Metal artist Sarah Stork joins The Fabricator Podcast to talk about creating intricate, lifelike sculptures using welding techniques. The Texas-based artist discusses how she stumbled into sculpting through a welding class and has since honed her skills to produce detailed dozens of works like a blue heron with thousands of individually welded feathers, large intimidating cassowary, endless amounts of stingrays. Stork also chats about how she relies on hand tools, hammers, and welding...

Nate Bowman and Kyle Worzala join Dan Davis and Josh Welton to talk about 3M Clash of the Grinders, a student-based competition sponsored by 3M that teaches proper grinding techniques and safety. It features 12 contestants who receive hands-on training from industry experts. Bowman, known as the Weld Scientist, hosted Season 2, and Worzala, a welding instructor at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wis., served as one of three judges. They look behind the scenes and talk about how the...

BlueForge Alliance Chief Strategy Officer Tim Shinbara joins The Fabricator Podcast to talk about how BFA serves as a neutral integrator for the U.S. Navy, focusing on improving the capability and capacity of the submarine industrial base. The conversation delves into BlueForge's outreach and workforce initiatives, including Build Submarines campaigns and partnerships with organizations like Major League Baseball, NASCAR, and the WNBA, aimed at raising awareness and inspiring new talent....

Drew Crowe shares his inspiring journey from a teenage felon to a leading manufacturing advocate and speaker to creating The New American Manufacturing Renaissance. Crowe stumbled into the metalworking industry by chance, finding a job at a machine shop that put him on a path to success that he never expected. He now travels the country inspiring the next generation to embrace modern manufacturing careers, emphasizing the limitless possibilities available. Crowe also discusses his work...

Emily Wilkins, founder of Marketing Metal, helps job shops, machine shops, metal fabricators, custom equipment builders, and other small manufacturing businesses build their brands and tell their stories. She returns for her second appearance on The Fabricator Podcast, and provides comprehensive marketing services, including website development, content creation, and social media management. Wilkins emphasizes something she calls "Specific Human Optimization" (or SHO, similar to SEO...

Sharon Cobb, the associate program manager for NASA's Space Launch System, discussed the innovative technologies and manufacturing processes being used to build the massive rocket that will enable this new era of space exploration. Cobb is one of the forces behind NASA's Artemis program, which aims to send humans back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years and develop plans for a sustained presence and future exploration of Mars. Cobb highlighted the critical role that small...

Jay Lockett of Kansas City-based Jay Fabwerks joins us to talk about how he made the jump from a hobby welder working on cars to creating a metal fabrication business that serves everything from working on custom railings to structural fab projects, and how he did it in a non-traditional way without formal welding education. Jay also chats about embracing an entrepreneurial mindset, hiring workers, his love of cars, dropping a V8 engine into an BMW 3 Series, how he almost chose a career as...

Jason and Miranda Chiasson, owners of Chiasson Smoke based in Blue River, Wis., discuss their journey developing their metal fabrication business. They share how they went from creating custom spurs to expanding a product mix focused on rocket stoves, grills, smokers, fire pits, custom signs, and more. They share the growing pains of running a small business on their family homestead, the role social media and digital marketing has played in their success, and their focus on efficiency and...

Adam Fullerton is a Toronto-based metal fabricator who specializes in creating railings, doors, and other accent pieces for commercial and residential settings. The wanderlust tradesman talks about his career working in different trades (like car restoration and masonry) around the world, from England to Australia to Canada, and how it all led to him starting his own small business, Fullerton Metal Fab. Fullerton also talks about experience in upcycling found objects and scrap metal into...

Jamie McMillan, founder of Made in the Trades and Kick Ass Careers, is a Canada-based advocate for the skilled trades industry. She discusses her journey in the trades, her efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the industry, and her work in schools and communities across Canada. Jamie also talks about her coloring book project that aims to educate children about different career opportunities in the trades, including ironworkers, boilermakers, construction workers, and welders. The...

Diane Reko, CEO of Reko International and Concorde Precision Machining, joins us to chat about her father starting the business in 1976, her taking over the company, implementing automation processes, and her thoughts on maintaining a strong manufacturing base in Canada. She also talks about her family's Hungarian roots, the automotive industry, the construction sector, developing skilled trades in Canada, the importance of business leaders walking the shop floor, and maintaining livable...

Max Ceron, the director of the CWB Association, discusses his role in supporting the welding and fabricating industry in Canada. He emphasizes the importance of upskilling the current workforce and creating opportunities for the next generation of welders and fabricators. Ceron also talks about the need for better communication between welders and engineers, as well as the growing trend of entrepreneurialism among young welders. He shares his own experiences as a welder and educator, and...

