Our Story
Norco began in 1948 as the welding supply division of the Nordling Auto Parts Company, in Boise, Idaho. In 1968, Larry Kissler, who had served as the regional manager of 11 eastern states at Linde's New England facility in Sudbury, Massachusetts, headed west with his four children and his wife Fran to purchase Norco. When the Kissler family arrived, Norco had two locations, in Boise and Twin Falls, Idaho, and 15 total employees. Dan Steele came on board as employee number 16. Together Kissler and Steele, who held positions as general manager and ultimately company president, expanded the business by acquiring other welding supply distributorships in the Intermountain West region. The duo put providing excellent customer service at the core of the business and were so committed to the principle that they symbolically placed the customer at the top of the organizational chart - a fundamental value that lead to years of profitability and growth that continues today.
The medical supply business may seem like an unlikely pairing for an industrial supply powerhouse, but it was a natural evolution for the savvy Larry Kissler. The cornerstone of Norco's business is the oxygen we provide, and the move to start supplying medical oxygen in addition to industrial-grade bridged the gap between the two divisions. Larry started by calling on every local hospital. From there it made good sense to add durable medical equipment (DME) as well, spearheaded largely by Neil Emerizy. Together the dynamic industries have flourished, often housed in the same location.
For the Kissler family, business ownership is not something that is simply inherited, it is something that is earned. After achieving the prerequisites for leading the company, Mr. Kissler's son, Jim, purchased Norco in 1985. Jim led the Norco team in growth upholding the same doctrines his father led with during his tenure. In 2015 the Kissler family gave their employees one of the greatest gifts any employee could ever hope to receive - a share of the company - by forming an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and Norco became the largest ESOP company of its kind. In 2021, Nicole Kissler took the helm as Norco's CEO with her father Jim as Chairman of the Board.
Norco is comprised of more than 70 medical and industrial retail locations, and six auxiliary facilities including gas plants, air separation units, and NorTECH, our state-of-the-art training, technical, and automation center. Just as when Norco was started over 70 years ago, our group of proud employee-owners are here to "Serve you Better."
