Episode 146 with Stephanie Hoffman and Max Ceron

The CWB Association had the privilege to attend Fabtech in Chicago, IL. We are bringing you special episodes recorded in person to keep our members on top of what’s new and exciting in the steel and welding industry. 

This week we welcome back Stephanie Hoffman on the podcast. Stephanie has had an exciting year with selling her successful welding school and working towards her MBA in Engineering for Industrial Management. Join us as we congratulate Stephanie on winning an Excellence in Welding Award for Media and take a deep dive into Fabtech and beyond!

Follow Stephanie :
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_stephanie_hoffman_/

Thank you to our Podcast Advertisers:
Canada Welding Supply: https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/
WeldReady: https://weld-ready.ca/

Fabtech is North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing event! Schedule the next event in your calendar: October 15-17 in Orlando, Florida. https://www.fabtechexpo.com/

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

All right, I checked, checked, good, so I'm Max Ron. Max Ron, cwb Association welding podcast podcast. Today we have a really cool guest welding podcast. The show is about to begin. Hello and good morning. Welcome to the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Ron and, as always, we are out having a Rick Roland. Good time in the world. Today is the final day of Fabtech here in Chicago, as you can tell by my voice, which actually is holding up Okay, we're, we're here and we've ripped out a bunch of podcasts, and today I have Stephanie Hoffman. How are you doing, stephanie?

Speaker 2 0:51

Tired. My feet hurt, just like everybody, everybody's tired.

Speaker 1 0:55

Yeah, everyone's tired, everyone's feet hurt. But on 60 billion steps and you know, especially for an arc star, it's a lot of walking around. Stop, can we start over? No, I was waiting to pull that one out, they call me the guardian of the galaxy.

Speaker 2 1:12

No, no.

Speaker 1 1:14

I thought we said Jason was going to be the guardian of nothing. Well, I was passing over the torch, oh right, or the hammer.

Speaker 2 1:22

Do they have hammers in the galaxy?

Speaker 1 1:24

Yeah, there's the Thor guy. He's got like the big hammer thing.

Speaker 2 1:26

I don't think he's a galaxy guy.

Speaker 1 1:28

Oh, I don't know how it works, aren't they on the galaxy?

Speaker 2 1:31

guy oh wait.

Speaker 1 1:31

There's the Chris Pratt guy, there's the Batista guy, so there's the robot girl.

Speaker 2 1:37

I feel like we have a couple of movies screwed up right now.

Speaker 1 1:40

So you're the robot girl there, nebula.

Speaker 2 1:41

Luke Squaw Squaw.

Speaker 1 1:45

Squaw Walker.

Speaker 2 1:46

This is going to be a terrible podcast.

Speaker 1 1:47

Yeah, no people are going to like it already. They're like wow, this is welding.

Speaker 2 1:52

This is. This is called day four.

Speaker 1 1:54

This is absolutely, and this is why we brought you in on this day, because, you know I'd be good and tired and stuff, yeah, yeah, and we've got all the beans and we've had some fun already, like we've had a week, right.

Speaker 1 2:05

We've had the week out here. And before we came out I talked to you and you're like I'm not so busy this week at Fabtech. It's going to be less than normal, right. That's why. And then I was watching and like of course I've been crazy and I was like talking to you and you've been yeah.

Speaker 2 2:23

Super busy the whole time. Yeah, I haven't stopped. I had the yesterday, I had the um excellence in welding, and then the women in. Well, you got the award.

Speaker 1 2:30

So congratulations, that was fantastic. Thanks, your speech was mwah primo.

Speaker 2 2:35

Was it okay? Yeah, it was perfect. You know, I kind of felt dorky because I was the only one who Well, you were like had that and giggle, nervous, giggle going on. Yeah, cause I was like oh, everybody just kind of went up there and won it, and then here I am with a legit like paper.

Speaker 3 2:52

Paper paper.

Speaker 2 2:53

Like a scroll, so it made me and me like I'm a really good at like public speaking and like I don't get nervous when I do presentations or panel discussions or anything on TV, like none of that stuff bothers me. But I got it wasn't even that big of a room and I was like I just felt like I was really in a weird dorky spot and their speeches were kind of short and mine was legit kind of long. How many?

Speaker 1 3:21

minutes, was it Six and a half?

Speaker 2 3:23

Was it six and a half?

Speaker 1 3:23

Yeah, because the guy next to me, the teacher from wherever, was recording it and I was watching his little timer go by and I was around that long.

Speaker 2 3:32

And I was like really blow it out there fast. Cause I was like no one's going to want to listen to the emmer anymore. Cause I was like the second, the last one.

Speaker 1 3:39

Yeah, Like you were like it like made me even more nervous.

Speaker 2 3:43

Like everybody's ready to get out of here.

Speaker 1 3:45

And you knew that other ones were short and somewhere like thanks by, like great yeah.

Speaker 2 3:50

But I mean I was, they told me I could take my time. So, I was super proud of that award. I had some things I wanted to say.

Speaker 1 3:56

Well, here's the thing. Would you rather be under dressed or overdressed?

Speaker 2 3:58

Yeah, always overdressed.

Speaker 1 3:59

Always, always, always, over, right. So are you going to be under vocal or over go over? Well, yeah.

Speaker 2 4:05

And I was the big thing when, um, when I found out that I was going to be a recipient of the award, I asked I said, is this something that, like people prepare speech for? And she's like well, yeah, I was like, are you saying like it's it's your, she's like it's your choice? And I was like, well, is it really my choice?

Speaker 2 4:22

It's not like, you can't really go there, you can't really go there and just not say anything, or do people come there with prepared speeches? And she said people come there with. Most people have a prepared speech and people. I asked a couple of people who I knew one previous years and they said the same thing this year. I'm the only one.

Speaker 1 4:40

Well, I did see people pull out phones and open things and be like they've prepared something, but I wonder if they saw the other people going slow. I mean yeah, and then they were like, oh, I better just summarize, or whatever.

Speaker 2 4:52

Yeah, I didn't. I stuck to the script.

Speaker 1 4:54

Good, Well, tell the listeners what the award was about. So like, how did you get nominated? What was it? Well, you know how does it go.

Speaker 2 5:03

Yeah, so the American Wilding Society and Wemco um do something called the excellence and welding award, um, and there's different categories, so there's, like you know, most of that for yeah, educator section um veteran large business, small business and distributor.

Speaker 1 5:20

Yeah, and then media.

Speaker 2 5:22

So I won for media um for the contributions that I've done in the welding industry in the realm of media, social media, video content.

Speaker 1 5:29

And is it like a lifetime thing, like you've done so much media work in your life, or was it like, yeah, 20, 23?

Speaker 2 5:35

No, it's a. So I won the award for this year. I'm next year They'll be another person but, um, you have to be nominated. Okay, so there's a whole nomination committee that reviewed, like a whole committee that reviews all the the people who get nominated, the nominees.

Speaker 1 5:48

Yeah. And I had three people nominate me, like Randall's, from around different places. Well one was my sister, um which I was super sweet and I didn't know she did it.

Speaker 2 5:57

She never told me Like I like. I like randomly was. Like you know, I've done a lot for this industry. I've always hear people, other people getting it. I've posted something on like Facebook saying yeah, I remember that. Kind of like as like a joke, cause it's a big thing to like yeah joke, but shade, yeah, I was like.

Speaker 1 6:15

you know I want one of these.

Speaker 2 6:16

when somebody going to nominate me and um uh, it's not just like you just typed in my name, stephanie Hoffman, I nominate her Like that's not how it works. Like you have to write like submit stuff submit stuff like saying this is what they've done, this is what they've accomplished, this is why they're deserving of it.

