Cyl-Tec’s 2025 Yearly Wrap-Up
In 2025, Cyl-Tec concentrated on strengthening our internal capabilities and investing in future growth. Cyl-Tec as a company continued to advance our strategic plan to support our employee-owners, enhance operations, expand product lines, and deliver exceptional service to our customers. Our commitment to the compressed gas industry remains unwavering, defined by steady progress, resilience, and a clear vision for the future. We are excited for what 2026 will bring!
Employee Stock Ownership Plan – ESOP
As we close out 2025, we proudly celebrate our fifth year as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) company. This year, we placed a strong focus on strengthening our ESOP culture and continuing education. Our employee-owners enjoyed a variety of company-wide activities, including two company breakfasts, a shaved ice truck, a family picnic, ESOP Celebration Day complete with pumpkin racing, and our annual holiday party.
We also continued our commitment to transparency and education through our twice-monthly company huddles. These sessions bring the entire team together to learn about company financials, deepen knowledge of balance sheets and budgeting, and build product expertise.
Professional development remained a priority as well. Several team members completed internal training sessions, and our entire management team participated in team building and leadership development to strengthen communication and operational effectiveness.
In the second half of the year, a group of our longest-tenured and most engaged employee-owners collaborated to define our new company “Why” statements and values. We look forward to unveiling these in 2026. Stay tuned!
Enhancing Operations
This change provides each employee-owner with a tablet to monitor and record the status of tank repairs, Cyl-Tec continues to modernize and expand operations to better serve our customers. A major milestone this year was the purchase of a new neck ring press capable of embossing up to 600 neck rings per hour using our library of 167+ custom in-house dies. By producing custom neck rings internally, we are significantly reducing lead times and offering greater customization for our customers.
We also welcomed many new employee-owners in 2025, including 2 new Regional Sales Managers, Reed Lawless for Southeast U.S. and Phillip Meyer for Central / Northeast U.S. & Canada. A new position was created Strategic Product Manager to help support our Procurement Department. We also hired several production and warehouse personnel, including a new Plant Manager.
At the beginning of the year, our leadership team was restructured. Tom Bennett transitioned to CEO, Elliott Levine stepped into the role of President, and Kirill Zelin was promoted to Operations Director.
Looking Forward
Extensive planning and collaboration across departments have shaped our vision for Cyl-Tec’s future. Several innovative projects are already underway:
New Level-Eye Model
The highly anticipated new Level-Eye model made significant advancements in 2025. This next-generation unit is now smaller, more affordable, and equipped with a longer-lasting battery. Most importantly, it features optimized communication output that ensures compatibility with all telemetry systems. All while providing clear and accurate liquid-level readings.
Cyl-Tec Gas and Unit Converter App
Another highlight was relaunching the Cyl-Tec Gas and Unit Converter app on both Apple and Google stores, now available for free. Looking ahead to 2026, we plan to introduce new features that will allow customers to submit RFQs directly through the app for cylinders and cryogenic tanks.
Valve Taping Machine
Our engineering, quality control, and production teams have also been developing a new taping machine for cylinder valves. This innovative tool will improve efficiency by ensuring consistent, accurate PTFE tape application, saving time and enhancing reliability. Look for updates on this project in the coming year.
A Milestone Year Ahead
In February 2026, Cyl-Tec will proudly celebrate 35 years in business. We owe this achievement to our dedicated employee-owners and our loyal customers. We look forward to celebrating with you at upcoming industry events throughout the year.
Networking and Partnerships
Our Regional Sales Managers and Customer Service team worked diligently throughout 2025 to ensure customers received the products and support they needed. The RSMs traveled across the country, visiting customers and attending 15 industry tradeshows for groups including GAWDA, gasworld, IBDEA, MDG, AIWD, CGA, IWDC, and PurityPlus. These events continue to offer invaluable opportunities to connect with new and returning industry partners.
We also celebrated our third year partnering with CO₂ Monitoring of Las Vegas, Nevada. Their U.S.-designed, engineered, and built Aerosphere CO₂ monitoring systems continue to set new standards for compliance, safety, and ease of use.
In addition, we marked five and a half years of partnership with Saf-T-Cart, whose durable cylinder cradles help users safely and efficiently draw from multiple cylinders simultaneously.
At our headquarters, we were proud to host four industry training classes: three Specialty Gas Institutes led by Ray Borzio and Greg Lewis, and one Bulk CO₂ University presented by Ray Grieco. Each session brought together participants from across the nation and around the world—offering valuable training, networking, and new sales techniques. We encourage anyone interested to join us for future sessions in 2026.
Thank You
We extend our sincere appreciation to all the incredible companies and partners who supported Cyl-Tec in 2025. Your trust and collaboration have been a vital part of our success. We look forward to building on this momentum together in 2026 and beyond.
Here’s to a strong year behind us and an even brighter one ahead!
