Still Building America—Will Peasley, graduate and shop owner at 16

Will Peasley repairing a trailer.

Twenty-year-old Will Peasley graduated from high school at 16, then immediately started his own small business doing odd fabrication jobs. He now is the lead welder/fabricator for a Caterpillar dealership in his town, Bend, Ore., all while continuing to build up his personal fabrication shop. Will said, “The more wire and rod burned, the more I learn.” And he firmly believes that “the backbone of this country is the men and women who work behind the scenes, building and repairing the tools that build America.” Will is doing his part in keeping that backbone strong. Check out his story.

JW: What got you started in welding/fabrication? How did you decide on your career path?

WP: Ever since I was little I have always been tearing things apart to see how they work and building my own "better" versions of things. I got to the point where I was limited because I couldn't do anything with metal, so around the age of 13 or 14, I purchased a used 110-V stick welder from a local guy and it all sprouted from there. I honestly fell in love with the art and science behind the weld, so I figured I would make a career out of it!

JW: What is your company name?

WP: RazorArc Fabrication. I started the company when I was 16 at the same time I finished high school.

JW: Who were your influences, and who has impacted your life?

WP: My grandfather. We are always doing stuff together. Hunting, packing with horses/mules deep into the wilderness, or just miscellaneous jobs around the ranch. But my family as a whole has influenced me. They have always believed in me and what I was doing.

JW: What type of background and training do you have?

WP: I am nearly 100 percent self-taught. Nobody in my family worked with metal. And I wasn’t lucky enough to have had metal shop in high school. I have no college education, but I plan to take classes on the side in engineering starting this fall. I think doing so would be a good asset to my fabrication/design life.

JW: How did you graduate from high school at 16? That’s pretty cool.

Will Peasley welding.

WP: When you dislike it enough, but your parents made damn sure you got that single piece of paper, you can get a lot done in a hurry. My school offered online classes, so I crammed a bunch in and finished all the requirements. But my mother wanted me to walk with my twin sister at graduation, so I didn't officially graduate until I was 18.

JW: What is the favorite part of your job?

WP: The design. The thought of "how am I going to make this work in the most appealing and functional fashion?" From fixing a cracked excavator boom to a simple art piece. The design challenge is my favorite!

JW: What is the most challenging part of your job?

WP: The business part . . . and organization. My business grew really, really fast at first, and I was so unprepared and immature. I made plenty of mistakes, and made plenty of customers unhappy. But as time goes on you learn what to do, and what not to do. You get more organized and more skilled, and slowly everything seems to come together.

JW: What's your future goal for your career?

WP: I hope to be able to continue to grow, buy more equipment, and acquire more skills. I’d like to provide an even more diverse range of services for my customers, with faster turnaround times and lower costs. I hope to be able to look back at all the 70-plus hour weeks and see that my hard work has finally paid off.

All images courtesy of Will Peasley.

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