standard providing the requirements for arc welding of structural steel, replacing the previous edition with updated industry requirements.
- AWS D1.8/D1.8M:2025 Structural Welding Code – Seismic Supplement Code supplement to D1.1/D1.1M providing requirements for welded joints in Seismic Force Resisting Systems.
- AASHTO/AWS D1.5M/D1.5:2025 Bridge Welding Code Welding standard for bridges designed to AASHTO or AREMA requirements, jointly published with AASHTO.
- AWS Education & Training Programs
- AWS Instructors Institute Annual week-long professional development program for welding instructors featuring hands-on training and classroom sessions at AWS headquarters in Miami, with welding lab sessions at Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College.
- AWS Conferences & Events
- AWS Individual Membership
- AWS Corporate Membership Program
- AWS Educational Institution Membership
- Welding Journal
- Spraytime Magazine
- Inspection Trends
- AWS Bookstore
- AWS Career Resources
- AWS Member Network
Quantifiable outcome
- 66% of the welding workforce supplements their education with AWS Certifications
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Welding Supply Tampa
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Welding Supply Tampa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Welding Supply Tampa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WEMCO (Welding Equipment Manufacturers Committee)coreWEMCO provides a space for leaders focusing on market trends and needs. They share business solutions, products, and services, and provide a common voice for global standards.
- RWMA (Resistance Welding Manufacturing Alliance)coreRWMA advances resistance welding technologies and educates the manufacturing community through new tech and existing processes.
- ITSA (International Thermal Spray Association)coreITSA celebrates the ways thermal spray technology can benefit industries and societies. ITSA has championed major advances in this field and has global reach and resources.
- BSMC (Brazing & Soldering Manufacturers Committee)coreBSMC provides leading insights about the brazing and soldering industry, as well as government bodies and global standards.
- IIW (International Institute of Welding)coreAWS serves as the American Council of the IIW (US member body) and sponsor. IIW has grown from 13 to 59 countries and provides a global platform for exchange and diffusion of evolving welding technologies. AWS develops US positions on IIW Activities including certification and standardization.
- Lincoln ElectricminorFeatured as a sponsor/vendor at AWS Instructors Institute event.
- Miller (Miller Electric)minorFeatured as a sponsor/vendor at AWS Instructors Institute event.
- ESABminorFeatured as a sponsor/vendor at AWS Instructors Institute event.
- HyperthermminorFeatured as a sponsor/vendor at AWS Instructors Institute event.
- The Intercontinental at Doral MiamiminorPreferred hotel for AWS Instructors Institute event, located at 2505 NW 87th Avenue, Miami, FL 33172.
- Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College (MLEC&TC)coreMLEC&TC provides welding lab facilities for AWS Instructors Institute hands-on sessions. This partnership provides state-of-the-art facilities for welding educator training programs.
- Jobs for the FuturecoreAWS developed apprenticeship standards in partnership with Jobs for the Future, building the foundation for strategic workforce solutions that create pathways for welding careers.
- SkillsUSAcoreAWS partners with SkillsUSA for state and national welding competitions, supporting the development of future welding professionals through competition-based learning.
- ANSI (American National Standards Institute)coreAWS works under ANSI rules to publish American National Standards on welding. AWS also administers US technical advisory groups (TAGs) to ISO standards.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Welding Supply Tampa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ASTM International: ASTM is a large, well-established standards development organization serving multiple industries including welding materials and testing; its membership and standards model parallels AWS but spans a much broader technical scope.
- International Institute of Welding (IIW): IIW is the global federation of welding societies across 59 countries; AWS serves as the US member body and Authorized National Body for IIW Company Certification, making IIW both a partner and the primary global benchmark for AWS's credentialing authority.
- American Society for Quality (ASQ): ASQ is a large professional society offering quality and inspection certifications (e.g., CQE, CQA) that overlap with AWS's inspector/supervisor credentials for industrial customers prioritizing quality management.
Others
- Lincoln Electric: Lincoln Electric is the leading welding equipment manufacturer and runs its own training/certification programs (e.g., Welding School); it is a vendor/sponsor at AWS events and represents a private-sector training alternative for the same professional audience.
- SkillsUSA: SkillsUSA is a workforce development organization that partners with AWS on national/state welding competitions; it is a channel partner and pipeline feeder into AWS certification pathways rather than a direct competitor.
Direct peers
- AMPP (formerly NACE International): AMPP is a standards- and certification-led association serving materials, corrosion, and protective coatings professionals; its member/certification model and ANSI-accredited standards program directly parallel AWS's approach in adjacent industrial trades.
- National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): NCCER provides accredited craft training, certification, and curriculum for construction and industrial trades including welding; it competes with AWS in the educational institution and workforce development segment.
- American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT): ASNT is the closest direct peer for welding inspection and NDT certification; it competes with AWS's CRI and NDE endorsement programs and serves a substantially overlapping industrial quality/inspection customer base.
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): ASME is a comparable standards- and certification-driven nonprofit professional society; AWS and ASME co-develop welding codes (Section IX) and serve overlapping mechanical/manufacturing engineer audiences with credentialing programs.
Emerging players
- Weld-Ed: Weld-Ed is a smaller, education-focused organization advancing welding training programs at community and technical colleges; it complements rather than fully competes with AWS but shares the same target audience of welding educators.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights1 record
Customer concentration
Welding Supply Tampa social profiles
Digital presenceWelding Supply Tampa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Welding Supply Tampa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Welding Supply Tampa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Welding Supply Tampa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Welding Supply Tampa
What does Welding Supply Tampa do?
AWS is a nonprofit standards development and professional certification body that issues welding credentials (CWI, SCWI, CWS, CWE, CWENG, CRWT, CRAW, CRI, CAWI, CWSR), publishes more than 350 consensus-based welding standards adopted as American National Standards, and delivers education, training, publications, and membership services to welding professionals and organizations worldwide. Revenue is generated through membership dues, certification and endorsement exam fees, training seminars, publication and bookstore sales, and conference/event registration.
Is Welding Supply Tampa a public or private company?
Welding Supply Tampa is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Welding Supply Tampa founded?
Welding Supply Tampa was founded in 1919. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Welding Supply Tampa based?
Welding Supply Tampa is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Welding Supply Tampa make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are professional Certifications, education and Training Programs, publications and Bookstore and events and Conferences.
Who are Welding Supply Tampa's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ASTM International, International Institute of Welding (IIW) and American Society for Quality (ASQ). Others are Lincoln Electric and SkillsUSA. Direct peers are AMPP (formerly NACE International), National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Weld-Ed is listed as an emerging player.
Does Welding Supply Tampa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Welding Supply Tampa.
What industry is Welding Supply Tampa in?
Welding Supply Tampa's product category is Professional Welding Certification & Standards. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAIAM, Skilled Trades, Safety & Compliance Certification Prep (OSHA, HAZMAT, welding, electrical, HVAC), with a secondary code of EDAOADAF, Welding Inspection, QA/QC & NDT Prep Training (e.g., CWI). Its NAICS code is 54138 and its SIC code is 8600.