My Story: From a Broken Blade to a Craft for Life
My story begins with a boy’s innate curiosity. At ten, fascinated by superheroes and ninjas, metal presented itself as an early mystery. Lacking superpowers, I pursued my ninja dreams, acquiring a butterfly knife. Its swift demise a day later taught me a harsh lesson about throwing knives, and left me with a new problem: a broken handle. The Army Surplus owner’s words, “You can try to fix it yourself,” ignited a lifelong quest. Though the knife was forgotten, the enigma of how to repair and shape metal lingered.
High school provided the first answers. Three years in metal shop revealed the secrets of fabrication, shaping my future long before I understood its direction. Life’s path took a few misguided turns, but even in the detours, the calling returned. Auto-body work became my next chapter. Despite a promising trajectory as a teacher’s assistant, my passion lay elsewhere. Defying expectations, I announced my shift to pipe welding, met with a scoff: “You’ll never make it.” Those words became my greatest motivator.
For the next two years, I immersed myself in welding theory and metal fabrication, preparing for a hands-on journey. After a decade of personal transformation, I emerged ready to face the world, knowing hard work was essential, but determined to create a future worth remembering.
A little pipe action on the Barker bridge, after losing a welding hood.
Climbing the Ladder: From Riverbanks to Refineries
Moving from one shop to the next, I soaked up all I could about the intricacies of my newfound craft. Climbing the professional ladder, I landed my first pipe welding job with company out of Montana. It was on the Barker Bridge, that I learned a critical lesson: don’t leave your welding hood on the deck, or it might just blow away into the Spokane River. More fieldwork took me to refineries and refueling depots around the region.
But as a family man, I knew the road was not for me. Back home I came, in search of something bigger than typical shop work. I knew the Union was the place to be for pay and benefits, so I took a job at Kaiser Aluminum. After a year and a half of production work, I earned the opportunity to test into the machine shop. The test itself felt like I was preparing to work on a space shuttle, but I soon learned my main task would be repairing garbage cans. Seven years later, yearning for a new challenge, I jumped at the opportunity to manage and one day own a shop of my own.
That Kaiser Aluminum weld test. Take a 1 1/2″ square tube, cut your angles, fit the test jig and hold pressure.
A New Chapter: The Genesis of Gentlemen Craft LLC
Fast forward two years, and the world was in the midst of a pandemic. I was unexpectedly out of a job, but instead of seeing an ending, I saw a beginning. I had to really ask myself, “what is the next right thing,” yet this time it was not about right or wrong, but purpose.
The journey from a broken butterfly knife to working on industrial refineries had been full of lessons, about hard work, about resilience, and about the power of a single idea. Every twist and turn, every challenge, had been a step toward this moment.
Gentlemen Craft LLC is the culmination of that journey. It’s where the boy who was fascinated by metal now uses a lifetime of experience to create. It’s a business built on the foundation of those early lessons: that you can always try to fix things yourself, that a challenge can be a motivator, and that with a commitment to craftsmanship and elegance, you can build something truly remarkable.
Today, that journey continues at Eastern Washington University, where I am completing my degree in Business and Entrepreneurship to pair my 17 years of technical trade experience with modern business strategy. GCLLC is no longer just an idea; it is a developing reality that has already caught the attention of regional leaders like El Jay Oil. I am currently specializing in custom metal art and precision repairs, but the mission is expanding.
The Future of Fabrication
The trades are ever‑evolving, and a true craftsman must evolve with them. My journey from a 10‑year‑old with a broken knife to a professional fabricator with 17 years in the field has taught me one thing above all else: there is always a more efficient, more precise way to work.
Today, the fabrication industry is facing a major shift. Skilled labor shortages, rising labor costs, and increasing demand for consistency are pushing manufacturers toward automation. Across the metal fabrication sector, shops operating with traditional methods average 5–10% net margins, while facilities that integrate automation routinely achieve 12–20%+. Robotic welding alone has been shown to reduce direct labor hours by 30–70%, cut rework rates from 5–12% down to 1–3%, and increase throughput by 25–60%.
These aren’t abstract numbers—they’re the economic reality shaping the next generation of manufacturing.
Currently, I am developing a proprietary build process designed to meet the demands of this modern landscape. By identifying opportunities to significantly reduce crane and rigging time while simultaneously improving weld integrity, I am laying the groundwork for the next chapter of Gentlemen Craft LLC. This focus on efficiency is my first step toward integrating automated robotic welding, a move intended to bring world‑class manufacturing solutions to the Spokane region and beyond.
My goal is simple: build smarter, build faster, and build with a level of consistency that sets a new standard for tank manufacturing in the Northwest.
Thank you for being a part of my story.