Our Experts

Tom Wehner started his employment with National Standard in 2012 as a Regional Sales Manager for welding filler metals. In 2020, he was promoted to Director of Weld Sales and then in 2022 named Vice President of Sales for all product lines for DW-National Standard-Stillwater. He oversees all product lines within the Stillwater portfolio, including tire bead wire, industrial wires, welding filler metals as well as Customer Service and Inside Sales. Tom’s extensive experience and insight make him a valuable and highly respected member of the National Standard team. Prior to working for National Standard, Tom held leadership roles with Pelican Products, ITW, ESAB, and multiple welding distributors.

Heidi Valenzuela, MBA, has over three decades of experience in data management/analysis, marketing, advertising and communications. Specializing in Customer Relationship Management platform management and architecture, she has developed a deep understanding of how data and business intelligence drive sales success in the welding filler metals industry.
Heidi’s experience in other industries including healthcare, software, restaurant franchising and professional sports has given her insight into unique ways to approach sales challenges. In over a decade as a member of NS ARC’s welding wire sales team, Heidi has been recognized for her skill in data and process management and analysis, which has been instrumental in advancing the success of the company’s sales, production, purchasing and inventory management efforts. Heidi continually seeks to find ways to enhance existing data tools, such as Salesforce.com, as well as to implement new sales tools to help make the sales team more efficient and successful.

Nate Vanderhoof has over two decades of experience in the industry serving in roles from welding distribution sales, welding engineering, and management. He has formal training in welding engineering technology and an MBA with a focus on performance metrics from Ferris State University. Nate began with NS ARC as Senior Welding Applications Engineer (CWI/CWE), overseeing all aspects of the company's welding and technical needs, where he developed a deep understanding of the welding wire manufacturing process and how each step in the process works together to create a superior performing product in today’s industrial markets.
Nate now serves as the Industry Segment Manager for Automotive where he is responsible for leading strategic initiatives and growing our welding wire business within this segment.
Throughout Nate’s career at National Standard, he has contributed to the improvement of quality, packaging, welding wire performance, and technical expertise. Nate’s dedication and commitment to advancing the growth of NS ARC and providing customers with innovations in the welding wire space is recognized through his ability to connect real-world welding applications from the manufacturing floor to the boardroom. Nate’s contributions were instrumental in relaunching National Standard’s ‘Pit Crew’ program through NS ARC, which provides unrivaled expertise and solutions for improving customers’ welding applications. Nate is passionate about continuously improving the organization every day, and his perspective on these enhancements is shaped by his years of hands-on industry experience and a forward-thinking approach, making him an invaluable asset to NS ARC’s team.

Jason Elliott brings to his role as Industry Segment Manager for Oil & Gas, a strong background of experience as a welding technical consultant as well as welding product sales. Prior to Joining NS ARC, Jason worked as a consultant for Elliott Welding Solutions, and held various sales leadership roles with Gulf Coast Gas and Equipment, Coastal Welding Supply, Red Ball Oxygen, and IRCO Automation.
As Industry Segment Manager, Jason is a key sales resource for our welding wire portfolio and is responsible for managing our existing distributor and end user accounts as well as developing new business relationships, concentrating specifically in our Houston, Texas sales market.

Rusty Reneau has over two decades of welding industry experience. This experience has given him the opportunity to have expertise in several fields with the welding processes of GMAW, FCAW, GTAW, SAW and SMAW.
Having spent many years in the shipbuilding industry, he has developed a deep understanding of the different types of ship construction and products to use according to ABS and NAVSEA codes.
Rusty supports the sales group as NS ARC’s Western region sales manager, reflecting his commitment to positioning NS ARC as the premier welding wire of choice. He is recognized for his skill in the technical aspects of welding and building customer relationships, which has been instrumental in advancing partnerships throughout the welding industry to bring a complete solution to customers. With a passion for continuous learning and improvement, Rusty continually seeks to engage with customers and distributors to enhance the recognition of the NS ARC brand. His perspective on GMAW and FCAW processes is shaped by hands-on experience and a forward-thinking approach, making him a valuable asset to NS ARC’s team, as we continue to drive innovation in the ever-evolving field of welding wire.

