Meet Max's Welding Supplies Team

Max is the Max behind Max’s—and welding supplies have been part of his life for a long time.

As a second-generation welding supply business owner, Max brought a lifetime of industry knowledge with him when he built Max’s. Over the years, he built the company around something pretty simple: know your stuff, take care of your customers, work hard, and do business with people the right way.

Today, Max serves as Founder & Technical Advisor, sharing decades of welding, industry, customer, and company knowledge with the next generation of the Max’s team. His role may have changed, but his fingerprints are still all over the company.

Official duties: pass along the knowledge and protect what makes Max’s, Max’s.

Unofficial duties: check on everybody, provide selective commentary, tell the occasional shop story, and remain available for Grandpa-related emergencies at all times.

For more than two decades, Connie has been the numbers person behind Max’s Welding Supplies, overseeing the financial, purchasing, and administrative side of the business and keeping a close eye on the details that keep the company moving forward. She knows where the money is going, where it needs to go, and has probably already noticed the number you were hoping she wouldn’t.

But don’t let the bookkeeping background fool you—Connie knows the welding side, too. With more than 20 years in the industry and an intensive college welding course under her belt, she can talk products, answer technical questions, and make recommendations right alongside the rest of the crew.

Today, as Owner, Connie continues to oversee the financial health and direction of Max’s while passing more of the day-to-day administrative responsibilities to the team.

She may be handing off a few hats, but make no mistake—Connie still knows exactly what’s going on.

Ron brings more than a decade of welding supply experience to Max's, including six years as a key part of our El Dorado team. Originally from Emporia, he knows this industry, our customers, and the day-to-day realities of keeping a welding supply operation running.

As Operations Manager, Ron is the steady hand behind the El Dorado location. He oversees the people, trucks, inventory, deliveries, safety, compliance, and about a hundred other things that somehow need attention before lunch.

But Ron's value goes well beyond keeping things moving. His years in the industry have made him a trusted resource for our employees and customers alike. He knows the products, understands the operation, and is usually the person you want nearby when something doesn't go according to plan.

Ron leads with experience, common sense, and a willingness to jump in wherever he's needed. He keeps the crew connected, the operation on track, and the inevitable daily chaos from becoming actual chaos.

If El Dorado is running like a well-oiled machine, there's a pretty good chance Ron had something to do with it.

AJ has been part of the Max’s crew since 2013, so there’s a good chance he knows his way around a cylinder—and probably your shop, too.

He started in cylinder filling and worked his way through the operation, building years of hands-on experience with compressed gases, cylinder handling, safety, and the customers we serve. Today, AJ has taken that experience on the road as Max’s CDL/Hazmat Driver.

And around here, driving means more than getting from Point A to Point B without hitting anything.

AJ is one of the faces of Max’s out in the field. He keeps an eye on what customers need, communicates what he sees back to the team, and makes sure the right products get where they need to go safely, accurately, and on time. After 14 years behind the scenes and now behind the wheel, he understands that a cylinder delivery isn't just a delivery—it can be what keeps a customer's crew working.

Since 2013. A lot of cylinders. A few different jobs. And now a CDL/Hazmat license.

Not bad for a guy we used to keep in the fill plant.

Teresa has been a dedicated member of the Max’s team since 2015, keeping the paperwork side of the business organized while the rest of us do our best to create more of it.

From filing and invoices to medical records and everything in between, Teresa handles the behind-the-scenes details that keep our administrative operations running smoothly. Her meticulous attention to detail and years of experience make her someone we can count on to keep things accurate, organized, and where they’re supposed to be.

Because cylinders aren't the only things around here that need to stay in order.

Joe started at Max’s as part-time warehouse help and has worked his way into a full-time role as our Cylinder Technician & Warehouse Specialist.

Today, he helps keep both cylinder production and warehouse operations moving—from safely filling, inspecting, and preparing cylinders to receiving, stocking, and keeping the shop organized. It’s a role that requires accuracy, attention to detail, and a willingness to jump in wherever needed.

Joe’s growth at Max’s is exactly what we like to see: show up, learn the business, build your skills, and take on more.

Basically, if it needs filled, moved, stocked, staged, or put back where somebody swears they already put it—Joe’s probably involved.

Christie may be new to the welding supply industry, but she definitely isn’t new to keeping a business running. Before joining Max’s, she spent 24 years as a grocery store director in Nebraska—so managing customers, paperwork, competing priorities, and the occasional bit of chaos is nothing new.

Today, Christie is working alongside Connie to take over the day-to-day administrative operations of our Emporia location. From answering phones and taking care of customers to invoicing, collections, and keeping the paperwork moving, she’s quickly becoming one of the people who keeps everything behind the counter on track.

After 24 years in grocery, Christie traded shopping carts for cylinders—and apparently decided she still didn’t have enough paperwork in her life.

Different industry. Same skill: keep the place running and take care of people.

Tim Verbeck joined Max’s after spending decades behind the wheel as an over-the-road truck driver. After a career that took him countless miles from home, he eventually traded the long haul for a local route and became part of the Max’s family.

Tim brought a lifetime of driving experience to our team, but what we remember most isn't just how well he did his job. It's the person who showed up every day, took care of our customers, looked out for the people around him, and became part of the rhythm of Max’s.

In October 2025, Tim was unexpectedly killed in a motorcycle accident. His loss was felt deeply throughout our company, and there are some people you simply don't replace.

Tim was approaching retirement when he passed, and we're grateful that Max’s got to be the place where he chose to spend the final chapter of a long career on the road.

Tim may no longer be making the route, but he'll always be part of the Max’s crew.

There’s an empty spot on the Max’s team—and we’re being pretty particular about who gets it.

Our next Outside Sales Representative will be one of the faces of Max’s out in the field, building relationships with customers across the El Dorado and Emporia markets. This person will get to know our customers, understand their businesses, solve problems, find new opportunities, and make sure Max’s is the company they think of when they need welding gases and supplies.

We’re not looking for someone who just knows how to close a sale. We’re looking for someone who can earn trust, remember a name, walk into a shop and talk to just about anybody, and understand that the best customer relationships are built over years—not transactions.

Around here, sales isn't about pressure. It's about becoming the person your customer calls first.

And if you can build relationships, solve problems, grow business, and make somebody laugh along the way?

Well… we may have been saving this spot for you.