Cee Kay Supply (ceekay.com), a St. Louisbased company, opened for business on November 3, 1948, as a distributor for National Cylinder Gas Company. Cee Kay was founded by Ralph Chase and Ralph Knight, as they derived the name of Cee Kay by using the “C” from Chase and the “K” from Knight.
On August 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 Cee Kay Supply was one of his customers. Four years later, Dunn purchased all of the stock of Cee Kay Supply from Homer Fudge. When Dunn purchased the company, there were only three employees operating with one truck, utilizing a building space between 3,000-5,000 square feet. In 1957, the growth of the company exceeded the space available, so Cee Kay moved to a new, larger building.
Today, Cee Kay operates in a 120,000 square foot facility on six acres. The company has 83 employees, a fleet of 15 cylinder/bulk delivery trucks, six cryogenic delivery trucks, three service vehicles, and seven retail locations. Thomas Dunn, Paul Dunn’s son, is now the company’s owner and CEO, while Ned Lane is the company’s current President.
Cee Kay serves portions of Missouri and Illinois, with the bulk of its business being within a 100-mile radius of the St. Louis area. The company provides a variety of different gases and mixes, including specialty gases, which are mixed in its newly renovated specialty gas lab. The company also offers a large spectrum of hardgoods, from sophisticated robots and welding and cutting machines, to personal protection gear like helmets, gloves, and jackets.
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