Airgas Acquires CFC Refimax in Atlanta

Airgas, Inc. (NYSE:ARG) today announced theacquisition of CFC Refimax, LLC, a leading full-service refrigerant supplierand reclamation company based in Atlanta, GA. The business, which has about 50 employees, mostly based in Atlanta, generated about $21 million in annual sales in 2006.

Effective January 1, 2007, Refimax has been integrated into AirgasSpecialty Products, a leading national distributor of ammonia products andservices, various process chemicals, and refrigerants. Airgas SpecialtyProducts is part of the Gas Operations Division, which also includes AirgasCarbonic and Dry Ice, and Airgas Nitrous Oxide.

?In recent years, Refimax has worked with Airgas regional companies to helpdevelop and expand our refrigerant product and service offering tocustomers,? said Chuck Broadus, president of Airgas Specialty Products, whonoted that Airgas already had a national presence as a distributor ofrefrigerants. ?This acquisition will advance our strategy to expand ourrefrigerants business and to broaden our product offerings andcapabilities.?

Refimax was established in 1992 to meet the growing need for innovativesolutions for refrigerant distribution, recovery, and reclamation. It hasoperations in Atlanta and Houston, and five third-party distributionwarehouse locations in York, PA; Reno, NV; Indianapolis, IN; New Orleans,LA; and Dallas, TX.

?We are very pleased to welcome Refimax associates to the Airgas team,? saidBroadus, who noted that Ken Beringer, Joe Mansfield, and Randy Perry, allcurrently senior managers with Refimax, will continue in their current rolesand report directly to him. Doug Romine, the president and founder ofRefimax, has joined Airgas as senior vice president of business development,reporting to Gas Operations Division President Ted Schulte.

?The Refimax team is excited about joining forces with Airgas, whosenational presence and resources will ensure a promising future for ourpeople and our customers,? said Romine. ?We are proud of our role as afull-service refrigerant supplier and reclamation company. Now, as a part ofAirgas, we will have the ability to expand the range of products andservices we can offer to our refrigerant customers.?

Airgas Specialty Products traces its roots back more than a century as asupplier of industrial ammonia products primarily for refrigerationapplications. Today, it is a leading supplier of ammonia products andservices in the U.S. for nitrogen oxide abatement (DeNOx), metal finishing,water treatment, chemical processing, and refrigeration. Airgas acquired theammonia business in 2005 from LaRoche Industries to form Airgas SpecialtyProducts, which now includes process chemicals and other refrigerants.