Bob Gulas has nearly two decades of experience in the Welding Industry. With NS ARC, he has served as Industry Segment Manager and is now the Regional Sales Manager for the eastern part of the country. He has a strong background in Welding Product Sales with experience as a Product Manager, Regional Sales Leader, and knowledge of Filler Metal product applications. Bob has a great passion for continuous learning and improvement by seeking out opportunities to expand his knowledge of the industry.

Steve Coker is NS ARC’s District Sales Manager covering Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, where he is a source of knowledge for all of our product lines in our portfolio. Steve has a strong background with more than two decades of success in sales management, having worked for several leading companies in the welding distributor industries, for both corporate and independent distributors. Steve holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Langston University. He is passionate about creating value for customers through his expertise and leadership skills.

Rob Sufana has over four decades in the industry as a seasoned territory manager specializing in cryogenics and fabrication. As NS ARC’s sales manager for Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, Rob employs his deep understanding of the technical techniques of metal fusion including STICK, GTAW, SAW, GMA, FCW, SA and the old school of gas welding.
Throughout Rob’s career at NS ARC, Rob has contributed to uncovering opportunities, building strong relationships, strengthening the presence of NS ARC, and sharing industrial knowledge, reflecting Rob’s commitment to be a leader and viable assist to the organization. Rob is recognized for persistence, skill in penetrating accounts and dedication which has been instrumental in advancing the presence and growth of NS ARC in the Northeast through distribution and end users. With a focus on continuous learning and improvement, Rob continually seeks to open new doors to enhance his perspective on joining metals.

Jacques Jones has over a decade of welding industry experience as a seasoned territory rep, specializing in developing solid relationships with our distribution partners and large end users. Thoroughly learning what the daily hurdles are in the welding industry has been instrumental for Jacques to create quick penetration within large opportunities and bring NS ARC to the forefront as the industry standard. As NS ARC’s sales manager for Northwest USA, Jacques continually seeks to broaden his knowledge through collaboration with professional colleagues and his willingness to adapt new creative ideas.

Scott Mazzulla is a graduate of Hobart Institute of Welding Technolgy and a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI). Scott is an industry professional of more than three decades, during which he was a pipe welder and welder fabricator throughout the US, holding multiple certifications. As NS ARC’s sales manager for Michigan and Western Ohio, Scott brings substantial robotic arc welding experience, spending over 20 years in robotic automation in various technical, sales and leadership roles. Before joining NS ARC, Scott was the President and CEO of Hobart Institute of Welding Technolgy, becoming an advocate for welding education and skilled trades.

Michael Mitchell has three decades of experience with National Standard/NS ARC and is currently the Plant Manager for DW-National Standard-Stillwater. Mike has specialized in electro-mechanical maintenance, project management, modernization and wire making. Mike has worked extensively with machine manufacturers and engineers to develop processes around our state-of-the-art equipment, ensuring a consistent quality product that we can bring to the marketplace. Mike’s passion is centered around his team members and the ever-changing landscape of the welding wire industry.

As NS ARC’s product manager, Chris Pruett is responsible for the research, design, and marketing of welding filler metals. He has a focused role in managing the product life cycle of the welding filler metals portfolio, ensuring quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Chris has a strong background in sales management, having worked for several leading companies in the oil and gas industry, such as Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Archer Directional Drilling, Evolution Engineering Technologies, and Panther Drilling Solutions. He has successfully developed and executed sales strategies, built long-term relationships with clients, and delivered high-performance results.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management technology from Oklahoma State University. He is passionate about creating value for customers and stakeholders through his expertise and leadership skills.

With a strong background in quality control and over twenty years of experience in directing quality assurance programs, Kyle Shirm serves as a key business partner in executing continual improvement of our quality programs.
His background includes management of quality systems and ISO programs, root cause analysis, lean and Six Sigma, as well as leadership and development in the manufacturing industry.
Kyle is responsible for managing quality assurance functions, including ISO 9001:2015, CWB (Canadian Welding Bureau) certifications and ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) certifications.

Laura Green, DW-National Standard-Stillwater’s Environmental Health and Safety Manager, has a strong background in Safety and Environmental compliance with years of experience in directing environmental health and safety functions, including training, ergonomic assessment, program management, and environmental compliance for both the manufacturing and construction industries. With NS ARC, she is responsible for managing the Environmental Health and Safety functions and serves as a key business partner in executing continual improvement of our programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Oklahoma State University.