The Fabricator Podcast

Ian Johnson has worn a lot of hats throughout his career: automotive technician, high school shop teacher, television host, and now founder of Big Tire Garage and Digital Lug. In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, he shares how storytelling, video, and social media can help fabrication and welding businesses build lasting brands, connect with customers, and stand out in a crowded marketplace....

Milan Popik, owner of Metal Tronics in Mississauga, Ontario, joins The Fabricator Podcast to discuss transforming a family-run prototyping shop that started in his parents' basement 40-plus years ago into a highly automated metal fabrication business. After growing up in the shop and learning fabrication at an early age, Popik eventually purchased the company from his parents and began modernizing...

Bolu Ojo joins The Fabricator Podcast to discuss SparkDefy, a startup developing fire-resistant welding head coverings for people with long or thicker hair. She shares how a welding job inspired the idea, the challenges of bringing a new PPE product to market, and her mission to make welding safety more inclusive with more products. Ojo also discusses launching the business, learning how to sew, a...

Wisconsin-based metal artist David Groenjes joins The Fabricator Podcast to discuss building detailed wildlife sculptures from scrap metal, turning a side hobby into a full-time business, and finding inspiration in conservation, welding, and the outdoors. He also talks about what it takes for a metal artist to break into galleries, participating in the Tadweer (Recycling) International Art Exhibit...

Jake LeGrand of Missouri-based LeGrand Metal Works balances a full-time structural engineering career while growing a fabrication business focused on handheld plasma cutting, custom metal art, welding, and fabrication projects. A graduate of the University of Kansas architectural engineering program, Jake shares how he first learned welding while working in university research labs and why fabrica...

At 23, Emme Hughes is already running a 10,000-square-foot fabrication shop. In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, she shares how she built EH Metalworks in Enid, Okla., from scratch, starting at 18 with no formal plan, just a passion for metalworking and lessons from her grandfather’s 50-year career. She breaks down the early projects that shaped her small business, how she taught herself de...

Jon and Andrew DeWys of Michigan-based DeWys Metal Solutions join The Fabricator Podcast to talk about growing and managing a 50-year-old family-owned manufacturing business. The father and son duo talk about how over the last 15 years, DeWys Manufacturing has added to its family of businesses with DeWys Stainless Solutions, Wyze Designs, ReFab, Shoreline Powder Coating, and American Grower Resour...

Lori Tapani, co-owner and co-president of Wyoming Machine in Stacy, Minnesota, joins The Fabricator Podcast to discuss what it means to think differently when running a small manufacturing business. Alongside her sister, Traci Tapani, she has led the more than 50-year-old company for over three decades, following a unique succession plan that transitioned leadership from their father. A longtime F...

Lisa Wertzbaugher of Iowa-based metal fabrication shop Wertzbaugher Services returns to the podcast to discuss the realities of running a small manufacturing business and offer practical advice for shop owners. She shares lessons on planning, investing in equipment, building a sales strategy, training a workforce, and using data to evaluate risk. Wertzbaugher also discusses the value of hiring you...

We’re joined by Chicago-based metal artist Eric W. Stephenson, founder of LunaBurn Studio and a fifth-generation craftsman. In addition to his own extensive career creating metal sculpture, Stephenson spent the final 23 years of Richard Hunt ’s life working alongside the legendary artist, helping bring ambitious abstract metal sculptures to life. Stephenson talks about how Hunt’s career spanned mo...

Jeanette Vecchio Smith and Ken Pecho from Chicago Metal Rolled Products join us on our 100th episode to talk about CMRP’s role in shaping the Las Vegas Sphere. Ken, lead project engineer at Chicago Metal Rolled Products, and Jeanette, a manager at CMRP, walk us through what it took to bend and form massive tube and beam sections and how that capability put their shop at the center of a world-class...

Colin Cosgrove, president and CEO of Laystrom Manufacturing in Chicago, returns to The Fabricator Podcast to discuss how a mid-sized fabrication shop can plan for growth intentionally while maintaining flexibility, culture, and operational focus. Cosgrove shares lessons from his time at a larger manufacturer, how Laystrom collaborates with customers on design for manufacturability and cost reducti...