Speaker 3 6:33

Here's some like credit or something yeah.

Speaker 2 6:36

Like, yeah, like here's some credit to to what I'm telling you, with like photos or links or something like that. Um, so it's a, it's a bit of a process. It's not something that's just like. Um, you know, a quick little like two, three minute submission. You know, like click on a link of of names.

Speaker 1 6:51

Do you know who the other two were?

Speaker 2 6:53

Two Did they tell you Like yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 6:57

Cause I I wasn't, are you?

Speaker 2 6:57

allowed to say or no. I don't know who are the other two like your sister's best friend, then your sister's boyfriend Sure no, I think one was just like extended, not even really a family member who did it, which I was really shocked. I think I was most shocked about that. And then another one was like a old, like from childhood friend, oh wow.

Speaker 1 7:22

Yeah, so you knew it wasn't like you know like. Charlie from Africa.

Speaker 2 7:28

There's this type of award. Like you have to be somebody personally needs to know you for that type of award. It's probably a little different for, like the business category, one for large and small business and distributor. I don't really know who what the criteria is for that but for, like the veteran, the media and those two, you have to really kind of know the person because you know you got to. You know kind of really explain why they deserve it and you know what they've done.

Speaker 1 7:57

So in the four days of Fabtech that was like a two hour window.

Speaker 2 8:00

Yeah.

Speaker 1 8:01

There was the other three days of full fullness. What are some of the other things you did this week, like? Let's start with Monday, monday. What was something you had to do on Monday?

Speaker 2 8:11

Oh gosh, what did I do on Monday?

Speaker 1 8:13

You because I was a day you said you weren't so busy.

Speaker 2 8:15

Yeah, I wasn't so busy, I did some media stuff that I had to do for like content stuff, creation stuff, and then I did the podcast with Frankie Vargas From Unileweld. He does the Torch Tales podcast now.

Speaker 3 8:29

So I did that.

Speaker 2 8:32

But Monday was just crazy busy. They always tease me and say that I'm the mayor of Fabtech.

Speaker 3 8:37

You know when it's an.

Speaker 2 8:38

AWS run show like everybody's involved with the AWS, and then you have not just people that are on committees and boards and that work all these companies, and so everyone you know either knows you for in passing or they think they know you because they've seen your face on something.

Speaker 1 8:53

Yeah, I want to have some type of conversation, so it was.

Speaker 2 8:56

I think this was the most probably overwhelming. It's grown every year with like how many people are like end up knowing who I am now for all the stuff that I've done, and so yeah, so it was just kind of it wasn't supposed to be a busy day, but it was a really busy day because everybody is so excited to see each other and they want to talk and talk.

Speaker 1 9:14

I fast forwarded too fast, so Monday we got started.

Speaker 2 9:17

Yeah, yeah, Sunday.

Speaker 1 9:18

Sunday, we got started at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Speaker 2 9:20

Yeah, so for the Hard Rock I knew me and my friend Ray. We both are so busy and we have we kind of run a little bit different circles sometimes when it comes to like industry stuff, but we're still we're still really close and so I was like listen before this stuff kicks off let's get some dinner before Hard Rock, because one you're going to have a ton of people that you need to talk to. I'm going to have my group of people.

Speaker 1 9:43

And it's just finger food too.

Speaker 2 9:44

Yeah, and there's not like a lot and if in past years it's so mobbed it's impossible to get to the food and by like just getting, you get stopped by so many people that you never end up making it to the food. You know, so I was like we wish we really should eat before we go, and like for us.

Fabtech and After Party Discussion

Speaker 1 9:59

I remember you're like we're going to be at this restaurant for dinner and you should come meet us, and we're like, yeah, great idea, and we got so busy, Like yeah we ended up getting. We were. We were like almost an hour late getting to the Hard Rock Cafe.

Speaker 2 10:11

It's a great event, so like next year at Fabtech In Orlando.

Speaker 1 10:15

Yeah, in Orlando it's going to be it should be a great show.

Speaker 3 10:19

Atlanta is a great town. Will it also be?

Speaker 2 10:20

a.

Speaker 1 10:21

Hard Rock Cafe.

Speaker 2 10:23

There is a Hard Rock in Orlando, I wonder if it'll be there again.

Speaker 1 10:26

I wonder if that's like always, a Hard Rock.

Speaker 2 10:28

I don't know, because there's Hard Rock in Atlanta.

Speaker 1 10:29

Yeah, yeah, that's where it was, yeah.

Speaker 2 10:31

So who knows, I don't. I'm not a part of it anymore. I used to my company, used to be one of the sponsors for it, and now you know, after.

Speaker 1 10:37

That still kind of clicks in my head weird, when I'll be like, oh, underground metalworks is sponsoring this. And I'll be like, oh, Stephanie's got wait.

Speaker 2 10:44

I still like my way in.

Speaker 1 10:47

Why are you here? Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 10:49

So and people are still a little confused about that, like they're like wait, did you move to Florida? No, I retired. I didn't retire to like everybody retires to Florida in the United States Well, not everybody, but a lot of people, do you know? But I still stayed in.

Speaker 1 11:04

I mean the Golden Girls.

Speaker 2 11:05

New.

Speaker 1 11:05

Jersey. Isn't that where they are? Of course, this is the other day.

Speaker 2 11:09

I went a couple of weeks ago with some friends and my mother-in-law. We went down to Atlantic City and it was a Golden Girls Murder mystery thing. Oh my God, it was called rendis. It was so I'm a huge Golden Girls fan, but they weren't, I guess, for like copyright, they couldn't use the Golden Girls names, oh, so it was like Blank.

Speaker 1 11:26

And and Rosal. Yeah, it was horrible, horrible and like this whole men.

Speaker 2 11:32

Elvis impersonator came out oh my God, Elvis the whole time. And then he died.

Speaker 3 11:36

That doesn't make any sense, like not a lick of it made any sense Would you have fun though?

Speaker 2 11:40

Yeah, it was fun because it was so bad you weren't laughing because it was like good, like a good script or something. You were laughing because you were like what is this I would love to know what the name was.

Speaker 1 11:53

Who was Sophie's name then? Like Slarper or something like I don't remember it was, they were, it was, it was like.

Speaker 2 12:01

Like the, the name, the last name, so it was like it wasn't Dorothy Spornack, it was like Dorothy.

Speaker 1 12:10

Yeah, I gotta say Golden Girls is one of the, the Golden Girls like Rose, all of a sudden had a gun. Oh my God, come on. Like that, like pointing at Elvis personator and personator and yeah, it was kind of wild, but it was, it was comical, but anyways totally besides the point.

Speaker 2 12:24

Yeah, I feel we're talking about. Let's get back on track here. Okay, let's talk about fab tech and the reasons why I'm talking about fab tech is because it's kind of the gist of what we were just talking about, but the after party events are definitely a good place to go and see your friends and network and meet new people, and it's also exhausting.

Speaker 1 12:48

Have a couple of drinks for free.

Speaker 2 12:50

Yeah Well, I feel like it's.

Speaker 1 12:51

You pace yourself no.

Speaker 2 12:51

I don't. I'm saying that like as if.

Speaker 3 12:53

I know how to do that.

Speaker 2 12:55

I feel like last night we paced.

Speaker 1 12:56

I was like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like I'm like, I'm, like last night we pay.

Speaker 2 13:04

I was, I was, we were behaved last night.

Speaker 1 13:06

I kind of had, I had it in the back of my mind. I'm like, are we going to go a little wild tonight? We were with a good group to go wild if we wanted to. Everybody's, everyone was burnt out Dying yeah. But it was great, Like a lot Like. I mean it was UV, you Charlie.

Speaker 2 13:21

Yeah, we were representing everything.

