WELDSTAR – A Tradition of Excellence

Weldstar has been serving the gas and welding markets inNorthern & Central Illinois, Northern & Central Indiana, and Southern Wisconsin and Southern Michigan since 1936. Once known as the James F. Patterson Company, Weldstar has become one of the most trusted names in the gas, welding, and industrial supply market.

In 1969 a young entrepreneur named John Winkle joined new owner James Shennan to help re-brand Weldstar as a customer centric distributor that valued traditional business principles. By placing an emphasis on technical training and uncompromising service, Weldstar forged a reputation as the place to turn for practical solutions that improve the bottom line.

John Winkle would later purchase the company and Weldstar remains in the Winkle family today.

Real Value

Weldstar is committed to creating value for our customers. It is through relationships with our customers that we come to understand their specific needs. Our focus on bringing value starts with training our employees to better serve our markets. At Weldstar all sales and customer service related personnel receive extensive on-going technical and new product training. Our technical representatives and customer service team come with a pedigree that includes dozens of training schools and programs.

Our customers have come to recognize Weldstar for our superior customer focus and experienced industry professionals. Weldstar is relentless in its pursuit of continuous improvement, so that we may bring value to those who drive our business- our customers.