The CWB Association Welding Podcast
The CWB Association Welding Podcast
Episode 193 with Haley Kontenis and Max Ceron
The CWB Association had the privilege to attend Fabtech in Orlando, Florida this year. 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.
Navigating a major industry trade show for the first time can be both thrilling and daunting. Join us as we chat with Haley Kontenis, a Welder and Fabricator from Ontario, Canada. Haley shares her inspiring story of career progression, from her start in small machinery to tackling large structural projects. We delve into the overwhelming yet exhilarating experience of attending Fabtech, from the excitement of encountering new technology to the comforting presence of familiar companies, Haley encourages anyone wanting to attend to not miss out on next year's event!
Follow Haley:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleythefabricator/
Thank you to our Podcast Advertisers:
Canada Welding Supply: https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/
Miller: https://www.millerwelds.com/products/augmentedarc
Canaweld: https://canaweld.com/
Josef Gases: https://josefgases.com/
Fabtech is North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing event! Schedule the next event in your calendar: September 8-11th, 2025 in Chicago, IL. https://www.fabtechexpo.com/
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All right, I can check. Check, I'm good. So I'm Max Duran. Max Duran, cwb Association Welding Podcast, pod pod podcast. Today we have a really cool guest welding podcast. The show is about to begin.
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Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to another edition of the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Ferron and here we are in sunny Florida at Fabtech 2024. We have been having a great time. As you can tell by my voice, I have been going hard, as always, talking to the people here and doing all the events and getting out and doing all that wonderful networking. This morning we have a wonderful Canadian lady here with us, hayley Contenis. She's going to talk to us about her trip here to Fabtech. Hayley, how you doing.
Speaker 3:I'm doing fantastic. Lots to see, it's been very exciting.
Speaker 1:You sound much better than I do.
Speaker 3:I've been trying to pace myself. Not actually doing a great job. There's a lot. There's so much to say. It's been so exciting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you have been on the podcast before, you know. We talked about your journey in the trades and how you got into it. We talked about being a woman in the trades, but now you're at Fabtech in Orlando. What happened from then to now? To kind of get you in the spot?
Speaker 3:It's taken it one step at a time, one day at a time. Honestly, I've bounced a few different companies. I feel like I've got a much better range of skills and the industry. I've now worked in all kinds of different fields so I've done everything from very small machinery, tig welding, to now I'm all the way up at structural where I'm doing beams and columns and just big structures, which is really cool to see that side.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like the big stuff yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean, that's where the money is, so it's been nice to see that side of everything. Especially when I started my career, I didn't have much of that. The biggest things that I dealt with were like far and few in between bigger jobs, right One-offs, and now I'm at a company where that's all they do. So it's nice to see different areas of the trade.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's been about a year and a half, I think, since I interviewed you, maybe even two years.
Speaker 3:I think it's been at least two years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's been a while, at least two years yeah, In those two years, what have you been doing to advance your skill set Like? What have you been working?
Speaker 3:on. I am working on my Red Seal, so that is hopefully getting finalized this winter.
Speaker 3:We will see Fingers crossed. I'm hoping to get the last few pieces in place over the next few months so that I can hopefully get that written. Yes, over the winter. Over time, it's just been like, like I said, one step at a time I've gone from company to company where it's just what can I do next? Okay, can I chat with? Reach out to this person, reach out to these. I find that instagram is a nice tool for that, for sure, yeah, that I mean that's how I'm here at fabtech, right? Um, they wanted me here and I'm so happy to be here that was gonna be.
Speaker 1:My next question is how did the connection between you and Fabtech? You know they're an American company? They're basically groups SME, fma, all these groups, they're all American. Yep, how does Haley get on the radar?
Speaker 3:I don't know. I guess they wanted to see a Canadian here to get that kind of perspective yes, exactly. They reached out to me and I was more than thrilled, oh for sure. More than thrilled.
Speaker 3:I was like and Orlando, what an honor, right? Yeah, they reached out to me and they said like we don't really have many Canadians attending. We would love to have you to help promote us and give your insight. So they reached out and I was right on board and it's been so awesome. So they reached out and I was right on board and it's been so awesome.
Speaker 1:So what does that look like for you in terms of work? You know, they say hey. Haley, we want you to come down to Orlando. Here's your plane ticket.
Speaker 3:There's a hotel.
Speaker 1:There's something you got to give back. So what are those things that you have to do this week, you know, as part of your gig?
Speaker 3:Fair enough. Um. So leading up was most of the work that I've had to do so getting everything prepared. They gave me a general guideline when we signed our contract, just being like, okay, we'd like xyz deliverables, we all. We got everything um sorted and I've done, I think, three posts leading up to today, up to I've seen them like the pre the pre.
