Earlbeck Gases CEO talks AI impact, industry connections, and GAWDA

Allison Earlbeck didn’t start her career in industrial gases in a leadership position – she worked her way up. The same is true of her journey within the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA), where she has steadily built her presence and leadership over time.

The CEO of Earlbeck Gases & Technologies and 2026 GAWDA President attended the events for five years before deciding to volunteer – a move she recently told gasworld TV helped cement industry connections for her business.

Beginning with the Young Professionals Committee, Earlbeck steadily grew her role within the association. As President, she now steps into the position at a time of significant transformation for the US gases sector, with AI adoption accelerating and leadership priorities shifting.

Earlbeck Gases is a third-generation family business, specializing in the welding and gas industries. She said this background has shaped her leadership approach within both the company and the association.

Her presidency coincides with GAWDA’s upcoming Spring Management Conference (SMC), in Oklahoma, where many of these themes will be explored.

Human advantage in the digital age

GAWDA’s 2026 SMC, themed ‘Human Advantage in the Digital Age’, is focused on AI integration and technology changes across the US gas and welding industries.

The event will also examine how human connection can complement these technological shifts.

“AI is going to be pretty much everywhere…the one thing that’s never going to change, and the one thing that’s been so rich and strong in the industry is the [human] connections”, Earlbeck told gasworld TV.

“Sure, AI can write you a really good script, but you’re still the one who has to deliver it.” As she summarized, “People will always buy from people.”

Adding to this point, she said that industry professionals who can connect and build human relationships will be increasingly successful as AI becomes more embedded across supply chains and operations.

Earlbeck described GAWDA as a “human-centred association”, adding that events such as the SMC are intended to strengthen industry connections during this period of change.

She previously told gasworld that her presidency is motivated by the opportunity to build industry and association connections, which will continue to serve the association and Earlbeck Gases & Technologies moving forward.

Evolving leadership

With succession and evolving leadership across the US industrial gases sector, Earlbeck notes that the relatively mature industry is losing experience talent resources as professionals retire.

As she put it, “We’re seeing what we call the ‘brain drain’,” referring to the loss of deep technical expertise as experienced professionals exit the workforce.

Discussing the role of CEO at Earlbeck Gases & Technologies, she previously told gasworld, “From my years, I really understand the ‘old way’ of doing things. I respect it, value it, and have learned a lot from it.”

“But equally, I bring a perspective that’s more tech-savvy and open from a leadership standpoint…The challenge, and the opportunity, is figuring out how to combine those perspectives to make our industry stronger moving forward,” she continues.

This perspective is also her approach within GAWDA, where her guiding principle is: “Leave it better than you found it.”