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Still Building America—“When there is an opportunity, take it”

Typically with the “Still Building America” series, someone requests to be featured (feel free to email me at josh@browndogwelding.com). I reply with a series of questions. The answers range from short and sweet to long-form pieces that seem like the start of an autobiography. From one end of the spectrum to the other, the common thread is that they’re penned by fabricators and not poets. So I take those answers, extrapolate, and mold them into a digestible post. I’m not complaining; it’s kind of my job here and I enjoy telling stories. This month, however, I’m going to let Justin Webster tell you his story, in his words. I think you’ll dig it.

Q: What kind of work do you do?
A: I currently specialize and focus on designing and manufacturing aftermarket motorcycle parts. I have one product that is being sold through my website (www.jwebsterdesigns.com) and also by online retailers. I have three new products in production that will be entering the packaging phases in the next week.

Currently my company specializes in vintage Honda motorcycle parts. However, I will be expanding into other brand-specific bolt-on parts, as well as universal-fit parts, in the coming months. These universal parts will be good for fabricators (professional and amateur) as well as customizers to use in their builds.

Along with designing and manufacturing aftermarket products, I also build one-off custom motorcycles on commission and for marketing and personal use. I would like to grow this side of the business, as the creative freedom that it gives me is extremely enjoyable.

Q: What got you started?
A: My father's passion is definitely what started my drive and excitement for this industry. He had a love and admiration for vintage cars. He spent 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, so we were constantly moving. But one thing always stayed constant: A classic car or hotrod followed us everywhere we went.

Turning wrenches has always been a rock in my life when things got tough, and I will always be thankful to my father for giving me that foundation. As far as fabrication and welding are concerned, it again was my father’s guidance that led me down that path.

I was a freshman in high school and wasn't much of a jock. My father recommended that I take the school's welding class. I was at first hesitant as welding wasn't necessarily the first thing that popped into my head when trying to land ladies in high school, but I took the plunge anyway. It was the best decision I have ever made.

The class offered basic education and training on arc and MIG processes and a very brief introduction to TIG welding. To this day it is my only formal welding education.

Q: How did you decide on your career path?
A: Growing up around hotrods, I always dreamed of one day owning my own custom shop. While kids dreamed about being firemen or astronauts, I dreamed about building custom cars and motorcycles. Shaping raw steel media into something beautiful and real. (OK ... I dreamed about being an astronaut too. But we are focusing on building stuff here.) It wasn't until my college and postcollege years that I really started focusing on what avenues I needed to start walking down to make my dreams a reality.

I attended and graduated from the University of Florida (GO GATORS!), where I received a bachelor's degree in anthropology. After I graduated from the university, I quickly realized that there isn't a whole lot you can do with an anthropology degree. So I got a job working at a local hobby store. The position was offered only as a seasonal position for the 4th of July weekend. However, I worked hard to impress the store’s owner and landed a full-time position, eventually working my way up to store manager.

I have since worked many more jobs, and at each one I started at the bottom and worked my way to the top. But even though the pay was nice and things were comfortable, there was still that proverbial itch that wasn't being scratched. It was the dream of owning my own shop. Creating things with my own two hands. The joy and hardship of making something so solid, rigid, and unforgiving conform into what was in my head. So, in 2012 I purchased my business license and decided to start moving towards making my dream a reality. I buckled down and worked nights after my day job. I have been working on getting things into place and on training myself in the various trades that I will need in this industry.

As of May of this year, I am proud to announce that I am currently living my dream that started when I was a kid and working full-time in the custom automotive parts and fabrication industry.

Q: What type of background or training do you have (self-taught, from your family, shop class in school, vocational school, college, etc.)?
A: I am almost entirely self-taught. The only formal welding training that I have received was the introductory class in high school. While taking this class, I soaked up every bit of information that I was given. I took every opportunity to grow the skills I was learning. For example, students were offered the opportunity to compete in the VICA skills competition. I chose to compete and performed better than I expected by placing first in district, but I did not place at state.