Speaker 3:I'll be there yeah I've been so excited, right, that was. That's all they wanted to see. Is that another canadian's coming out? I tried to get some of the canadians that I know. I reached out to a few of them personally just to be like, hey, am I gonna get to see you there? Like it'd be so awesome if I could try and find me. Um, but on top of that, I have one left to do. That will probably be done after this. I'd like to get a little bit of content with you guys today and then I can make my post right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then, yeah, after that I am coasting and I get to just continue networking and just enjoying.
Speaker 1:How much of the floor have you been able to experience?
Speaker 3:Pretty much all. Really I did a really big day yesterday. I did at least double the amount of steps that I normally do. It was a long day yesterday, but I wanted to get a good base yesterday so that now I know where things are, because I did find so I did my research to try and figure out where Look at the map yeah.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, the amount of times I looked at that map right. Because there's just so much to see, there's so many cool people to and you know that you're never going to see all of them when you come to a convention like this but to know who the moneymakers are, the people that you want to network with. I did have another few meetings, like just smaller, like we'd really love to come and see, like if you could come by between this time.
Speaker 3:So I did a few of those yesterday. I've done all of the West Building and all of the South Building.
Speaker 1:Holy, we did like 10 minutes yesterday.
Speaker 3:Yes, but you've been busy working here, right? Yeah, we've been doing all the things.
Speaker 1:But I went and checked the CWB booth I was like I should go look at them. You know I work there and they were doing good. But literally then they were like shutting the lights off. It's like, oh, I guess we're done.
Speaker 3:Yeah, end of the day right.
Speaker 1:Tomorrow we'll have time to walk around, not today. Today's going to be really busy again.
Speaker 3:That's fair. Unfortunately, I actually don't get to attend tomorrow. I do have to now fly home in the afternoon and I think it'll just be a little bit too crowded. I tried to get a late flight, but no luck it's right in the middle of the afternoon.
Speaker 1:The flights in and out were crazy. We booked way long time ago. We were so concerned that our flights Were going to get changed, but somehow nothing did.
Speaker 3:Lucky, yes, yeah and uh, but we don't leave till friday.
Speaker 1:It's nice but with all the events going on, how do you feel now being here at fabtech and starting to see the size? Because that throws people off. First of all because it is huge number two, orlando. This convention center is spread out like crazy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the walks. What walk's what? 20 minutes? Yeah, it's a lot of walking.
Speaker 1:What's kind of you know, inspired you or really, like shook you the most being here, like in terms of all the stuff.
Speaker 3:Honestly all the automation. It's been so cool to see. Like I obviously know that the industry is progressing and moving forward, but just to see how much automation and how much people are really leveling up and finding those issues in the trades and working on them and solving those problems has been mind blowing. It's so cool, like I've gone all around where it's just like okay, lincoln Electric's not just Lincoln Electric to me anymore, like the way I used to know it.
Speaker 1:There's so much more.
Speaker 3:There's so much more. I was talking with so many people that have such cool backgrounds and then have joined this company. I'm like, okay, what did you do to get to here? Hearing about these different stories and stuff like that has been so interesting. Meeting the people that I've met has just been awesome.
Speaker 1:Once you start walking around I've said this a few times this week you see all this amazing equipment and tooling and stuff. And then you go back to your shop, wherever you're from, and you're like oh, that's exactly what I'm going to get next week.
Speaker 3:Because, as much as I do like my job and it's cool to see the side that I'm in it's not a long-term thing and I know that I am. I'm honestly. I was even chatting with a few of the people yesterday and I'm like I'm ready for that next challenge. I'm ready for that level up I'm kind of plateauing and getting bored.
Speaker 3:At the same time, I'm trying to learn every little bit I can where I am, because it is cool to see this side of the industry right but I'm also like yeah, yeah, I got that itch again right and like I've always more yeah there there is this especially when you come to a place like this, you really see how much more there is. You see how many different vendors from all over the place there are.
Speaker 1:I've seen not just the states the amount of people that have china, turkey, you know, germany, france, everywhere in my mind.
Speaker 3:I didn't realize how much there would be for international.
Speaker 1:Like it's been an incredible and you know they're talking about how the show's a little bit smaller because of the hurricane. A little less people showed up. We noticed a little bit yesterday. We've been to a few and it's like it looks a little bit smaller just in the walking around.
Speaker 1:But I feel like whenever it's kind of like that, where it's like something happens or there's a you know, either it's cold or a storm or or even like COVID year, the people that do come are serious right. They want to come here, they want to network, they want to talk, they want to get stuff done. Oh yeah, right, and are you feeling that vibe Like? The conversations you're having are all like valid they're all like you know, optimistic.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I have. Honestly, I don't think I've had any light small talk small talk, yeah yeah, it's like maybe a second of it, and then it's hey, did you see this? And and they go off. Well, I saw all this and and uh, what did you think of it? Did you get to get check it out yet? And I was like nope, but now I'm going to yeah, now, I care now I'm gonna go check them out, especially because I've done both buildings. Now I've seen quite I obviously haven't done all of it in depth.
Speaker 1:It's hard to get everything in like have you gone through finishing on this side?