Speaker 1 13:22

Yeah.

Speaker 2 13:23

All leather, lincoln, esop, arc, chunkies, republic testing TIPTIG.

Speaker 1 13:27

Yeah, and yeah.

Speaker 2 13:29

The American Wildings.

Speaker 1 13:30

American World Society. That's why we were all there, it was a good group. That was fantastic food it was. How was yours Like? Mine was so good.

Speaker 2 13:36

I got the short rib. That was really good.

Speaker 1 13:39

I got the fish. It was delicious.

Speaker 2 13:41

Nobody that's listening to this cares what we ate, but the shameless plug.

Speaker 1 13:45

Sophie restaurant in Chicago.

Speaker 2 13:46

Sophie. So in a nutshell, if you're coming to Fabtech Chicago, check that place out. It's like family style. It's pretty rad.

Speaker 1 13:52

Do you feel like the hard rock was and this is what I felt a little bit less busy, I think it was busy because typically it's not the night before the show.

Speaker 2 14:03

And there was conflict with some other events going on and schedules, yeah, so I don't think people schedule, so it got moved Cause I was in that planning because, that was going on before I sold my company, right, but yeah, so I liked it a little bit. Also, hard rock. Chicago is significantly bigger than.

Speaker 3 14:20

Atlanta.

Speaker 2 14:21

Atlanta. It's like a shoe box. It's literally like 15 foot wide and 40 foot deep.

Speaker 1 14:27

They're like get in there Like two C cans packed. That's really bad.

Speaker 2 14:32

I mean it was a great event but it was just like it's small. It was uncomfortably tight.

Speaker 1 14:36

Yeah.

Speaker 2 14:37

And then we had the same thing happen at ArcSenals. We had the American Moline Study. Jason and I hosted a event called ArcSenals.

Speaker 1 14:44

That was Tuesday.

Speaker 2 14:45

Yeah, and we do that every year. So we've been doing that every year for the last couple of years. And, yeah, we, it was at a new venue, the Fat Pour, the Fat Pour. It was great food if you could get to it, but they told us it was 150 person capacity, 240 people registered.

Speaker 1 15:02

And then we registered and we didn't go cause we got a text from someone from there being like don't bother, You're not going to get in the door, but so 240 registered, and then I think, more showed up and yeah, it was I.

Fabtech Upgrade and Influencer Program

Speaker 2 15:18

actually. The event ended at nine and I was like, okay, I'm out of here, cause this is just tight. So next year or next time it comes to Chicago, we'll definitely have to upgrade the venue to accommodate, cause it's just the event just kind of like took off, it's like every night like now Fabtech is becoming more than just the show.

Speaker 3 15:38

That's a new generation.

Speaker 1 15:39

It's a new generation coming in.

Speaker 1 15:40

It's like a party like you know you're coming out here and you're part of a family, like we're all, like it's a weird group and you're all like part of a family now and there's a lot of young entrepreneurs that are coming to make moves and they're not into the old way of doing it in the meeting rooms at Fabtech. They're like I did business deals in the evenings this week, you know like and and I'm not even interested almost in the business deals I'm gonna do at the floor. It's almost like hey, I'll see you later.

Speaker 2 16:05

At the fat pour We'll talk later.

Speaker 1 16:06

We'll talk later Cause you're so busy trying to get the leads and moving things around that I'd rather just set it up there and I'll follow up later and let's sit down over a beer and plus I get to look at you in the eye and talk to you and and see like what's up. You know, like you get that what's up vibe from someone.

Speaker 2 16:23

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's good.

Speaker 1 16:25

The gala on Monday.

Speaker 2 16:27

Yeah, the AWS president's reception, right Right. Yeah, that was good, that was fun.

Speaker 1 16:31

Yeah, that was nice and I got to see lots of people I knew there. So it's you know, as a Canadian coming down, I'm always amazed at how many connections I have. You know like in the. Us In the US.

Speaker 2 16:40

Cause, like I feel like the Canadian money bureau really just I feel like you guys just kind of popped out about two or three years ago now Weird right when I got hired.

Speaker 3 16:47

Oh, okay, yeah.

Speaker 2 16:50

Weird.

Speaker 1 16:51

That was that that was three years ago when we met I can't believe it's been three years and that's when I got hired. Yeah, it was three years Cause.

Speaker 2 16:56

Then they brought me in to be like we cause I remember I brought you upstairs to like a crazy, like kind of like a little private party up in a in the penthouse.

Speaker 3 17:03

Yeah, and then I.

Speaker 2 17:05

Irish could buy you. I was like I was like this is a little like you know, I love all these people, but they're you know their status is a little beyond my my means right now, so I was like I'm out of here.

Speaker 1 17:16

Well, it was interesting Cause you're like, do you want to meet the AWS brass? And I was like, yeah, I would love to cause.

Speaker 2 17:21

I'm CWB brass.

Speaker 3 17:23

Right.

Speaker 1 17:23

So it's like that's, these are the people that are, you know, on my work level so like, let's do it. And then you were there, and then all of a sudden you were gone and I was like, yeah, I think, I took Jason with me. Yeah, you took Jason.

Speaker 2 17:35

That was the night I taught him the Irish goodbye, so I didn't. He's like shit, we don't have to take a bite. Everybody. Yeah, and Jason Becker and I was like. I was like no, if we try and do that, we're never leaving.

Speaker 1 17:45

Yeah, It'll be a lot of like hey, blah, blah yeah.

Speaker 2 17:48

And I just want to go back down the stairs to Kitty O'Shays, cause that's where, like all, like my friends, were. You know like, not my not my work colleagues, Like I love my work colleagues but, like they were much higher level than me. So they're my bosses and like parting with your bosses is fun to an extent, but like when it's an entire room filled with them how's it like parting with your bosses. And I was like oh, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it.

Speaker 1 18:14

But you know, and like you introduced me and it was great, and then you disappeared and I had to be like work the room myself, but it's like not a room, like a professional room, it's like someone sweet it was a penthouse. It was a mess, it was like a penthouse Fridge full of tequila and beer. I'm like what's happening right now and as I remember going back to CWB and being like, so AWS, they're a penthouse. Like when do I get a penthouse, that whole situation.

Speaker 2 18:42

We didn't actually like pay for that.

Speaker 1 18:44

It was like.

Speaker 2 18:45

It was like yeah, it was like a weird thing with the block and then the person who was supposed to be in that room didn't come. So then somebody got upgraded into that room and then it was like, well, we have this room, why don't we use it? You know, yeah, so it wasn't like AWS doesn't roll like that.

Speaker 3 19:00

So I'm not trying to like spread this misch.

Speaker 2 19:02

I'm probably getting in trouble Like you're telling people we get. No, no, we don't. It was. It was like literally just on, you know, forks for for come, stances, Circumstances that just kind of, like you know, fell upon the laps.

Speaker 1 19:20

Well, I mean, you can afford arc stars.

Speaker 2 19:24

Arc stars don't get paid.

Speaker 1 19:26

Yeah, but stars are stars, Like we only have arc planets.

Speaker 2 19:32

You now tell me this you keep joking with me about. So the arc stars. If you don't know, the American Wilding Society created an influencer program and they called it the arc stars. Yeah, which is good.

Speaker 1 19:45

And they have people bring in and there's, like established, you know, media people and there's up and comers which I think is fantastic.

Speaker 2 19:53

It's definitely a mix of people. I'm not shading. I just we, we have some like side jokes, we do laugh, it is. It does sound silly to call yourself an arc star. I mean, at least for me, it does sound silly.

Speaker 1 20:04

So we get all yourself an influencer, like would you ever? Yeah, no, it's a dirty word, right, you don't want? Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 20:10

And myself as an arc star sounds kind of. It sounds a little pretentious, but I'm going to get in trouble for that.

