Central McGowan Expands Its CO2 Solutions Business With the Acquisition of St. Paul, MN-based Jasons Beverage Carbonation Company

The combined business will deliver CO2, nitrogen, beer gas, and dry ice to bars, breweries, and some of the Midwest’s most successful restaurant chains in the fine dining, fast casual and fast food categories. Jasons will continue to operate under the Jasons name. All of its current employees, building, fleet and assets will be a part of the Central McGowan family.

According CEO/President, Joe Francis, the acquisition complements a core business of Central McGowan and expands not only its footprint and buying power but also its experience in the CO2 Solutions business. “Like us, Jasons is an expert in beverage carbonation, which is both the art and science behind delivering the precise gas mix to achieve a perfect pour and the right amount of bubbles in carbonated beverages,” he says. “Our on-staff beverage carbonation specialists and bulk beverage systems offer a highly efficient, cost-effective and safe method to carbonating soda and beer while making gas outages and changing out high-pressure cylinders a thing of the past.”

The addition of Jasons will also grow distribution of ColdZERO™—Central McGowan’s own brand of dry ice that is manufactured daily at its St. Cloud location using Cold Jet’s newest technology for the highest density dry ice rice available.

Dry ice is the common name for the solid form of CO2 and used in more than 20 different industries. Applications include industrial cleaning and dry ice blasting, medical manufacturing, food processing, equipment cleaning, wood finishing, mold remediation and historic restoration. Plus, it works for preserving food, fish and game, and providing emergency refrigeration during power outages. “What’s best is that it does its job and then changes directly from a solid to a gas—leaving behind no secondary waste, residue or watery mess,” says Francis.

Bob Crew, formerly the company’s Vice President of Distribution Operations which included beverage carbonation, has been named Vice President & General Manager of Jasons and Central McGowan’s existing CO2 Solutions business. He is charged with leading the successful integration of sales and operations and will lean on his extensive experience and expertise along with that of his existing managers, specialists, and teams in St. Cloud, Fargo and St. Paul. Dean “JR” Kiffmeyer, current Executive Vice President and General Manager at Central McGowan, will take over other distribution operations to allow Crew to focus solely on the growing CO2 business.

Existing and potential customers looking for more information can visit www.CentralMcGowan.comor www.JasonsBeverage.com, or call Central McGowan at 1-800-569-1322 or 320-252-5292 (7:30 AM to 5 PM, M-F, 8 AM-NOON on SAT) or Jasons Beverage Carbonation Company at (651) 645-6433 (7 AM to 3 PM, M-F).

About Central McGowan
Central McGowan was founded in 1965 with the merger of McGowan Welding Supply of Little Falls (founded in 1947) and Central Welding Supply of St. Cloud. In 2015, the company expanded its offerings to include complete custom automation and robotic systems/solutions. Today, its footprint spans 40,000 square miles of Minnesota; includes 3 retail stores in St. Cloud, Little Falls and Burnsville; nearly 70 dealers statewide; and a CO2 hub/store in Fargo, ND and St. Paul, MN respectively. After decades of doing business, we still believe quality and integrity are the keys to our success, as is always putting our customers first. We strive to be the everyday heroes who make life work better. Visit us online at WWW.CENTRALMCGOWAN.COM,on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.About

ColdZERO™ Dry Ice
ColdZERO is available by order for large customers and for pickup by the public at Central McGowan’s three retail locations (St. Cloud, Little Falls and Burnsville) and Jasons in St. Paul. It’s available in blocks (multiple sizes), nuggets (approx. ¾-inch pieces), and rice (approx. 1/8-inch pellets). Central McGowan offers same-day, convenient delivery and pickup for larger orders which are sold in returnable, rolling insulated totes. Dry ice is safe to use when handled properly. It is extremely cold -109.3°F (-78.5°C) and should not be touched with unprotected skin as this could cause freeze burns or even frostbite. It should be kept and stored in well-ventilated areas and containers that are not air-tight. It should never be ingested or used in drinks or beverages, and kept out of the reach of children and animals.

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