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Still Building America: Third-generation welder keeps her family’s legacy alive

Atlanta-based Sparksfly owner Melonie Brown Martin strives to bring more diversity to the trade

Father and daughter welders

Melonie Brown Martin, a third-generation welder and owner of Sparksfly Welding and General Repair in Atlanta, strives to bring more diversity to the trade with mentoring and training programs. Melonie Brown Martin and her father Marion Brown. All images provided by Melonie Brown Martin

George Brown started his welding and blacksmith shop in Greenville, S.C., in the 1940s. His son, Marion Brown, after returning from service in the U.S. Army, joined forces with his dad to expand the business in the 1960s.

Marion eventually began teaching his youngest daughter Melonie how to weld, but she went off to college and worked in the corporate world for several years. However, that family history was calling her back to the weld shop.

Now Melonie Brown Martin is the proud CEO and owner of Sparksfly Welding and General Repair LLC, minority certified in Atlanta. She is also the founder of She Sparks Too Incorporated, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; a wife; and a mother.

DW: How did you decide on your career path?

MBM: I did not just decide on this career path; I was born into it. Both my grandfather and father were welders. In the 1940s my grandfather, George Brown, a machinist and welder, started Brown’s Welding in Greenville, S.C.

My daddy, master mechanic and welder Marion Brown, expanded it to the next level in the 1960s.

Some people might say that it is unfortunate that no boys were born into the Brown family, but the family was blessed with seven granddaughters instead. The unique part of it is that I am the last-born granddaughter out of the seven and I have that calling to carry on the welding legacy for our family. I am a third-generation welder.

I started college and worked retail after high school. In 1999 I relocated to Atlanta and continued my education, obtaining certificates in business administration and office management. I worked in corporate America for a while and worked as an office manager in a chiropractic office for 12 years.

I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. So, I followed my heart. I had everything I needed to propel me to the next level to have a successful welding business. The vision for Sparksfly Welding began in 2007 and became a reality when I registered the company as a limited liability corporation in 2010. To continue the pursuit, I enrolled in Georgia Piedmont Technical College and received my welding diploma in 2012.

DW: What type of welding training do you have?

African American female welder

Melonie Brown Martin owns Sparksfly Welding and General Repair in the Atlanta area.

MBM: My dad initially taught me how to stick weld on his old LINCWELDER 225. I remember striking my first arc and running my first bead . . . my dad was standing behind me saying, “That’s it, that’s it, there you go.” I was excited! I had arrived . . . until he told me that I had several more years to go before I could even start to call myself a welder. As I mentioned previously, I enrolled at Georgia Piedmont Technical College where my instructors, Mr. Harvey and Mr. Bell, graciously took me under their wings. Thank God they took me seriously. I earned certificates in MIG, TIG, stick, and oxyfuel welding and cutting. I have also taken a few workshops at Lincoln Welding and plan to enter into an AWS certification program this fall.

DW: Tell us a little more about the influencers and supporters in your life.

MBM: My parents have always been entrepreneurs, and they have had a strong impact on my life and our community. I have been inspired by their tenacity and strength to overcome life’s adversities. My mom has been and still is the matriarch of our family. Mom has always pushed me hard in school, my career, whatever I set out to do; she taught me how not to be a quitter and she has always inspired me to do whatever I wanted to do. She let me be me! I went from being a ballerina to taking shop, then from a beauty queen to a welder. Her support has been unwavering.

I was influenced greatly by my daddy. Owning a business, being a husband and a father to three girls, going to school himself and still having time to show up for “dads and doughnuts” when I was in second grade was impressive. My daddy worked in the shop by himself, skillfully completing jobs that would customarily require two or three men. From the ‘70s until he retired in early 2000, he was the “go-to man” when something impossible needed to be developed or repaired correctly.

I have always admired his hard work and dedication to his crafts. I appreciate him for letting me be a daddy’s girl, but also for teaching me a skill at the same time. I remember using tiny jigs that were made for me to bend my own designs. I was using a drill press and a band saw safely at the age of 7. Being an entrepreneur isn’t always easy; my daddy has worked hard all my life, but he made it count where it mattered by being available and taking the time to be present in my life.

My two older sisters have always challenged and pushed me to the next level like sisters do. Good or bad, they always push me to win.

And, of course, my husband. No matter how crazy, he has always supported my dreams.

DW: Are there other life experiences, hobbies, or things that have inspired you or your passion?

MBM: Driving fast cars and riding motorcycles. My dad used to build frames for funny cars. There was always a hotrod around the shop that daddy would let us drive to get us out of his hair. I sold my GSXR when I decided to get married. In the near future I plan to restore my 1981 Corvette.

DW: How did you decide to start Sparksfly Welding?

Old-school welder

George Brown, Melonie Brown Martin's grandfather.

