Airgas Presents Rusty Coker With Annual Scott Melman Award.

RADNOR, Pa. -- Airgas, Inc. (NYSE:ARG) today presented its sixth annual Scott Melman Award to Henry B. (Rusty) Coker, president of Airgas Gulf States, for his leadership during the 2005 hurricanes.

The annual award is named for Scott M. Melman, former chief financial officer of Airgas, Inc., who died in 2001. According to the award's inscription, it honors "Airgas employees who exhibit the qualities we remember in Scott M. Melman: Professionalism, perseverance, enthusiasm, energy, a sense of honor, and the courage to speak up and make a difference."

"Rusty made a difference - when it mattered most - with his leadership during last year's historic storms," said Airgas Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Peter McCausland. "He demonstrated his perseverance, enthusiasm, and energy by finding his way to our Gulf States branches, associates, and customers immediately following the storms."

"In the first two weeks after the storm, he was not only on the 'front lines,' he was the 'lifeline' for so many, because he showed up when no one else could," said Shaun Powers, division president - East, in nominating Coker. "He was there to help them with needed supplies, money, and lodging. Rusty demonstrated a compassion for our associates that won't be forgotten in Gulf States."

Added McCausland, "Rusty has his organization prepared every year for hurricane season, and almost every year, Gulf States experiences one or more severe storms, though never one as severe as Katrina. Thanks to his experience, his preparation, and his leadership, Airgas Gulf States was in business the next day, delivering medical oxygen to first responders and vital supplies needed for cleanup and rebuilding."

Coker first joined Airgas in 1989, with the acquisition of Gulf Welding Equipment Company in Hattiesburg, MS, where he had been vice president of sales and stockholder in the family-owned distributor. At Airgas, he served in a series of sales, sales management, and general management roles before he became president of Gulf States in 1993. As president, he leads a region that includes 26 branches along the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle, south Alabama, south Mississippi, south Louisiana, and southeast Texas.

A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor's degree in marketing, Coker and his family live in Mobile, AL.

About Airgas, Inc.

Airgas, Inc. (NYSE:ARG), through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and related hardgoods, such as welding equipment and supplies. Airgas is also the third-largest U.S. distributor of safety products, the largest U.S. producer of nitrous oxide and dry ice, the largest liquid carbon dioxide producer in the Southeast, and a leading distributor of process chemicals, refrigerants and ammonia products. Its 10,000 employees work in about 900 locations including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities and distribution centers. Airgas also distributes its products and services through eBusiness, catalog and telesales channels. Its national scale and strong local presence offer a competitive edge to its diversified customer base. For more information, please visit www.airgas.com.