In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Maxwell Keeler of Electro-Mechanical Integrators (EMI) explains how modern tube plasma cutting systems handle multiple material profiles, enable tab-and-slot construction, and remove much of the math and layout work from the process. He also talks about how, once a niche capability, tube plasma cutting has become a practical entry point for automation in...

Rod Galbreath, president of CenMac Metalworks , discusses how the Ohio-based company evolved from a small metal stamping operation into a laser-focused fabrication business. Galbreath explains why CenMac has prioritized investing in new equipment, including lasers, press brakes, and robotic welding cells, instead of adding multiple shifts. He outlines how this approach has increased capacity and p...

In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, guest host Nate Bowman (aka Weld Scientist) joins us as we speak with 3M abrasives application engineers Matt King and Kaeleigh Wilkins about the everyday realities of grinding, from why welders depend on it to how newer abrasive technology is improving weld prep and finishing. They also discuss surface-prep tools that remove coatings without damaging the...

Marc Levin joins us to talk about the Welder Underground , the New York City–based apprenticeship program he and his wife, Adina, launched in 2024 to help young people enter welding and fabrication. Supported by ESAB, the program builds technical skills, work habits, and real-world experience through large-scale public art projects like the Rappin’ Max Robot. Marc explains why hands-on, creative t...

Discover how Knapheide , a sixth-generation family-owned company in Quincy, Ill., evolved from building wagons in 1848 to designing highly customized service trucks today. Greg Schutte, director of fabrication, shares insights on managing over 2 million SKUs, modernizing the shop floor with automation and precision equipment, and attracting a new generation of problem-solving talent. Learn how a c...

CEO John Axelberg has led General Stamping & Metalworks for more than 30 years, guiding the century-old metal manufacturer, headquartered in South Bend, Ind., through major shifts in technology and industry demands in metal fabrication. He joins The Fabricator Podcast to discuss the company’s evolution and what it takes to stay relevant in modern manufacturing. This episode was recorded at FABTECH...

Renowned Mexico-based metal artist David Madero joins The Fabricator Podcast to talk about honoring the legacy of his father and artist, (Rogelio Madero), his love of working with oxyacetylene to create his distinctive welded sculptures, paying it forward by teaching his techniques, advice for other artists for working with welding companies to become brand ambassadors, and more. This episode was...

Welding engineer and instructor Marvin Herrera joins us on The Fabricator Podcast to talk about his interesting and non-traditional career path to welding, his work with Chicago-based manufacturer Freedman Seating Company, teaching at Triton College, collaborating with JARC Training Center, and becoming a welding automation guru. Email us at podcast@fmamfg.org with any comments, questions, or sugg...

In this episode, we dive into the story of Motobilt with Dan DuBose and Hunter DuBose. Founded in 2012 by Dan, who began fabricating parts out of necessity when he couldn’t find what he needed. Since then, Alabama-based Motobilt has grown into a popular manufacturer of aftermarket Jeep and off-road and rock-crawling parts, earning a reputation for quality, innovation, and cutting-edge design. We e...

Rae Ripple returns to The Fabricator Podcast with updates on her life, metal art, and wild adventures. She shares stories about her move from Texas to Tennessee, major projects with Hypertherm, Northern Tool, Lincoln Electric, Harley-Davidson, Northeastern Junior College, and her passion for FABTECH. You’ll also hear how she freehand plasma-cut a 1941 Cadillac hood during the MLB Speedway Classic...

In this episode, James Geier, founder of Chicago-based 555 International, shares how the business has evolved into a design-driven fabrication business known for delivering immersive, high-impact brand environments all across the country. Founded in 1988, Geier developed 555 into a go-to partner for custom fabrication projects across industries—from restaurants and retail stores to stadium install...

Brandon Minga is an artist, welder, and entrepreneur based in Wisconsin. Minga is the creative force behind House of RAD , a Milwaukee-based collaborative workspace for over 60 resident artists and makers. Minga has a background in illustration and graphic design, which led him to work in the metal fabrication, welding, and sculpture world. Some of his notable projects include a large-scale jellyf...

Jarrod Klassen is the owner of Twisted Metal Sign Company , a business in Saskatchewan focused on creating intricate metal artwork using bead rolling techniques. While working in corrections, Jarrod discovered bead rolling as a hobby and has honed his skills over the past several years. He has gone from using a homemade bead roller to upgrading to professional equipment, and now creates highly det...