General Welding and Fabricating, the Elma company founded by the late Mark Andol in 1989, has closed following Andol’s death.
“After more than 35 incredible years, the time has come for us at General Welding & Fabricating to say goodbye,” the company said on its Facebook page.
The company served homeowners, businesses, farmers, contractors and communities across Western New York. General Welding began selling off its inventory and supplies in July, shortly after Andol died on July 15.
“You welcomed us into job sites, into garages, into driveways, into homes—and let us help make your work easier, safer, and stronger,” the company wrote. “From repairing that first plow, building that first trailer, welding out in the field, helping folks confident that whatever the job was, big or small—you trusted us. Through every snowstorm, every project deadline, every custom trailer build, every highway haul, you made us part of your lives. It’s been wild, it’s been gritty, it’s been rewarding.”
The company thanked its customers and workers.
“Thank you for your loyalty, your referrals, your patience, and your belief in what we do. Thank you to the team members—past and present—who worked their hands off, turned dreams into steel, kept us rolling, and believed in this place like it was their own,” the company wrote. “Though this chapter ends, the memories will echo forever. The snowplows cleared, the trailers hauled, the repairs made in the dead of night—all of it matters. Thank you, Western New York. We wouldn’t be here without you.”
Andol made national headlines as the founder of the Made in America Store in Elma.
After Andol’s General Welding & Fabricating company lost two multimillion-dollar accounts in the same weekend to offshore competition and he was forced to lay off half his workforce, he embarked on a mission to bolster American manufacturing and the American worker.
That included opening the first Made in America store in Elma in 2010, which claimed to sell only products that are 100% made in the United States – right down to the packaging.
Andol, 59, regularly made appearances on television and radio news and business shows to boost American manufacturing. He welcomed thousands of tourists from around the world to his Made in America stores, including those who turned up by the busload in pilgrimages to the flagship store in Elma. Last month, the store celebrated a visit from its 1,500th tour bus.
The company also ran Made in America Store-within-a-store locations through licensing agreements and at one time had a total of eight store locations, including in area malls. Only the flagship store in Elma now remains.
In 2018, Andol hosted a visit to the Elma store from U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who was then the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration. During the tour, he praised the companies that shared his passion for manufacturing their products in the United States and supplied his stores.
“These people believe in what we’re doing,” Andol said. “It’s a movement.”
Andol gained recognition beyond Western New York. He appeared in a documentary, released in 2014, called “American-Made Movie,” which focused on the loss of manufacturing jobs and the impact on communities. And he granted countless interviews to news outlets, some in other countries.
“People come in and shake my hand and tear up. They really get it,” Andol told The Buffalo News during the opening of the Elma store. “We’ve heard from people all over the country. One guy said, ‘I’ll buy from you no matter what your prices are.’ ”
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Samantha Christmann
News Business Reporter
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