MARTINS FERRY — Welding supply company James C. Dawes was recently purchased by Sky Oxygen of Pennsylvania.

According to an employee at the Martins Ferry store, the Dawes company’s owner retired and sold his business to Sky Oxygen, based in Carnegie, Pa.

However, according to the Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative, the two companies apparently first entered a merger last December. The cooperative noted both Sky Oxygen and J.C. Dawes are members of the group.

“Effective Dec. 18, 2020, two strong regional players joined forces to better service their respective customer bases. Sky Oxygen and James C. Dawes Company, Inc. are in adjacent markets, are passionate about customer service and have similar cultures that value employees,” according to a press release on the cooperative’s website.

The cooperative’s release, posted on its website last January, also includes a quote from Dawes’ former owner, Brian Dawes, who states, “I saw this as a great way to provide continuity for my employees and to keep serving our long-term loyal customer base.”

The release also includes a comment from Sky Oxygen’s president, Vince Cirrincione, who stated, “I am excited for Sky Oxygen and am very happy that Brian is staying with our merged enterprise. Both our companies are on the same computer system and when you combine both of our long-term highly trained employee teams into one, “Sky is the limit!”

Neither Dawes nor Cirrincione could be reached for comment at press time.