Speaker 1 20:19

If we need to edit something, people will just like CSP.

Speaker 2 20:24

Anyways, this influencer program we, jason Becker and I, are both on it, and you tease us about it all the time, and now we call ourselves the guardians of the galaxy. And then you keep saying that you have arc planets and then I asked Daniela if this was a real thing. She says no, but you are very, very serious about the fact that you guys have arc planets.

Speaker 1 20:49

We don't have arc planets. But here's the thing. I don't think it's a bad idea, like no, not Papart, that's a stupid name. Okay, but I don't like the whole arc star idea. No, the idea I was having like a platform for all your influencers to kind of be together.

Speaker 2 21:07

Yes, and hopefully get people involved.

Speaker 1 21:10

Right and I like that idea and they are at different levels of their career which is really awesome. We have influencers on our tab, you know, at CWB and there I feel like AWS has always had kind of you know, since I've been around like their resources, but now they've given it this title.

Speaker 2 21:27

And I think that's where, like some of us are, we just kind of get on. It's new, yeah, and I think that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 21:33

That's what I'm saying, that's what I say. I want to do arc planets. It's me saying like, I want to copy this because we have influencers. They're across the country. We have some in the US, we have some in other places, and it's like we've never really put it together like that and it's like, okay, well, what would I name it? I can't call it arc stars now.

Speaker 2 21:50

Were you going to call it arc stars?

Speaker 1 21:51

No, I've never even thought about it. But then as soon as you said arc stars, I'm like well, what would we be Like? I was like the arc, nebulas, the arc.

Speaker 2 22:01

What about, like the fire star? How's about the?

Speaker 1 22:02

northern. How's about the northern light stars? No, the northern arcs.

Speaker 2 22:08

No, no, no, that sounds good. You can just call them the fire starters or like. But what was that song back in the 90s?

Speaker 1 22:17

And I was like I am a fire star prodigy. Like there's been like every time they come out to the.

Speaker 2 22:27

You have like strobe lights going.

Speaker 1 22:29

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 22:30

I think you guys should do that.

Speaker 1 22:31

Yeah, you know, you came up to Fabtech last year for us, the Canwell Fabtech in Canada.

Speaker 2 22:37

You didn't invite me this year.

Speaker 1 22:39

Becker's coming.

Speaker 2 22:40

I don't understand why he got picked over me.

Speaker 1 22:42

Because I can't take the same person every year.

Speaker 2 22:45

Why Is that a rule? Where's that written?

Speaker 1 22:47

down. Well, I, it's kind of my decision.

Speaker 2 22:52

Last time we ever speak.

Speaker 1 22:55

So Becker's coming up to Moncton, ontario, or sorry, moncton, new Brunswick, and we're bringing in some of the influencers to kind of work the show. So I am like, slowly, like trying to, I'm copying something. Like I mean, aws, cwb, we watch each other, right, we watch each other, they watch what I'm doing out there, and you know, I come out with a new hat and all of a sudden AWS has a brand new hat and I'm like, oh, that's very suspicious, you know like, and then I, well, that's, that's called friendly competition.

Speaker 2 23:23

It is, it's friendly competition. That's how you all grow.

Speaker 1 23:25

That's right, and we elevate each other 100% and that's why I'm an AWS member.

Speaker 2 23:29

And I'm an Arcstar.

Speaker 1 23:30

Right. So like we support each other. So when, when I see that this thing, this program, is running with the Arcstars, I'm like, okay, what can I do to better support my influencers? So we're bringing Kevin Wa Kevin, our Kevin R 306 is going to be coming out to Moncton and we're going to have them doing like is Kevin Roir.

Speaker 2 23:51

Oh, what's what? Why did you say His?

Speaker 1 23:52

Instagram is Kevin R 306 for people that follow him. So gala, then the evening was super fun, and then the, the. The Tuesday was.

Speaker 2 24:08

Yeah.

Speaker 1 24:09

Right and I got super busy. I was at an EWI. Oh, that's the point I was going to make. There's so many functions every night that you have to choose. That's right. You have to start picking and choosing you have to choose teams.

Speaker 2 24:20

Yeah, and that's why I was saying, like Ray and I, like the teams I have to go with are a little different than the crowd she has to run with, you know. So like she's got different sponsors in her life and I have different organizations and people I support in my life, so it makes it it's difficult for us to you know our schedules to align.

Speaker 1 24:37

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Speaker 2 25:41

Seven, eight, okay, yeah, I think I'm at somewhere.

Reflections on Fabtech and Career Growth

Speaker 1 25:44

No, I'm not at eight. I think we counted last night. I think it was like five or six. Have you seen outside of your own personal work, like the growth or drop? Like how do you feel Fabtech is as a show this year compared?

Speaker 2 25:55

to other shows this year. I mean still nothing beat what it was pre-COVID.

Speaker 1 26:00

Like 2019 for me was like the biggest ever.

Speaker 2 26:02

Yeah, then COVID Chicago the last one. Yeah, that one was just the one hall you know, and then last year in Atlanta was a little bigger and then this year was I think we're just shy of full strength this year.

Speaker 1 26:16

Yeah, like for floor space, I think it was pretty close to full, full.

Speaker 2 26:20

Yeah, so it's a good show.

Speaker 1 26:21

But I don't know if I think times are changing now.

Speaker 2 26:24

We're definitely starting to fall into that, hopefully, and we can stay this way that post COVID stuff, because I think industry, all industries, no matter what industry you're in, we need this. We need this actual, like in-person stuff again Everything going Zoom and online, working from home and stuff. There's a lot that's been lost with that and I think people are just ready to get back and see each other and make connections in the way humans are supposed to connect.

Speaker 1 26:53

Well, and it's the industry that is a contact industry. So, like where it's practical skills, it's practical machines. There's tools that you got to push buttons on and feel, and if you have 15 die grinders in front of you and you want to pick your favorite, you're not going to be able to do that. Looking at them, you're going to pick each one up, plug each one in and feel it right, and that's the only way you're going to know if that's the tool you want or that's the robot or the pipe bender or whatever it is you want, and some of these are like million dollar decisions.

Speaker 2 27:23

So you want us and it's easier, like if I was buying for something from my companies.

Speaker 3 27:30

I definitely coming here, where everything's in one spot it's streamlined your life.

Speaker 2 27:34

for whatever that decision you're trying to make is, you can make those contacts in person and like sometimes it comes down to more than just the product, the people who back that product. You get to see their customer service, the knowledge pool that's within the company, because most of the people are there right. So it's just a good event for people to come to, whether you're just starting out or you know, on the high rest of your career. So.

Speaker 1 28:00

I know that in 2019, when we came to Fabtech, I was still working with the college and we were like a hyperthermic college for like cutting equipment. And that's like the year after hyperthermic acquired Omax and we bought a 300,000 dollar Omax water jet Like that's and we got a better deal because you're like, you're here, you do the deal and it was like a serious piece of equipment, like it took almost a year and a half to get it and get it installed not Omax's fault, but colleges are sometimes a little slow in doing stuff but now it's up and running and it's an amazing piece of equipment and I don't think it would have happened if it wouldn't have been like us here at Fabtech, you know, looking at it and being like, wow, that's out of our league. And then them being like, well, we have an educational discount for consumables and all these programs that we had no idea existed, right, and it's like, oh, okay, maybe it's not so far out of our spectrum. You know, for you now as not a business owner, Newly retired.

Speaker 1 29:02

Newly retired. Do you have an invested reason to be here other than AWS, like other than the representation media stuff?

