Airgas president/COO resigns

Airgas Inc. has announced that president and COO Glenn M. Fischer resigned on Jan. 14. The company has appointed Michael L. Molinini executive vice president and COO.

Molinini, an eight-year Airgas veteran, has more than 32 years' operating experience in the industrial, medical, and specialty gas and related hardgoods business, including 19 years with the Linde Division of Union Carbide Corp. He joined the company in 1997 as group vice president Airgas Direct Industrial and led the build-out of the centralized infrastructure for purchasing, logistics, and hardgoods brand management. He also led the development of the company's Radnor private label program.

In 2000 Molinini became senior vice president, Hardgoods, with company-wide responsibility for directing sales and marketing, brand management, and procurement, as well as managing distribution center logistics, and supplier relationships for these welding and safety products.

Previously, Molinini served as vice president marketing at National Welders Supply Co., a Charlotte, N.C.-based Airgas joint venture, where he managed all gases and hardgoods sales and marketing programs and all welding and MRO supplier relationships. Other responsibilities included designing and implementing the company's computer systems and managing the rental equipment division.

Molinini has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Seton Hall University.