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This excerpt taken from the VLG 10-K filed Sep 28, 2006. Competition
Competition is almost always on a regional market basis and, for
packaged gases, is based primarily on customer loyalty, service
and, to a lesser extent, price. Customer loyalty can be lessened
when businesses are acquired. Most regional markets have between
three and six competitors, the majority of whom are small
independent companies, with one or two competitors having a
significantly higher market share than the others. We compete in
many markets throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky,
Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey,
Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and South Dakota. We
believe that we enjoy a strong position in most of the markets
that we serve.
As stated above under “Our Industry,” while we compete
with the distribution subsidiaries of the major industrial gas
producers, we do not believe that the production of industrial
gas provides these producers with a significant competitive
advantage. In most cases, the cost for base gases represents a
relatively minor component of the total cost in comparison to
the packaging, selling and distribution expenses.
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