Speaker 2 29:12

I'd rather not say there's an NDA there. No, no, I mean everybody's always looking to grow their career right, so that's why I would say this year was a very important year for me.

Speaker 1 29:28

You were investigating, yes, very much. So Some investigations, yeah, and that's good. I'm very happy to see your trajectory for growth.

Speaker 2 29:37

Yeah.

Speaker 1 29:38

I'm not like a jerk thing to say, but I'm like super proud of like the things that you've accomplished in the three years that we've been friends now. Yeah, like my career has been like it just exploded.

Speaker 2 29:52

I would say this last five years, like, and I would, but people say this all the time Like yeah, I've never on a million years dreamed that this would be my life or this would happen to me. But like it wasn't like just one event like that, like becoming the face, the spokesperson for the American Walling Society, that was like the biggest one. I thought that was kind of the end of it. Then the Netflix thing I thought that was kind of the end of it.

Speaker 1 30:13

I was not going to go to your American yeah.

Speaker 2 30:16

And then, like my last contract with my fabrication company, I'm doing work with the Rock and the XFL and ESPN Right. Like I mean like when you do fabrication work for the Rock, I'm like, all right, it's this is it yeah. We can close this company, we can close that bridge now. I think. I've done everything I needed to do here.

Speaker 1 30:32

Yeah, yeah, and those were really pretty, thank you. I mean, I didn't really make anything with them, yeah, but it's like my hands in the company.

Speaker 2 30:40

He kind of like they fell out of there a long time ago. Yeah, I approve, yeah.

Speaker 1 30:47

So like, but did you get to meet the Rock?

Speaker 2 30:50

No.

Speaker 1 30:51

You didn't get to do like a bunch of the bicep.

Speaker 2 30:53

So it was kind of a bummer. What had happened was I was supposed to go out there for the championship game, where he was going to be there Danny Garcia's ex-wife who's still his manager. I've met Danny Garcia, though his ex-wife, and we talk all the time and like she'll write me like beautiful messages and stuff like that. What does she do? She's the CEO of the XFL and then she she's also she owns the management company for the Rock.

Speaker 1 31:17

Okay, all right.

Speaker 2 31:17

Yeah, they're still very close. They have like kids together and stuff, but they're like best friends. But yeah, so I was supposed to go out to the championship game and help with, like you know, the awarding and all that stuff, and because I was also featured in the ESPN docu series.

Speaker 1 31:33

I saw that. Did you see it? I did see that. I didn't even see it, because you shared a link being like I'm going to be a part of this thing, and so I watched it.

Speaker 2 31:39

I didn't watch it. It was good it was well done. Was I in it.

Speaker 1 31:43

There's like clips, little pieces, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 31:45

Because I couldn't. I was barely there for the filming. It was like three days of filming and I was like that for a few hours and gone, and it was mostly the machinist that was in it. But yeah, so I had to do something. I was, I was pulled away for stuff with I think actually it was Caterpillar or the American welding site. I can't remember who I had to go out and do stuff with, but Another case of double booked trip?

Speaker 2 32:05

Yeah, and that was like a last minute thing, because the stuff with with them it kind of like I got offered it and then they were kind of going back and forth with Tiffany and company Like again Tiffany, like what am I doing doing business and competing against Tiffany, yeah, and when did that get on the radar Right?

Speaker 1 32:22

What is happening?

Speaker 2 32:25

So, like I said, like my fabrication company went from being like me to like a couple of people, to like just exploding, to the point where I couldn't even keep people doing it, I had to start subcontracting out everything and having other companies.

Speaker 1 32:37

And that's a little risky too. That's tough, yeah, that's a tough decision.

Speaker 2 32:42

I couldn't. I wasn't home like I'm on the road so much, and you know the stress of trying to like manage it all while being away was really difficult. And then I thought, oh, let's open another business and open a whole new school.

Speaker 1 32:53

Hello.

Speaker 2 32:54

Why not?

Speaker 1 32:54

Yeah.

Speaker 2 32:55

All going so well.

Speaker 1 32:56

Yeah, yeah, and that exploded too.

Speaker 2 33:00

And it's just. Yeah, it's been really incredible.

Speaker 1 33:03

But now I'm on the other end of that.

Speaker 2 33:06

On the other end of that, I don't think I want to go back into being a business owner. I'm getting my, my masters, my MBA in engineering, industrial management now and looking what I can do on the more corporate business side of things. Clearly I'm very good at business development and branding and networking and being a politician.

Speaker 1 33:26

Like the proof was in the pudding Right.

Welding Career Growth and Promotions

Speaker 2 33:27

And I don't think people can say that they've grown companies the way that I have in this industry in the short amount of time you know, without mega huge kind of I guess you could say like backing. Yeah, you know, in the beginning, I mean I had like little sponsors supplying equipment and stuff like that here and there, but but it was in your head.

Speaker 1 33:48

The vision in your head is what pushed it right, and I mean the fabrication stuff.

Speaker 2 33:52

A lot of people didn't even see that because, again, I wasn't. That's work, work, yeah, that's work. And then it also was like I got to a point where I wasn't too involved with it anymore, so like I wasn't there taking, so I'll get like a picture here and there and forget to post it or whatever.

Speaker 1 34:06

When I see the trajectory of your career and where you want to go, which I think is a hundred percent the right choice for you. I don't know how to say this without sounding weird, because I'm really good at saying things like that, but I see I see me, young me, because I was a welder. I was a welder, I started volunteering with the CWB, got in with the section or the chapter, you know.

Speaker 2 34:29

Yeah, same thing for me.

Speaker 1 34:30

Right, like I just kind of I was good, I was good at what I did, but I've also had the gift of gab kind of my whole life and started getting more involved. I mean, this is pre-social media, so I didn't have, like the that burst like you did, but I had my own burst of my own kind when I got into like my first chances of getting into management right, where I was finally like put down the tools and let's see what you can do. And I worked for like a little company and did pretty good. And then all of a sudden I was working for one of the biggest companies in like North America and it was like what is happening? Like I just took a step forward that I did like it was unexpectedly huge step right, and from that point there was no going back right. It was just like boom, boom, boom.

Speaker 1 35:16

And now I'm at a desk in suits and doing all stuff, but I don't have my MBA, I don't have a masters and all the people I work with have PhDs and they're engineers and all these things. And in these kind of upper realms there's not a lot of people that have climbed from the bottom up. There's a lot of people that went to school to get these jobs right. So you have worked your way up as a welder fabricator to this point, right? I?

Speaker 2 35:43

mean like for me. I was a pipe welder for 13 years and became a welding educator and then got scooped up by the American Welding Society and the opportunities my career with them has given me has just been like unreal. And like here. I am a punk rock kid from the Jersey Shore, I do not look the role of what I think the AWS is, and then for them to take a chance on me and then people accept me in the way that they have. It's just done nothing but amazing things for my career, and now I think I still work for the American Welding Society, but I think there's more for me out there still and there's still stuff that I haven't accomplished.

Speaker 1 36:24

You're definitely not capped out. It's like that, yeah.

Speaker 2 36:26

I mean, I still have dreams of like being on the membership and becoming on the board of the American Welding Society and maybe becoming VP and president of the American Welding. Society Like I would. That's a bucket list goal of mine. And I hope to accomplish that. I don't know if I'm ready for that level of the commitment to that just yet. So maybe that's something, maybe that's a 10 year plan or something like that.

