Our Sites

Still Building America: Celebrating more than half a decade

5-plus years of telling stories about metalworkers, welders, fabricators, and other tradespeople

Still Building America series

This past October the Still Building America series celebrated its fifth anniversary. Detroiters Josh and Darla Welton have been interviewing up-and-coming skilled tradespeople, manufacturing entrepreneurs, fabricators, blacksmiths, machinists, welders, hot rod builders, and metalworkers across the U.S.

In October 2014 I kicked off the Still Building America blog series here on thefabricator.com. I set out to focus on the younger generation of skilled tradespeople, manufacturing entrepreneurs, fabricators, blacksmiths, machinists, welders, hot rod builders, and metalworkers of every type in the U.S. We continue to be told that the current generation doesn't want it, is lazy, has no ambition, and won't make things.

But over the last few years I've had the chance to travel across this country quite a bit, and the people I've met, the things I've seen tell me that's simply not the case. Young America is still building, and I believe awareness of that fact is a huge part of bringing more work back home. I want to feature guys and girls who do this full-time, people for whom it's not a hobby but their life.

And that’s exactly what we’ve done. Over the past five-plus years we have featured 55 incredible men and women who are driven, skilled, and overflowing with passion. We’ve showcased guys and gals who started their own businesses fresh out of high school, and 30-somethings who began their training in the military and now teach their trades to younger students. Each tradesperson’s story motivated me to keep following this path and sharing these inspiring interviews.

Along the way, my wife Darla jumped in to help with interviews and writing up the posts that you see each month. We are both dedicated to putting a spotlight on these amazing folks

.

If you haven’t had the opportunity, check out some of our favorite stories like that of Jeremy Hanaford, who after becoming a parapelgic in 2004 learned how to weld by running a pedal with his elbow. Read about how Sharon Hall escaped a violent domestic relationship and regained control of her life through welding. Be inspired by Will Peasley, a 16-year-old high school graduate and shop owner. Find yourself laughing out loud at Ed Littlefield’s tale of meeting “Scooby” the welder in New Jersey while working the late-night desk at a hotel, then quitting on the spot to drive down to Florida and start welding school. Read about Jennifer Harrell who, hiding pregnancies under bib overalls, welded up oil pans for Sprint Cars and faced her fair share of hurdles as a woman in the welding world.

We’ve also highlighted a few makers and fabricators who are outside of the metal fabrication and manufacturing world, but who are still doing their part to build America. Their business models, such as social enterprise, as well as their ideas for sustainability, employee ownership, and marketing have influenced us personally, and it seems like many of you are digging it too.

Working on this blog project also inspired us to launch our Still Building America Project to promote awareness of the skilled trades as viable career options for our country’s next generation. Americans haven’t forgotten how to work with our hands, but our education system has struggled to properly present and foster a blue-collar career as anything other than a Plan B, if at all. We want to leave our mark by paving a way for our youth to explore the blue-collar world, getting tools into their hands, inspiring them to create, repair, and problem-solve, and empowering them with fun educational opportunities beyond the traditional classroom experience.

Since we started this blog series in 2014, the next group of high schoolers have hit the workforce and are making their mark in the world. We are ready to share their stories. We want to continue inspiring the next generation to explore the trades. We want to do better sharing minority stories too. It’s important for kids to see people who look like them in skilled trades careers.

If you know anyone whose story should be told or if you would like to share about the work that you are doing or the path that you took to get there, please email darla@browndogwelding.com with “Still Building America” in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for reading, and stay posted for more Still Building America stories.