February 23, 2021

Daily Inspiration: Meet Drew

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began welding and building things with metal in middle school. (12-13) Metal shop (1-2 & 3-4) freshman and sophomore year. Vocational welding off-campus half-day junior and senior year. Blueprint reading junior year. Welding 3-4 and skipped to GT art senior year. Graduated mid-term (Getting a job at a sheet metal shop spring-fall). 4-year welding apprenticeship the December after graduation. (BP Oil) Moved to CO. (After 7 1/2 years at BP.) I went to Togo, Africa to weld after one year in CO. (10-day experience). A short while after returning, I started welding for people on my own. (In CO.) I started Boulder Welding and have been growing it for six years now. That’s about as short as I can sum up the important parts. There’s plenty more to it than this though.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Well, the arrow must be pulled back in order to be shot forward. The visit I made to Africa to weld on an aquaponics system project in a small village in Togo really opened my eyes to the nature of fixing things that are broken(metal things mostly). When I returned to Boulder, I started focusing more of my work in a different direction than what I’d moved here for(art). Fixing things for people and teaching(welding) people how to fix things has become my primary scope. Transitioning is often very challenging. I’m happy it’s working out.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Most recently, I engineered and built a solar/AC charged lithium iron phosphate (lifepo4) battery-powered electric generator for my welder to run on at mobile jobs instead of a loud and heavy gasoline generator. I’m calling it R2-PO (Remote Dual Power Outlet). I can weld any metal that commonly or uncommonly exists in cities, homes, factories, breweries, distilleries, food processing plants, stores, or restaurants, with any of half a dozen main welding processes. And I am known in my community for being able to do it anywhere (In the middle of a farm field, basement, roof top, inside a vessel, rain, snow, wind, cold). My four-wheel drive Jeep Comanche flatbed can pull my solar-powered trailer fab shop anywhere. I don’t believe there to be another welder powering his mobile welding with a silent battery generator. I guess I’m proud of how seriously I take the environment. Reduce, reuse, and recycling next level.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I’ve always been passionate about bicycles, fixing things, philosophy, and the outdoors. I have always been an outside dog (person). I’ve always looked at life through comedy-colored glasses. Most of my clients figure this out pretty quick. I can be extremely detailed and precise artistically. However, I rarely produce art just to make art like most artists do. I try to be as creatively simple with my engineering as possible.

Pricing:

$80/hr. welding lessons.
$100/hr. shop work
$150/ mobile welding and repair (solar powered)
$125/mobile welding lessons (solar powered)

Contact Info:

Email: drew@boulderwelding.com
Website: boulderwelding.com

Suggest a Story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.