Speaker 1 36:48

But you never know, Like I mean, I went from a college educator to director and I remember interviewing for the job being like, yeah, no chance. Part of it's also the way I look, Right, Like I mean, I'm a heavy metal dude, long hair, tattooed up. You know, like I have my lifestyle that I've never been shy about. I don't hide anything about how I live and going to these interviews and being like I got zero chance, Like I got zero chance to get in this job. And they're like, well, do you do business development? Like I've done business development for like billion dollar companies? They're like, oh really, it's like, yeah, like for real. It's like, what did you know I've been? You know, what do you know about education and education development? Well, I've been teaching at the college and I developed a college level diploma program. It's like, oh really. It's like, yeah, bro, Like I'm not just sitting here because I just showed up.

Speaker 2 37:35

Like.

Speaker 1 37:35

I've. This has been my career for since I was 17.

Speaker 2 37:39

Yeah, I mean I'm. This week has been super special in the fact that I'm really happy to see so many people seeing that in me and seeing what I can be doing next and now, kind of.

Speaker 1 37:53

Well, honestly, we're all looking at you being like we're all kind of trying to poach you right now, like we're all kind of like oh, I heard Stephanie's unemployed, hey, hey, hey, come on over, I know it's been crazy.

Speaker 2 38:05

It's been a little overwhelming and I just thought that like I was just gonna be a retired washed up welder, Maybe if I get my MBA and I wanna like Out at the beach in Jersey with your with.

Speaker 1 38:17

what are they called?

Speaker 2 38:17

My metal detector, your metal detector, beep, beep, beep beep, beep, my metal detector.

Speaker 1 38:21

Well, I just, I don't know. I thought old, retired people do.

Speaker 2 38:24

I mean I golf, but yeah, I honestly didn't, don't didn't have any plan of going and like really doing much other work, maybe just on the volunteer side of the American welding side and then maybe still just doing the tour stuff. But opportunities seem to be telling me that maybe, maybe I'll be. Maybe you're not done yeah maybe I'm not done, maybe I'm suited for some other things, you know, because again you think you've, you keep accomplishing these things and you're like, okay, there's nothing beyond this right.

Speaker 2 38:52

And then knock, knock, knock, you know, here's opportunity again.

Speaker 1 38:56

So, and honestly I would say some, most of these relationships have been made right here at Fabtech you know, bring it full circle and the I did two presentations this week on workforce development and skills gaps and all that blah, blah, blah and you're kind of expressing and showcasing to the world that there's skills gaps and work gaps, like workforce gaps, at senior levels as well. We're not just talking about welders, like at the floor, like sure, yes, we need like 80,000 more welders over the next, whatever. But we also need hundreds and hundreds of new CEOs and directors, executive directors, we need VP's, we need those 30 year olds or 24 year olds or whatever 22, I'm 22.

Speaker 2 39:47

You should know this right now. I haven't aged since we met. I haven't aged since 22 either.

Speaker 1 39:53

Yeah, but we need that right and we need that. I feel blessed to have my job, but I'm 48. Now I would say I mean, the old people are always like, oh, you're a young whippers, I'm 48, but I look at my career, I got maybe 10 more years in this 15 tops, which isn't a lot right, and it's like, okay, well, who's next? Who's coming up behind me? What's the next generation? You know who are the 20 and 30 year olds right now that I can look at and be like, yeah, you're gonna be up where I am and I like that.

Speaker 2 40:24

I wanna mentor that you know, yeah, I mean, I agree with you. I think too like-.

Speaker 1 40:30

So, like to your point, people are gonna be looking for you right, yeah, and yeah, it's kind of busy week.

Speaker 3 40:39

Yeah, we're all over it.

Speaker 2 40:41

But I think too, some of these younger people in industry have to be a little bit more confident in what they do have to offer the industry. Right, right, you know, like I was on a panel yesterday with a women in welding panel yesterday and I'm sitting next to Chloe Hudson.

Speaker 2 40:55

She's a phenomenal tag welder and pipe welder and aerospace and all this stuff that she's done and she's sitting there just saying I'm just a welder fabricator, I'm just a welder. No, you're so much more than that. You know and, like, I think, a lot of people and I joke around too and I just say I'm just a thumb welder, like, I'm just a welder, I'm just a pipe welder. You know, I say all those silly things too. You definitely have a little bit of a.

Speaker 1 41:21

You undersell yourself. Yeah, it's imposter syndrome, right.

Speaker 2 41:24

You don't want to like admit that you have other skills. I guess I don't know, but you know a lot of people feel that way and a lot of people don't. They're afraid to approach the people in the business leadership roles and they're afraid to tell them hey, I aspire to be you one day, you know, once I get a little bit more experienced under my belt. But you need to let people know that.

Speaker 1 41:43

Yeah, you do.

Speaker 2 41:44

They need to know that you have that drive and that's the trajectory you want to go on. And then Some people are fine, they don't want to be bothered with 100% A business suit and a laptop right, they don't want that and as business owners, it's a lot to swallow sometimes.

Speaker 1 42:02

Yeah, it's the most casual.

Speaker 2 42:03

I've been dressed all week. Yeah, me too.

Speaker 1 42:05

I had to. Literally this is the work I'm done. Danielle looked at me this morning. I got welding burned in my shirt. I've actually I think I wore this shirt welding at some point, so my bad, yeah. But I mean, like you said, if you don't communicate your dreams and put yourself out there.

Speaker 1 42:24

The chances aren't going to come On the other end of it. As managers and as leaders, we need to be paying attention to who's asking for these, because then we got to be like, oh, you're interested in getting here someday, because it's a lot easier for me to support someone coming up than for someone coming up to just earn it. And you can, but it's a lot harder, right?

Speaker 2 42:46

Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 1 42:49

What's on the horizon for you for, like, mentorship, because you're like big into, like the women of you know the women panels you do, the conversations, the articles, the media. Now you don't have the school, you don't have the business, are you going to keep trying to stay in that You're still going to be putting on a hood to be like, hey, be a welder, young women. Or like, do you think you see a space for yourself still going forward?

AWS Tour, Mental Health Maintenance

Speaker 2 43:11

I think so. I think you're going to see it soon. Yeah, I think I'm going to take a little time off here after this tour a couple of months and then I think I'm going to have some really new cool things to recharge for the new year. Yeah, to bring to the table, so I'm excited.

Speaker 1 43:26

How did the tour go this year with AWS? What is it Welding on wheels, or what?

Speaker 2 43:31

Courage and welding trailer. Ok, I like welding on wheels, so wait a second.

Speaker 1 43:34

Welding on wheels Waitus.

Speaker 2 43:36

So like rollerblading and welding.

Speaker 1 43:39

Also awesome yeah.

Speaker 2 43:43

We're like we are pretty much in the thick of the tour right now, so we go straight through pretty much till November 4th or 5th or something like that, and then I'm taking a break. I'm actually going to be retired for a little bit.

Speaker 1 43:57

Yeah, actually let that happen.

Speaker 2 43:59

Yeah.

Speaker 1 44:00

Can you still golf in Jersey in November and December?

Speaker 2 44:03

I'll just get on a plane. Yeah, I probably won't be in Jersey too much. Yeah, pretty much all the. My daughter's going to be 15 in December, so we'll definitely be going on a vacation there and then probably vacation for Christmas. We're going away for Thanksgiving. We got a Disney trip coming up at the end of October. Oh wow, yeah, I'm taking my. I got my for my nieces. Their birthday present was a trip to Disney.

Speaker 1 44:25

Nice, nice.

Speaker 2 44:26

I'm on the road till November 15th, yeah, so yeah, I have that one week off, so I threw a Disney trip in there, because I clearly don't know how to manage my schedule.

Speaker 1 44:35

So, and how has the tour been like for attendance?

Speaker 2 44:42

It's been a few years now, right, so it has like five years yeah.

Speaker 1 44:47

It's getting busier a year, but you're kind of always the same.

Speaker 2 44:49

It's kind of always the same.

Speaker 1 44:51

Yeah.

