Still Building America

Handheld laser welding is everywhere right now, but is it actually the future of fabrication? In this episode of Still Building America, hosts Darla and Josh Welton sit down with Rex Alexandre, founder of the Handheld Laser Institute and former SpaceX laser welding engineer, to separate the real-world potential of handheld lasers from the online hype. The conversation explores how laser welding de...

At 16, Asher Weatherford built a 600-pound kinetic butterfly swing that went viral and sold for $14,500. In this episode of Still Building America, the Henderson, Texas student breaks down how he designed and fabricated the steel-and-wood piece in his school shop over 130 hours, using hand-bent steel, a CNC plasma table, and a lot of trial and error. The project earned Grand Champion in its catego...

Caroline Del Giudice, a metal fabricator and artist, joins Still Building America to talk about building a career in welding and creating opportunity in metal fabrication. As manager of the art and product realization program at Newlab in Detroit, she works inside a 30,000-square-foot fabrication shop supporting startups in robotics, mobility, and advanced manufacturing, blending hands-on welding...

Jesse Oosterhouse is a welding instructor at the Muskegon Correctional Facility in Michigan, where he teaches incarcerated men skills that can lead to stable careers after release. In this episode, Jesse shares how his class of 30 incarcerated students designed and built Arc of Redemption, a welded sculpture entered into the Grand Rapids-based ArtPrize . The project highlights how welding educatio...

Becca Robertson, a welding instructor at St. Clair TEC in Michigan, shares her journey into teaching. She started welding at age 2 from her father, a welder himself, and has now passed on that passion to her own daughter who also began welding at age 2. Becca's program at St. Clair TEC is known for producing talented high school welders, with her students excelling in state and national welding co...

In this episode of Still Building America, father-son duo Matt and Maverick Graham join Darla and Josh Welton to talk about the importance of introducing kids to welding at a young age. Matt runs farm and fabrication business called Graham Industries in rural Ohio, taught his now 10-year-old son Maverick how to weld at a young age. They talk about how Maverick learned to weld by helping Matt with...

In this episode of the Still Building America podcast, Detroit ironworker Kyle Tripp shares how she went from having zero welding experience to working on iconic construction projects, all thanks to a Women Who Weld , which helped jump-start her career. That single opportunity led to an ironworking apprenticeship and a passion for building structures that last. Kyle talks candidly about overcoming...

John Ditkof is a Navy veteran, medic, welder, and deep-sea diver who has had an extraordinary career in a variety of unique and challenging environments. John joins Darla and Josh Welton to talk about how, after initially pursuing a career in planetary sciences, he discovered his passion for welding and later became a commercial diver, working on projects ranging from salvaging a World War II bomb...

Kris Albro of Meltdown Metal Art joins the Still Building America podcast to talk about going fulltime as a metal artist, managing a small business, her unconventional career path from serving in the military, working in education, and working in fab shops. She also talks with Darla and Josh Welton about overcoming a learning disabilities, graduating college, learning how to weld, focusing her met...

Emily Soloby and Kelly Franko of AWSAM (Alliance of Women's Safety Apparel Manufacturers) join Darla Welton on the Still Building America Podcast to talk about awareness, access, and advocacy for women's PPE across all sectors of manufacturing and the skilled trades. AWSAM was founded in 2024 with the mission of elevating women in the workplace while supporting safe and appropriate protection for...

Forrest Davis, the shop foreman of Griot's Motors , joins Darla and Josh Welton to talk about his nontraditional journey into the automotive restoration industry. He shares how he began working at Griot's Garage as a retail employee and eventually transitioning to work on the owner's car collection in in Tacoma, Wash., which led to the creation of Griot's Motors, a full-service restoration shop th...

Peyton Rey, a 23-year-old lead fabricator at America's Most Wanted 4x4 , shares her inspiring journey into welding and fabrication. After discovering her passion for hands-on work at a young age, Peyton attended WyoTech's motorsports chassis fabrication program and quickly excelled at TIG welding. Despite being the only female fabricator in her shop, Peyton has taken on challenging projects like c...

Still Building America is back! This time in a podcast format. In this reintroduction episode, Darla and Josh Welton talk about the origin behind Still Building America and what's in store for upcoming episodes. They reiterate the mission behind SBA, which launched in October 2014 and aims to share stories of the diverse range of individuals in the skilled trades, from welders to entrepreneurs to...