Mississippi Welders Supply Company (MWSCO) is headquartered in Winona, Minnesota along the beautiful Mississippi River and is grounded in 84 years of successful service to our region. MWSCO has maintained a vibrant and successful trajectory throughout this time, growing from 6 employees to our current team of 180, who serve the MWSCO customer base from our twelve locations, strategically placed throughout SE Minnesota, Central Wisconsin and NE Iowa. Our growth has been driven not only by ambition, family values and customer service, but also by an extremely strong technical orientation. This solid underpinning in the physical sciences allows us to understand our customers’ wide and varied production processes, product specifications and service requirements. In turn, we are able to effectively assist them with medical, industrial and specialty gas delivery systems; automated welding cells and robots; laser welding systems; fire suppression and extinguishing systems; and specification of filler metals and other supplies for their welding, cutting and joining operations.

MWSCO is also a partner in Absolute Air, an independent business comprised of 5 similar independent businesses.  Absolute Air produces liquid nitrogen, oxygen and argon, for use by its partner members, and also for sale to others. This investment represents a substantial investment in our future and commitment to the ongoing priorities of MWSCO.

Additionally, we are proud to be a certified veteran-owned organization. The chairman emeritus, chairman, and ranking minority shareholder have a combined 99 years of military service among them. We deeply value their heritage of service in every sense. They have faithfully served our country, our community, our colleagues and our customers and they epitomize the servant-leadership philosophy that permeates our organization.

2023 marks MWSCO’s 50th year of family ownership. The first 40 years were guided by a father and son team: Don Peterson (20 years) and son Brad Peterson (20 years). Following Brad’s transition from President to Chairman/Chief Acquisition Officer, Scott Myran, the first non-family President, has successfully led the organization for the last 10 years. The incoming President will succeed Scott, who is retiring after a total of 35 years with MWSCO.

Additional information about the strong history and exciting trajectory of MWSCO can be found at: mwsco.com.

The President’s Role
The incoming President must be an exceptional individual, able to understand, appreciate, and absorb the rich history and heritage of the company, propelling us forward with those same values on a path of continued success, as we navigate ever-changing external circumstances. Our next leader will take the company further along the path that has been set - steady profitable growth - not only in the traditional financial sense, but also in the growth of our employees as individuals, in our geographic coverage, in our number of customers served, in our services offered, and in our industry reputation as an innovative and dependable supplier.

The MWSCO President is responsible for all aspects of organizational leadership, oversight, and company performance. The President’s efforts culminate in the company’s level of success, viability, market reputation, industry standing and organizational morale. As leader of our Executive team, the President develops strategic objectives, corporate policies, and business goals to position MWSCO for sustained success, growth and profitability.

With a current team of 9 direct reports, the President guides MWSCO’s primary departments including Sales, Operations, Finance, Information Technology, Fill Plant Operations/Transportation, Automation, Human Resources, Cryogenics and E-Commerce. The leaders of these departments form the organization’s Executive Team, and work hand in hand with the President, implementing strategic direction. Empowerment, guidance, and support of the Executive Team is a central priority for the President, through which strategic goals move to action. Regular and productive communication with the Executive Team, the Board of Directors, and employees of all roles and positions is essential to the President’s success.

The MWSCO President bears the critical responsibility of oversight and cultivation of MWSCO relationships in, and outside of the organization. Accordingly, domestic travel is a routine part of this role, with homebase being MWSCO corporate offices in Winona, MN.

Successful Candidate Profile
A successful candidate for MWSCO President will be prepared to demonstrate solid proficiency and discretion in various areas, including executive level leadership and management experience in industrial distribution, strong competency in strategic planning and organizational initiatives, and a proven ability to conduct complex contract negotiation.

Relationship management and exceptional communication in all forms are imperative and non-negotiable skills for the incoming President. The ability to demonstrate the utmost professionalism and a capacity for strong guidance in leadership must be complemented with a disposition that prioritizes interpersonal sensitivity. These attributes are central to success in the MWSCO culture. Additionally, competency in general sciences, materials, and chemistry as related to the gases and welding industry are expected.

The MWSCO President must have the ability to cultivate culture by operating as a strong and highly professional leadership example, representing the company’s value system at every opportunity, and creating meaningful employee engagement that results in professional development and advancement opportunities for employees.

Application Process
Current MWSCO President Mr. Scott Myran is planning for retirement in 2024, or upon placement of a successor. Accordingly, the committee is actively working on the process of securing MWSCO’s next company President.

To begin the process of consideration, interested individuals should submit a comprehensive resume and letter of interest, indicating their qualifications and details of their professional journey that has brought them to this stage.

Once submitted, each applicant’s interest in MWSCO and professional application materials will be regarded with the utmost confidentiality by our Presidential Hiring Committee. Please direct communications and questions to PresidentSearch@mwsco.com.

Contact our Hiring Committee today and take your next step towards success with MWSCO.

Deadline for submission is April 14th, 2023.