Speaker 2 44:51

Yeah, we have our events that we know we do well at, and then we try and sprinkle some new stuff in and it's always kind of, you know, nothing's ever bad.

Speaker 3 44:59

You know nothing's ever.

Speaker 2 45:01

You know, I would say like a total, total waste of time, by any means you know yeah.

Speaker 3 45:06

Because there's kids in the world. Yeah, sometimes they have higher hopes for numbers.

Speaker 2 45:09

and then you know bad weather comes through, or you know maybe the word Conflicts of time. Yeah, the word didn't get out with the local schools or whatever, or industry people that were supposed to be involved or something like that. But now everything's normally pretty, pretty awesome. I enjoy it and that's why I've been. I've sacrificed like it's not like just a nine to five.

Speaker 1 45:27

Yeah, this is a road work.

Speaker 2 45:30

That work that I do is not not for the week, you know. I mean you're not home, you don't see your family.

Speaker 1 45:35

You're not eating great, you don't exercise, you're long days dealing with people.

Speaker 2 45:40

You never know who's coming through the trailer. You always have to be on, Always have to be a smile on your face, doesn't matter how you're feeling or what you're going through. You have to be there 100%, for you know for that role and you're playing apart. You know, yeah, but yeah, it's been five years of the tour. Used to be 18 weeks.

Speaker 3 46:00

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 46:01

And then on top of additional travel. So it was.

Speaker 1 46:03

And the businesses and the work and the sections and the blah, blah, blah. So for the last, five years.

Speaker 2 46:07

I average anywhere from probably gosh 18 to 25 weeks a year. That I'm gone about half the year, yeah, yeah, between doing stuff for AWS, sponsors, schools that want me to come out, companies that want me to come out, or work stuff.

Speaker 1 46:23

That's not like I travel. People like why are you travel so much? I travel about three months a year.

Speaker 2 46:29

Yeah.

Speaker 1 46:30

Which is not half the year, like five to six months. Yeah, the tour alone is like four months a year.

Speaker 2 46:34

Yeah, that's wild. Yeah, I get a little like little tastes to go home Like I'll catch a flight, like I'm, you know, flight wise. I say for a year, like every leg, like even if there's like a connection or something, it's about like 80 plus flights a year. Yeah. There's a lot Like there's like flight attendants that I actually like remember me. Yeah, yeah, I have, I fly only American Airlines and like.

Speaker 2 46:56

I fly in and out of Chicago to Philly because I get a lot of connections from Chicago to Philly and they they run that leg a lot and like I fly through Pearson in Toronto all the time because it's like the one big airport to like get into the US.

Speaker 1 47:08

Or when I do work in Europe or Africa or South America, I always have to go through Toronto. The lady at duty free remembers me. Yeah, she's like hi, how are you? And I was like how sad is that? But she's a super nice lady and she's always like who are you buying a bottle for? Because she knows I got to pick up a couple bottles to give her the gifts because they're one of those Canadian whiskey and it's like she's like oh, where are you going now? And I was like oh, and then you see other people look at you. Because you know the lady at duty free. It's like OK.

Speaker 2 47:39

I don't know the snack lady or anything, but I don't hang out in duty free though.

Speaker 1 47:43

No no.

Speaker 2 47:45

Well, I don't bring people gifts. Yeah, I like them to give me gifts.

Speaker 1 47:50

I gave you gifts last time, you did you gave me that. Look, I'm just letting everybody else know that I enjoy gifts.

Speaker 2 47:57

Sometimes I buy people gifts but you have to be super special.

Speaker 1 48:00

So you touched on something you don't have to answer, but I'm curious. You know, you said that it's tough to be out there and and you got to have the smile on your face even when you're not feeling great, which is very true for the type of type of work that we do, right, but for for yourself, you know, coming up because the sell of a business is not easy.

Speaker 1 48:24

The walking away from a school is not easy. You know how much did you have to really like work and take care of your mental health, you know, in this last year, because I know I had to really put down some downtime for me in the summer because I was getting overwhelmed, you know, and I was like I'm talking to the staff and being like I got to go for like a week and just like unplugged, like I'm not.

Speaker 2 48:45

I feel like I haven't done it yet.

Speaker 1 48:47

Yeah, yeah, I don't think I don't. You can, you can trust.

Speaker 3 48:51

I can, I just haven't.

Speaker 2 48:53

And I think maybe after tour, because I sold both the companies and then we did go on vacation like literally I wasn't even there, for when the truck was picking up everything and leaving I was actually going on vacation, our family vacation that we do every year. Then I came home and then immediately had to go out for AWS work. Then I came home for a couple of days, started deciding I was going to remodel my house and then started my master's program and then took another vacation when I got back from that and then, but what do you mean vacation?

Speaker 1 49:23

It sounds like these vacations are not vacations like where they actually Did you feel relaxed, did you actually get downtime, or were you on vacation thinking about the next thing you already have to?

Family Vacations, Golf, and Beaches

Speaker 2 49:31

do? I was on vacation and I started my master's program Right. So that's the thing Doing that, and then it's a family vacation. Well, first one was a family vacation. I love my family, but yeah, it's still a family vacation, there's you know, when you're a mother and you have your child and her three friends, or two friends or whatever it was, and yeah, we've all watched National Lampoo and it's not that far off.

Speaker 1 49:49

You know, after your vacation you need another vacation, that's right.

Speaker 2 49:52

That's right you know, so I did get a great one. It was like a quick four day trip to Vegas with my sister and I was really that's right.

Speaker 1 49:59

I saw that. That was fun blast.

Speaker 2 50:01

We had a blast. So much fun. Too much fun one night, but a lot of fun. But yeah, I came home and it was right back to it. So no, since since the retirement I haven't actually enjoyed rich, I haven't even golfed, and you know I'm a huge golf yeah, you love golfing. And I have not golfed since June.

Speaker 1 50:18

Wow, I will. I got which is only got like 10 rounds in this year.

Speaker 2 50:23

Yeah for me like that's unheard of and I don't. I don't be able to golf, probably until well maybe I'll golf next week.

Speaker 3 50:30

No.

Speaker 2 50:30

I'll bring my my clubs with me on the next trip.

Speaker 1 50:33

Yeah, now you know for this. What does holiday time look like for you?

Speaker 2 50:39

What do you mean?

Speaker 1 50:40

Like, when you're thinking about, you know, taking a month off, let's say, yeah, what are the things you like to do? You like to go to beaches? Do you like to do traveling? Yeah. Or do you want to like be like we'll climb a mountain in France, or something I used?

Speaker 2 50:51

to own a house in outside of Killington in Vermont so we used to go ski a lot. I used to be big skiing and big in the skiing and then I got. I have an autoimmune condition, I have rheumatoid arthritis and my joints just don't can't do the skin anymore, yeah. Yeah, I'll be in pretty rough shape if I do that. So we're beach bums. I mean, I grew up on the Jersey shore, so when I can't use the beach, I just find a beach somewhere else.

Speaker 1 51:15

So yeah, and what's your favorite beach?

Speaker 2 51:19

so far Miami Beach.

Speaker 1 51:21

Yeah.

Speaker 2 51:21

Yeah, love it South. Beach.

Speaker 1 51:23

Now, like you, like Mexico or any places like that?

Speaker 2 51:25

Yeah, I do I just feel like you know you go to Miami Beach and you get that crystal blue warm water and like some parts of, depending on where you're at in Mexico. It's not very clean, you don't get it so, yeah, so that I like that certain beaches, yeah, I like it.

Speaker 1 51:42

But and then you know, this week you feel like you accomplished everything you want to accomplish this week.

Speaker 2 51:49

Do you feel?

