Our Story

The CK Difference

Caring for Our Employees, Customers, Vendors, & Community

Core Focus

Make things better every day for our employee owners, customers, vendors, & community by providing solutions for welding and gas applications.

Core Values

  • People Oriented

    Honest, Respectful, Fair, Trustworthy, Integrity

  • Driven

    Hardworking, Dedicated, Dependable, Desire to Be The Best

  • Passionate

    Positive Attitude, Appearance, Pride, Love What We Do, Winners

  • Solutions Focused

    Knowledgeable, Creative, Problem-Solvers, Innovators

Why We Are Unique

  • Expertise and hands-on knowledge of our people
  • Hands-on customer relationships—support and service
  • Complete creative solutions

The CK Supply Story

CK Supply, a St. Louis-based company, opened for business on Nov. 3, 1948, as a distributor for National Cylinder Gas Company, a manufacturer of gases and welding equipment. CK Supply was founded by Ralph Chase and Ralph Knight. They derived the name of CK Supply by using the “C” from Chase and the “K” from Knight. On Aug. 22, 1951, Chase and Knight sold the assets of the company to Homer Fudge. At that time, Paul Dunn was a service technician with National Cylinder Gas Company and CK Supply was one of his customers. In April of 1955, Paul Dunn became the sales manager for CK Supply.

On Dec. 6, 1955, Dunn purchased all of the stock of CK Supply from Homer Fudge. When Dunn purchased the company, there were three employees: Paul Dunn, one truck driver, and one bookkeeper. Also at that time, CK Supply operated with one truck and utilized a building with space between 3,000-5,000 square feet. The growth of the company exceeded the space available. In 1957, CK Supply moved to new facilities on Folsom Avenue. CK Supply experienced continued growth for the next 24 years. Sales grew from $100,000 per year and three employees to $2.6 million and 18 employees. Paul Dunn retired in March of 1979, and his son, Tom Dunn, took over as president of the company. Expansion plans for a new 20,000-square-foot office/warehouse began and in 1985 CK Supply moved into its new facility across the street. For the next 16 years, CK Supply expanded by adding three more branch locations to the west of St. Louis and two locations in Illinois to better serve their customers.

In November of 1997, CK Supply had an opportunity to move its headquarters two miles west to a 120,000-square-foot building on six acres. The new headquarters on Manchester Road, between I-44 & Highway 40, enables CK Supply to better serve customers by having everything under one roof. CK Supply currently services within a 100-mile radius of the St. Louis metropolitan area.

In 2014, CK Supply expanded into dry ice manufacturing to better serve the Missouri market with a local source. CK Supply has recently expanded its foot print adding locations in Joplin and Kansas City, MO.

In 2020, Tom Dunn officially retired as CEO after 49 years of service and Ned Lane continues as operating President & CEO. The third generation of the Dunn family remains active owners and employees in business.

On July 13, 2021: CK Supply, Inc., the largest family-owned independent distributor in the Midwest for industrial gases, welding equipment, & dry ice proudly to announce the formation of its new Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) designed to provide 49% stock benefits to the 135 employees.

On April 14th, 2023: CK Supply successfully completed the acquisition of Welds Supply Inc., a Kansas City, MO based supplier of welding supplies and compressed gases located at 5654 NW Riverpark Drive, Riverside, MO 64150

For High-Quality Equipment, Premium, Lab-Certified Gases, And Excellent Customer Service, Trust CK Supply.

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