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Metal art with a patriotic punch

Instagram presence sparks growth for Wisconsin metal art business

The Freedom Cabinet, with burned and oiled wood and inlaid steel, is Metal Art of Wisconsin’s signature piece. The flag is cut from 16-gauge cold-rolled mild steel. It is stuffed with high density foam that can be configured to store a variety of objects. It is available in 2-, 3-, and 4-ft. widths with keyed or radio-frequency identification (RFID) invisible locks.

Shane Henderson is living the American dream. So, it should come as no surprise that his metal artwork reflects patriotism and pride in the red, white, and blue.

In five years, his company, Metal Art of Wisconsin, has successfully made the leap from a garage pet project to a company that employs 19 people and offers more than 250 original metal art and wood products.

The secret of its rapid ascent? Instagram, of course!

Humble Beginnings

The company’s story begins much like many others: Henderson, of Manitowoc, Wis., and his son working together in the garage.

“When my son was just 10 years old, I acquired a CNC plasma table and we started cutting patriotic metal art,” Henderson explained.

With a professional background as a social media manager, Henderson was active on Instagram and had a personal account where he’d post photos of the patriotic metal art he created. Friends and followers loved it.

From there he created a stand-alone page on Instagram for his art called Metal Art of Wisconsin. It was an instant hit and was the basis of starting this company. The rest, he said, is history.

“It blew up and went viral overnight. It was absolutely crazy. Since I made that Instagram page we’ve been behind ever since,” Henderson said.

The more followers the page gained, the more work he had to do.

Patriotic art is what got it all started in company founder Shane Henderson’s garage.

Recently the company moved into a 15,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility, with space to use CNC routers, CNC plasmas, CNC laser cutters, along with CNC press brakes, grinders, and polishers.

“This is the fourth time we’ve moved in four years,” Henderson said. “We finally moved into a shop big enough.”

Metal Art of Wisconsin now employs 19 metalworkers and artists to help with the influx of orders. Henderson stays active on social media, managing the company’s Instagram account as well as all marketing efforts.

A Tribute to Patriotism

Take one look at Metal Art of Wisconsin’s Instagram page (@metal_art_of_wisconsin) or website and you’ll notice that the American flag as well as the colors red, white, and blue are highly prevalent. Tributes to law enforcement, military branches, and superheroes comprise a majority of the Instagram photos.

“Everything we do is patriotic … it was kind of our thing, but we’re branching off into some other areas as well, and it seems to resonate with people,” Henderson said.

Custom work is on display as well, including decorative wall hangings featuring personalized trees, custom monograms, and company logos.

But the company’s signature piece that has garnered so much attention from its Instagram followers is the Freedom Cabinet, a metal or mixed-media wall-hanging concealment flag that can store items such as firearms and ammunition.

“The Freedom Cabinet was kind of an evolution of our patriotic theme of the brand. We had people asking if we could make an American flag case for their flat-screen televisions. Over time it evolved into what it is today. The name is really what’s made it take off.”

Patriotism isn’t just a ploy to sell product. Henderson founded the Flags of Fortitude (www.flagsforfortitude.com). Through this initiative, the company collects nominations and donates Metal Art of Wisconsin-made flags to anyone who is making a positive contribution to their community.

“You can nominate anyone in your community that’s making a difference, whether it’s a veteran, the family of a fallen officer, or even a crossing guard. You can nominate them, tell their story, attach a picture, and we review each and every nomination we receive. If it’s a great story, we’ll send them a flag for free.”

Henderson and his team are constantly designing and prototyping to find out what resonates with followers. But even considering how quickly things have progressed, he still appreciates how it all started.

“It’s truly the American dream for someone to start in the garage with their son and turn it into a multimillion-dollar business.”

Contributing writer Kate Youdell worked as an intern for The FABRICATOR this summer.

Metal Art of Wisconsin, 920-717-0635, www.metalartofwisconsin.com

About the Author

Kate Youdell

Kate Youdell was a summer intern for The FABRICATOR in 2018.