Collecting fabrication skills to grow a business with Jake LeGrand

Jake LeGrand of Missouri-based LeGrand Metal Works balances a full-time structural engineering career while growing a fabrication business focused on handheld plasma cutting, custom metal art, welding, and fabrication projects.

A graduate of the University of Kansas architectural engineering program, Jake shares how he first learned welding while working in university research labs and why fabrication became a creative outlet beyond engineering. The conversation covers rural fabrication culture, entrepreneurship, early-morning shop work, and the realities of growing a fabrication business while raising a family.

Jake also talks about using social media to grow LeGrand Metal Works, building an audience around fabrication content, and the business side of online creators, including brand partnerships and sponsored content within the manufacturing industry.

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