MBM: I lost my job and I remember feeling so drained from trying to “play the game” in corporate America. My parents were living in Georgia at the time and I decided to give it a shot. I wanted to have something of my own, something that would carry on my family history, but something that I could grow. My daddy and I bought a truck and set up my first welding rig here in Georgia. I now have three employees, but sometimes that varies depending on the demand. The business is registered in Georgia and South Carolina.

DW: What sort of life opportunities has welding brought to you?

MBM: Providing the service of welding, I have been given the opportunity to meet a lot of awesome people. People are excited to see a female welder. They love to hear the history. Recently one lady wrote, “Thank you for being a woman-owned business.” There is such a feeling of gratitude when customers acknowledge who you are and what you are doing. Welding has been the consistent edge that keeps me growing and going.

DW: What is your favorite thing about welding?

MBM: That the money is unlimited. Retirement is not based on your age. If you can run a bead efficiently, then you can provide a service.

DW: Do you have a favorite welding project or welding achievement of which you are particularly proud?

MBM: I have a few, but one of my favorite jobs was completing a handrail job for an elderly lady who had fallen and broken her hip in Decatur, Ga. Another job was facilitating my first commercial subcontract for a Fresh to Order restaurant in Greenville, S.C.

DW: What has been the most challenging part of your welding career so far?

MBM: Being a woman in a male-dominated career trade has been the most challenging part. There were unbelievers at the onset of my business. I have had a lot of naysayers (some closer than you would think) from the time I struck my first arc. The disbelief that I have the skills and the knowledge to weld has been overwhelming at times. I remember being told that I could not have a welding business because I wasn’t a welder. So I went to school, studied the trade, and not only did I become a welder, but I opened Sparksfly Welding and General Repair LLC.

Listen, it was natural for me to be a welding business owner. The knowledge, the passion, the heart is all there. It always has been. Roadblocks as a woman in the industry are enough to deal with, but the fear of failing was overwhelming. Doubting myself and desperately needing someone to tell me how to make everything perfect according to the standards set up by men has had me stuck in the past.

Young welder

Melonie Brown Martin's son, PJ, wearing a Lincoln Electric bandanna

It wasn’t until around two years ago when I started to believe in myself enough to start doing things my way. I am a woman. I don’t think like a man, I don’t feel like a man, and I don’t dress like a man, so I had to stop trying to “be a man.” Being a woman is the advantage that I have to offer to this industry. I have been on a mission since to re-create myself and inspire others along the way. I learned that “fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.”

DW: Tell us about your new mentoring and training program for women. What inspired it?

MBM: She Sparks Too Inc. was founded in 2018, after my son PJ was born two months early. I nearly lost my life having him. I was 44 years old and a new mom with my first child. My business was set up. My welding credentials were in place, and yet I still felt like I needed to do more. I spent hours scribbling down ideas, making phone calls, doing research on how I could make a difference, so I came up with She Sparks Too Inc. We are mothers, sisters, wives, and we weld too.

She Sparks Too was created to provide resources and support so that more women will feel welcomed to pursue careers in welding and manufacturing. We not only want to teach skills on how to get a job in the industry, but we want to equip students with the mindset and tools to succeed and keep the job.

Our mentoring and training programs are primarily for women; however, we will offer programs that are inclusive of men as well. We believe that the partnership between women and men will provide respective strength to break gender barriers and present more inclusion and diversity in the welding/manufacturing field.

The popular saying in 2020 is “We are in this together,” and the evidence shows “the more positive interaction men have with women in professional settings, the less prejudice and exclusion they tend to demonstrate.” (Harvard Business Review)

DW: When will you officially launch your programs?

MBM: She Sparks Too received 501(c)3 status in July 2019, but due to COVID-19, we have postponed our official launch. For the safety of potential students, board members, and trainers, we have put the program on hold, but we are still building and working behind the scenes. We have had a few mock sessions and are looking forward to the day when we can have our live sessions. We are recruiting via social media platforms, word-of-mouth networking, and building relationships in the community.

DW: What are your future goals for your business and your nonprofit?

MBM: Sparksfly Welding and General Repair is a candidate for DBE and MBE certifications. With access to government contracts, we will have a better opportunity to provide gainful employment in and around the Georgia and South Carolina region.

Lincoln Electric welding machine

Melonie Brown Martin learned how to stick weld on an old LINCWELDER 225.

Our goal for the nonprofit She Sparks Too is to see students successfully complete the program and provide quality lives for themselves and their families. We will transition individuals from the She Sparks Too program to jobs at Sparksfly Welding and other welding companies in and around Georgia and South Carolina. We plan to continue growing relationships with other nonprofits with similar focus on building up the underserved in the community.

DW: What advice would you give to someone currently considering a career in welding?

MBM: Get into a program that respects your desire to learn the trade. Do your research. Don’t give up.

Check out more from the Still Building America series.