Desirée Guzmán, a welding instructor with Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT), joins us to talk about her full-circle career as welder. She talks about how she was inspired by a metal artist she met during a trip to Puerto Rico to start her own jewelry-making business. She also explains how that piqued her interest in learning how to weld. Desirée discusses how after enrolling in CWIT's welding program, it led to her working at number of Chicago-area fab shops. The after a few years of...

Matt Brunner, co-founder and co-owner of Manitowoc, Wis.-based Brunner Fabrication joins us to talk about how he transformed his family's autobody shop into a successful metal fab shop focused on high-volume production. Brunner talks about launching his fabrication business in 2018, growing the shop footprint to 12,000 sq. ft., finding a niche in high-volume sheet metal part production, partnering with TRUMPF, working with snow equipment manufacturer Ariens Co., training a workforce...

Jeff Cupples, the president of Jackson, Tenn.-based Cupples J&J Company, discusses his experience with laser cutting machines and the benefits of high-powered lasers. He explains how his job shop has pushed the envelope with laser cutting technology, constantly seeking more power, speed, and acceleration. He emphasizes the importance of consistency in materials and the advantages of using high-powered lasers for precision cutting. Cupples also discusses his company's use of robotic...

Chaz Schroeder of Black River Group joins The Fabricator Podcast this week to talk about evolution of his family's manufacturing business, adapting to change, staying ahead of the industry curve, and more. Chaz explains how Black River Group, a third generation family-owned company in Mansfield, Ohio, evolved over 55 years from a marketing agency to a full-fledged manufacturing operation that offers a full range of services, including design, engineering, fabrication, and warehousing. He...

Cameron Adams of Laser Precision, a contract metal fabricator in the Chicago area, joins the podcast to talk about how the family-run business has grown from a small 6,000-sq.-ft. shop to a 130,000-sq.-ft facility that serves large OEMs in the heavy equipment industry. Adams describes Laser Precision as a one-stop shop by providing end-to-end processes with laser cutting, CNC machining, welding, press brake forming, and powder coating. He also discusses Laser Precision's recent...

Patrick Brunken, VP of Addison Machine Engineering, joins The Fabricator Podcast to talk about the tube and pipe industry, running a multi-generational family-owned business, keeping up with tube mill technology, and moving operations from Chicago to Reedsburg, Wis. Brunken discusses the challenges and rewards of running a family-owned mid-sized company in the tube and pipe industry, and how his son has become the family's fourth generation to work in the business. He also about the changes...

Seth Feldman of Iowa-based Wertzbaugher Services joins The Fabricator Podcast to offer his take as a Gen Zer working in metal fabrication, why he turned to the skilled trades instead of the traditional college path, and thoughts on representing what's been dubbed the "toolbelt generation." Feldman explains how after high school, he pursued a traditional college route by attending University of Iowa, where his parents and siblings attended, but quickly realized that wasn't for him. He talks...

In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of OSH Cut, discusses his company’s unique approach to sheet metal fabricating. Chamberlain explains how OSH Cut offers an online platform that allows customers to upload their designs and receive instant quotes for laser cutting and bending services. He also describes how they have developed their own software to automate the quoting and production processes, as well as their efforts to expand their...

In this podcast episode, Brian Steel, CEO of Cadrex Manufacturing, discusses the challenges of acquiring, merging, and integrating multiple metal fabrication businesses under one organization. He emphasizes the importance of aligning technical expertise, managing capacity, and implementing ERP systems. Steel highlights the need for speed and agility in the industry and the importance of people and culture in the integration process. He also discusses the use of data and automation in...

This week on The Fabricator Podcast, Jason Becker, host of the Arc Junkies Podcast and owner of Underground Metal Works, shares his journey into welding and how the trade has opened doors he never would have expected, leading him to become an ironworker, educator, podcaster, and business owner. Becker talks about how he earned his first welding certificates before he even learned how to drive, and how he carried over that trade when he joined the Marine Corps. After leaving the military, he...

Omar Nashashibi, co-founder of The Franklin Partnership and a lobbyist representing manufacturing trade associations, joins The Fabricator Podcast to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing sheet metal fabricators and other manufacturers in the current political climate. He emphasizes the importance of workforce development, stable tax policies, and understanding government regulations. Nashashibi also discusses the impact of tariffs, the need for education and advocacy on behalf of...

After Ludlow Manufacturing Inc. (LMI) received The Fabricator's 2024 Industry Award, Todd Ludlow, founder and president of the Waukegan, Ill.-based metal fabrication business, joined us on the podcast to expound on it all. Ludlow discusses his journey of starting and growing his own fabrication business. He reflects on his early days as a machine operator and how transitioning into sales sales role helped him learn the industry. He emphasizes three important points the helped transform his...