By Sara Beth Williams–
One of the oldest businesses in the Citrus Heights, Harris Industrial Gases, is set to celebrate its 90th anniversary next week with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce.
Originally known as Harris Welding, the shop was opened by Harold A. Harris in 1936 at 8475 Auburn Blvd., and since then has remained in the family, owned and operated through four generations – never moved, never sold.
Harris Industrial Gases is still located where the original Harris Welding Shop once stood. Their success is attributed to “the tradition of providing personal service for companies both large and small,” company president Kathleen Harris said in a previous interview.
When Harold Harris and Elmer Denman established the fabrication and repair shop, the location was so remote back then that the address printed on their calendars was “one mile south of Roseville on U.S. 40.”
The surrounding scenery has changed since 1936. Auburn Boulevard’s original two-lane road is long gone, and currently the street is undergoing major renovations, beautification, and upgrades, which are expected to be complete this year.
A drive-in movie theater, which used to be located behind the shop where Harris used to watch the latest Hollywood releases during hot Citrus Heights summers as a young girl in the back of her Chevy pickup truck is also long gone. Now, a shopping plaza sits adjacent to the shop.
“Mainly we’re proud that my grandfather Harold passed the business to his son, Kent, who, via my mother, has passed it down to the rest of the family, with five grandchildren who are now also stockholders in the corporation,” Harris told The Sentinel.
Harris Industrial Gases is the largest independent provider of industrial gases and welding supplies in the Sacramento Valley and surrounding areas, the company’s site says. The company carries top welding supplies and equipment, and supplies many industrial, medical and specialty gases.
Harold Harris ran the company until 1954, when he sold it to his son Kent and daughter-in-law Norma, who eventually incorporated with Kent at the helm until his untimely passing in 1974. Norma then took over, with daughter Kathleen, now corporate president, working alongside.
For over fifty years, the company’s primary business was welding and fabricating. In the early days of the business, Harris remembers a cow was accepted as payment in full for a welding job. As the need for welding services diminished, the company switched to retail sales and became Harris Welding Supply, and finally Harris Industrial Gases, in 1995.
The original building on Auburn Boulevard now serves as corporate headquarters, housing the administrative offices, accounting department, warehouse, fleet center, and an on-site compressed gas fill plant.
Today, the company has four locations, two in California, and two in Nevada. Its Nevada locations include one in Carson City and one in McCarran. The McCarran site serves Tesla’s Nevada automotive assembly plant with its complete line of welding product and gases, Harris said.
The shop continues to supply a wide range of commercial customers including, industrial welding gases for construction, manufacturing, and the auto body industries. These include rare and special gases and mixes for custom applications, CO2, nitrogen and specialty beverage gas mixes for food-service industries, cryogenic liquids for clinical and lab work and medical applications are also sold.
The company also supplies florists and party suppliers with helium, and nitrous oxide and medical oxygen for dentists, doctors and clinics.
A complete line of welding equipment and power sources from Miller, Thermal Dynamics and Victor is also sold and a full line of welding consumables is available for sale to professionals and weekend hobbyists, the company’s website says.
Harris Industrial Gases ranks as the oldest business in Citrus Heights, according to this list from the City of Citrus Heights, right behind Hall’s furniture, which is celebrating 80 years in business.
A ribbon cutting for Harris Industrial Gases is set to be held on May 16 at 2 p.m.
Related: See the Top 20 oldest businesses in Citrus Heights.
