What Leeper Brothers does

Airgas, Inc. is a U.S.-based industrial gases, welding equipment, safety products, and MRO supplies distribution platform operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air Liquide, the French multinational industrial gas major. The company maintains a nationwide branch network complemented by a full e-commerce storefront, supporting zip code-based delivery, account-based purchasing, and one-time guest checkout. Its product portfolio spans six core categories — industrial gases (Oxygen, Argon, Nitrogen, Acetylene, Carbon Dioxide, and food-grade gases), gas equipment, welding products, safety products, and tools/hardware — supplied in bulk, cylinder, and dry ice modes. Airgas also operates the Radnor private-label brand and sub-brands Airgas Healthcare and Airgas Dry Ice, and distributes partner brands including Miller Electric, Lincoln Electric, ESAB, 3M, Honeywell, Hypertherm, MSA Safety, DuPont, and DeWALT.

The company serves seven identified verticals, with manufacturing & metal fabrication, food & beverage, life sciences & healthcare, and construction designated as primary, and energy & chemicals, aerospace & defense, and government as secondary. Distribution is omnichannel — e-commerce for SMB and individual buyers, retail branch locations for enterprise and in-person service, plus direct sales. Pricing is not publicly disclosed on the website and is quote-based for most products, with California-specific display restrictions under SB 478. Marketing is conducted through email newsletters, digital resource libraries (catalogs, FAQs, safety notices, user guides, SDS/COA search), and cookie-based digital advertising and retargeting.

The underlying business model is commodity distribution with value-added services: Airgas captures margin through product breadth, partner brand alliances, vertical-specific expertise (additive manufacturing, aerospace & defense, healthcare, food industry, metal fabrication), and logistics density. As a subsidiary of Air Liquide, it benefits from parent supply chain scale and capital intensity that smaller distributors cannot match, while its physical branch network and partner ecosystem create tangible barriers to entry in the U.S. industrial gas market.

Name

Leeper Brothers

Legal name

Airgas, Inc.

Website

https://leeperbrothers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Airgas is a U.S. industrial gases, welding, and safety products distributor — a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air Liquide — serving manufacturers, food processors, healthcare providers, construction firms, and aerospace/defense customers through branches, e-commerce, and bulk/cylinder/dry-ice delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

North Hollywood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Leeper Brothers distributes industrial and specialty gases, welding equipment and consumables, safety products, and industrial tools and hardware to business and individual customers in the United States. The company operates an e-commerce storefront and physical branch network, offering multiple supply modes including bulk delivery, gas cylinders, and dry ice, alongside partner-brand products and a private-label Radnor line.

Product overview

Leeper Brothers offers a single unified product portfolio of industrial gases, welding equipment, and safety products, organized into six core product categories (Gases, Gas Equipment, Welding Products, Safety Products, Tools & Hardware) supplemented by partner brands and expertise services. The product lineup includes gases (Oxygen, Argon, Nitrogen, Acetylene, Carbon Dioxide), welding equipment (MIG welders, welding wire, welding guns, helmets), safety products (fall protection, first aid, gloves, earplugs, flame-resistant clothing), and industrial tools. Additionally, the company offers gas supply services (bulk, cylinders, dry ice) and industry-specific expertise services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Airgas Healthcare: Healthcare division offering medical gases and supply modes
• Radnor
• Airgas Dry Ice

Products and services

• Gases Industrial and specialty gases including Oxygen, Argon, Nitrogen, Acetylene, Carbon Dioxide, and food-grade gases for manufacturing, welding, food processing, and medical applications.
• Gas Equipment Equipment for gas storage, delivery, and handling including welding gas equipment and gas cylinder accessories.
• Welding Products Welding equipment and consumables including MIG welders, welding wire, welding guns, and welding helmets.
• Safety Products Personal protective equipment including fall protection, first aid kits, work gloves, earplugs, and flame-resistant clothing.
• Tools & Hardware Industrial tools and hardware including grinding wheels, grinders, power tool brushes, saw blades, and flap discs.
• Radnor Private label brand offering welding and safety products.
• Miller Partner brand offering MIG welding equipment.
• Lincoln Electric Partner brand offering welding equipment.
• ESAB Partner brand offering welding and cutting equipment.
• Gas Supply Services Supply modes including bulk gas supply, gas cylinders, and packaged gas supply including dry ice.
• Expertise Services Industry-specific expertise services including additive manufacturing, aerospace & defense, healthcare, food industry, and metal fabrication.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Air LiquidecoreOthers
• RadnorcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner
• Miller ElectricmajorTechnology or Integration
• Lincoln ElectricmajorTechnology or Integration
• ESABmajorTechnology or Integration
• 3MmajorTechnology or Integration
• HoneywellmajorTechnology or Integration
• HyperthermmajorTechnology or Integration
• MSA SafetymajorTechnology or Integration
• DuPontmajorTechnology or Integration
• DeWALTmajorTechnology or Integration
• Red-D-ArcminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MSC Industrial Direct: Major US metalworking and MRO supplies distributor serving manufacturing customers. Overlaps with Airgas in cutting tools, abrasives, and safety products to the same fabrication base.
• W.W. Grainger: Largest US MRO and industrial-supplies distributor serving facilities maintenance, manufacturing, and government. Competes with Airgas on safety products, hand tools, and welding accessories, but does not focus on industrial gases.
• Fastenal: US industrial and construction supplies distributor with on-site vending and branch network. Competes with Airgas in PPE, fasteners, and tools to industrial customers, but does not sell industrial gases.
• McMaster-Carr: Industrial MRO supplies distributor with a famously broad catalog covering hardware, tools, safety, and material handling. Overlaps with Airgas on the tools/hardware and safety categories, particularly for SMB and individual buyers.

Direct peers

• Air Liquide USA: Parent company's broader US operations and direct-supply business. Overlaps with Airgas on bulk-gas delivery and specialty gas expertise in healthcare, electronics, and aerospace, and effectively shares the same supply-chain infrastructure.
• Welder Supply: Welding equipment, gas, and consumables retailer/distributor serving fabrication, manufacturing, and automotive customers. Overlaps with Airgas on welding product portfolio and gas-cylinder fulfillment, with a stronger e-commerce tilt.
• nexAir: Regional industrial-gas and welding-supply distributor serving the US Southeast. Directly comparable on cylinder/bulk gas supply, welding products, and MRO distribution to manufacturing and fabrication customers.
• Linde plc: Global industrial-gas major (formed via Praxair–Linde merger) that produces and distributes atmospheric, process, and specialty gases in the US through its own merchant network. Directly comparable to Airgas on industrial-gas product portfolio, customer verticals (manufacturing, healthcare, food), and bulk/cylinder supply model.
• Matheson Tri-Gas: US industrial and specialty gas distributor competing head-to-head with Airgas in bulk atmospheric gases, cylinder gases, and electronic/specialty gases. Directly comparable on product line, customer verticals, and branch/online distribution model.

Regional players

• Red-D-Arc (an Air Liquide company): Welding-equipment rental fleet operator listed as a channel partner of Airgas and a fellow Air Liquide subsidiary. Comparable on welding equipment customer base (fabrication, construction) and overlaps in welding-product cross-sell.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leeper-brothers-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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