Speaker 1 51:49

like you can go to the check marks off.

Speaker 2 51:51

I think more than I thought I was going to have. Yeah, I think.

Speaker 1 51:54

Yeah, yeah, it was good seeing Ivan and all them to. You know, I didn't. Every year Ivan just shows up and like crashes the party every year.

Speaker 2 52:03

Well, ivan Lou Frank, they were all here.

Speaker 1 52:04

Yeah.

Speaker 2 52:05

Ray Tom was here yesterday. The only ones that weren't here were Leah and seven. Yeah and seven yeah.

Speaker 1 52:11

And I was talking to Ivan at the Redhead piano bar, which is a very fun bar here in Chicago, and he is like the friendships that you would make that he's made you know through Fabtech and these things. He's like he can't wait every year to run into these people and do you still feel that after all these years, you still feel like that?

Speaker 2 52:34

Oh.

Speaker 1 52:34

I can't. I hope they're there. I hope this person's there.

Speaker 2 52:36

Oh, yeah, for sure. And again, it kind of stinks sometimes because a lot of like my friend group who kind of like we kind of came up all together, like our careers are all kind of taken off and we have so many people that we have to entertain. So it's like we're just happy, just to like we find other ways to see each other. Like I see you at other things too. Like so like I know that I don't have to be like, like you're not offended if I can't see you for the whole night and I have to go.

Speaker 1 53:00

No, no, hang out with other people and that's we all have to make those choices between what we've got to do Right.

Speaker 2 53:06

And that's the hardest part is you know you have people that you do want to see and you do want to spend time with and like I had a really a good friend of mine. She was actually on your podcast and she came out and as her first fab deck and I made sure to introduce her to people that I knew would be like they're going to hang out there and she'd connect with and stuff, because there's a lot of people here, industry wise, that maybe they're not my friend circle but they're still people.

Speaker 2 53:27

That it's very important professionally important that I have to invest time in yeah, and I don't get to see them really anywhere else but here. So I got my commitments, get a little little weird.

Speaker 1 53:38

I struggle with that still to this day, because that's like the welder in me still being like, yeah, friends, right, yeah, friends, and then I'll have, like you know, but you have to, that's right.

Speaker 2 53:49

I like the.

Speaker 1 53:50

CEO of the company's like have you talked to someone so and so and so and so? Yeah, you have to go talk to this director and that VP and this person and they're all at the table.

Speaker 2 53:57

You got to sit at the table with them and your friends are over there at that table and you're just like. You know, they get it, they get it.

Speaker 1 54:04

And they were all in the same position too at one point, right.

Speaker 2 54:08

They say I'm the mayor.

Speaker 1 54:09

Man with cheese.

Speaker 2 54:10

Yeah, but you know, and I'm a you know, I don't know if it's the mom and me or whatever, but like I always want to make sure everybody's having a good time, you do that, I call.

Speaker 1 54:20

I said that to the other day. I'm like why do you always want me to mom, and just the way you're built.

Speaker 2 54:23

Yeah, like my friends, you know he you want to care us to people. Yeah, you know, somebody had a little too much to drink. Want to make sure they're no, okay, I take care of them and yeah, so I find myself. You know, I'm just, and then, and then too I get. I feel that pressure at Fabtech of like we've done the show all day, we're going out to dinner and then we all go hang out like kiddie or Shays or something. Everybody's there and they're all hanging out and you are exhausted.

Speaker 3 54:46

And it's like okay, one more.

Speaker 2 54:48

and you're like I really don't want this, you know, and you just want to go to sleep and you still sit down there. And then you're like what am I even staying here for Cause? I'm literally like, you know, your head is like falling off the table, type of thing. Yeah, you know, and you're like, okay, it's hard to like be like okay, guys, I'm going to go to bed because everybody's like no, you can't Well, and you kind of get like FOMO too.

Speaker 3 55:06

Like I'm, going to miss out on something right.

Speaker 2 55:07

Yeah for sure.

Speaker 1 55:08

I like this happened to us this year. It's like, oh you know it's too busy here. I've been seeing these people all day. I've partied with them for like two days already. You know, hung out all the things I want to. Let's go to a different bar and it'll be quiet and chill. You go to that different bar and there's 30 different people that you know and they're like, well, I guess it's just not going to stop, like I would just keep going.

Speaker 2 55:29

Tonight is low key.

Speaker 1 55:31

Well, last night was really nice. Just, you know 11 of us.

Speaker 2 55:34

But it was still like that was still a very fancy place that we went to.

Speaker 1 55:37

Yeah, we still had to wear like jackets. Yeah, I wore jackets. Yeah, I wore jackets.

Speaker 2 55:41

So, like tonight, I'm talking like chicken fingers and finger foods, like I'm I was thinking fried chicken.

Speaker 1 55:47

I don't Do you like fried chicken, I love. I love anything that I can eat, because there's a wicked fried chicken place like not even a block from our hotel. Yeah, Like it's called Harold's Chicken Fantastic.

Speaker 2 55:57

Yeah, I want it. I want everything we're going to. I think we're going to a place Luminati.

Speaker 1 56:03

That's pizza place. Yeah, I'm going to have enough Chicago pizza so far.

Speaker 2 56:07

Yeah, so I think we're going to go there, but then I kind of want tacos too.

Speaker 1 56:10

Yeah, what? When do you leave? Tomorrow morning? Tomorrow morning, yeah, us too, us too, yeah, okay. Well, I'm getting the hard wink from Daniela saying that we have run out of time, so All right, the back is killing me.

Speaker 2 56:23

I'm like squirming.

Speaker 1 56:25

I was wondering what was going on. It's like your shoes are too tight or something. What's going?

Speaker 2 56:29

on here Between standing and not sitting and sleeping and dehydration. Yeah, so I'm all right with that.

Speaker 1 56:34

And the room and the room, it's right, it's apparently yeah, I can get that. Okay, I'll wrap this up. So, stephanie, you know anything you want to like shout out or tell, or like? I know you're kind of trying to step away, slowly retire and get out of that, out of the whole like hardcore media game, but you still do you want people to know how to find you, do you want people to still message you, or do you kind of just want to like just be Stephanie?

Speaker 2 57:00

I mean, I do want to just be me. But yeah, everybody's always welcome to reach out and say hi or whatever on Instagram or LinkedIn or Facebook. It's just my name.

Speaker 1 57:09

I'm pretty easy to find. You know it's not welding either.

Speaker 2 57:13

Am I stuff now?

Speaker 1 57:14

No, I mean like it's not Stephanie Hoffman welding just for people.

Speaker 2 57:18

Oh gosh, no. So my real name is Stephanie Hoffman, wedding. My husband's last name is wedding, so on my signature handle, we just make a joke. Everybody always thought there was a typo. So I just remove the wedding and just stay Stephanie Hoffman, because it's easier, because most people don't even know my husband and they literally did yesterday. And they literally did yesterday at the awards ceremony Stephanie Hoffman welding and I'm like like 15 minutes before I just told that story. Yeah.

Speaker 1 57:42

Well, thank you so much again.

Speaker 2 57:44

always great seeing you, I'll likely bring you back up to Canada again, because I need to be back in Canada.

Speaker 1 57:50

Yeah, and Canadians are nice. Yeah, we have a lot of fun up there and we have a lot of fun with you. So, again, thank you for being on the show. Thanks, max, all right, and for everybody that's been downloading and watching and following where this is a second last podcast of Fabtech. We've got one more coming up and we've been having tons of fun. So stay tuned, make sure you catch them all and I'll see you on the flip side, Take care.

Speaker 3 58:42

Produced by the CWB group, presented by Max, this podcast serves to educate and connect the welding community. Please subscribe and thank you for listening.