Unfortunately, I moved from Abilene, Texas, after my freshman year of high school to a school in O'Fallon, Ill., where no welding classes were offered. I did not let this deter me from continuing to further the basics I had been taught. I found every book (before YouTube) that I could get my hands on and got out in the garage and practiced.

I became very proficient in the MIG process, and my dad quickly had me welding everything he could find to weld. The most nerve-wracking project that my father had me complete was to weld two brackets on the tongue of his brand-new trailer for his load equalizer bars. Being new to welding, I was shaking at the knees every time he loaded the trailer up and took it for a trip. I had very little confidence in my skills at that time, and I am grateful that my father had much more trust in them than I did.

After college I became bored with MIG and decided that I needed to challenge myself with a new process. While I was at the PRI Trade Show, I found a stellar deal on a Miller Dynasty 200DX water-cooled buzz box with a wireless foot pedal. This time around, YouTube and other online resources were available, and I could find good resources for teaching myself this new process. I still consider myself amateurish in the world of TIG welding. There is still a lot of learning to do. But thanks to online resources like The FABRICATOR, YouTube, and online forums filled with heavily experienced professional welders willing to share their knowledge, I have no doubts that I will continue to grow my skills surely and steadily.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: A couple parts are my favorites. First is seeing what my customers are working on. It is always interesting to see how people do things differently and observe their creativity come to life. I started this company grassroots style and enjoy seeing people get out in their garages, make things, and develop the skills that they have, or want to have.

Second, watching a raw plate of steel or some scrap that is lying around the garage become a refined part of a motorcycle, a bracket, or other structure is an extremely gratifying experience. The progression and growth that a part takes can be symbolic of a person's growth in life. Sometimes you get it right on the first go-around. Sometimes you mess up along the way and you need to cut something out and keep pressing on. And sometimes you have to just scrap it all and start with a clean slate.

Last, I enjoy the time that I get to spend with my family and friends now that I get to make my own schedule. It is so easy to forget what is important in life. Punching a clock and taking home a big paycheck can oftentimes seem very important, but after years of doing that, I am here to tell you that there is nothing more precious than the time we have with family.

Q: What's your future goal for your career?
A: My career goal is to continue to do what I love for a living. I hope to one day be able to let my wife retire from her job and pursue her dreams. But until then, I will continue to push forward in my attempts to grow this business into everything I have ever dreamed it to be. I am looking forward to the future and what this adventure has in store for me. And God willing, one day I'll be able to do for my children what my father has done for me.

Q: What advice would you give your peers if they wanted to find a similar path? Not even just specifically doing exactly what you do, but in general?
A: Earlier this year my father was diagnosed with cancer. It was a huge eye-opener for me and made me realize just how short life really is.

The man who started it all for me, the one who instilled in me an extreme sense of work ethic, and the one who gave me the start to a dream that I haven't been able to shake since my childhood may not be with me long enough to see my dreams come to fruition. So my advice to anyone that is interested in pursuing anything that they have been dreaming of is to not wait.

For the longest time I set "landmarks" for myself. For example, I would tell myself, "When I get to making five production parts, I'll start advertising harder," or "When the business gets to making X amount of money, I'll quit my job to go full-time with the business." While goals are great and they keep you focused and on the path, they also can be a hindrance.

When there is an opportunity, take it! Do not let your mind convince you that it's not the right time. Because the reality is, most often it is never the right time. Sometimes you have to just take that leap of faith and dive in headfirst, not knowing what is in the water or what the outcome will be.So, in short, just go for it. Give it everything you have and don't hold back. If you don't, the only thing you will have in the end is regret.

Justin Webster * J.Webster Designs * 618-581-1658 * info@jwebsterdesigns.com * www.jwebsterdesigns.com

All images courtesy of J.Webster Designs.

About the Author
Brown Dog Welding

Josh Welton

Owner, Brown Dog Welding

(586) 258-8255