Speaker 3:finishing is actually my today's to-do list, that's the only kind of area that I didn't get time for as much. I did walk through because I did like I said when I say I walked both buildings I wanted to see the layout the layout I wanted to see where everything is, because there's, there is. It's a huge place and it's just to see where everything is in real time rather than on a map, was really cool. We got lost yesterday.
Speaker 1:I honestly can't blame you.
Speaker 3:It is nice that they've got all the signs. I found that anytime, I'm kind of like okay, I don't know where I'm supposed to yes. Go to the center.
Speaker 3:Look up and you'll see all of these 32, everything going across. And that's been really helpful to just be like okay, if I've, if I see somebody on instagram that I know, and pull out my phone. Okay, where did they say they were at? Okay, that's the number. Okay, I'm gonna start heading towards that way. Look at a few things on my way over um. One of my first stops yesterday was at octrel, because I've been with them for like four years now.
Speaker 3:um, so I went and hung out with them for a little while, because Tess was already posting where they were, so I was like perfect.
Speaker 1:Perfect First stop Somebody.
Speaker 3:I know right, like this is my first year, so trying to take those baby steps and just go from there, right.
Speaker 1:In terms of what you're trying to grow. Like you said, you feel like you're plateauing A little bit, which happens to everyone. It's just part of careers and ebbs and flows and I was telling you before the show, like you're so young, like your plateau is like one of many that you will have, and there is a sense, when you're young, to be like okay, I gotta climb, I gotta move, I gotta be quick, um it's. You can stress yourself out pretty hard getting on that train.
Speaker 1:Right, gotta watch it coming to a fab tech. That's also something you gotta watch because it's like, oh my god, there's so many things that I can do how, when, which, who, yeah, which right and what and you start getting lots of ideas.
Speaker 3:It's almost like overload right there was a little bit of overstimulation yesterday at one point I do remember walking around just like, just like looking circles like a pigeon, like what's happening.
Speaker 3:I ended up stopping for a little bit, took like a half an hour just to myself to be like okay, regroup and go back, and then I was like so much better after that. But yeah, there's, there's so much to see. I find as much as it can be a little bit overstimulating, especially being my first year. I don't see it as scary because Well, we're all the same community.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I feel comfortable. As much as it's a lot, it's because it's our industry and now I've been in the industry for six years, so I do understand all these different processes and everything, even if it's something like the robots are a little bit intimidating.
Speaker 1:It's just so interesting, it's so cool, and you haven't really played with one yet, right?
Speaker 3:No, definitely not, I mean. I mean I've dealt with all kinds of big machinery at different companies, so when I get to walk around like the South building, and it's Verona and all these big companies with all these big machines. I already know it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're like, I know that company. Maybe you don't know that really new thing they brought, but you know what they do.
Speaker 3:That's exactly what I was saying yesterday Yep, I don't know the newest machines, so I chatted with a few of them where it's just like, okay, what do you have that's new, because I've dealt with a like product very similar to this one right over here what do you got that's newer on this? Right because maybe the one I worked on was five years model older. You know what I mean, so it's been really cool, but also comfortable. I feel like I'm still in my realm, so this has been been a really cool experience.
Speaker 1:What about the opportunities that you see? How do you start to filter through them in terms of what you like? Because, like, you're here as a sort of a supporter for Fabtech and I don't we don't like to use the word influencer too much, try to find other words for it but at the other day, at the end of the day, you're here to empower the industry and fabtech is supporting you to do that. There's a job in that, like I mean, but that takes you away from welding right yeah, I do.
Speaker 3:I do love both sides of it honestly if I could keep doing both at the same time for the rest of my career. That would be the goal yeah um, but there's so many options that, yes, I am at a time in my career where, because I feel like I'm plateauing a little bit and I'm at an event like this, I'm not sure what's next, where I'm gonna go, but hopefully, with all the contacts that I've made today and yesterday and everything that maybe I can go home send out some emails make out a plan yes do my pro con this.
Speaker 3:You know like see okay I've always thought that I would love teaching, ever since my first teacher when I was in high school.
Speaker 1:Teaching is dope.
Speaker 3:Yeah so.
Speaker 1:And we need good teachers.
Speaker 3:We need teachers, we need more. We need more of the young ones. I haven't seen a ton of. I did see some students yesterday.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But not as much as I think I anticipated to see.
Speaker 1:No, Fabtech is not student heavy.
Speaker 3:No, no and I mean there's an age limit.
Speaker 1:You can't be under 18 here.
Speaker 3:That's fair, but even still seeing like the 20-year-olds to 25-year-olds, I found that I was the youngest that I was talking with majority of the day. And there's nothing wrong with that right, I'm talking to industry leaders, which is why you come to a cool event like this, but I was a little bit surprised that I didn't see more people that were like, okay, young and interested like me, that, interested like me, that was just like I want to come and check this out. Maybe it's the location, Maybe it's the storm.
Speaker 1:It's the theme of Fabtech. Fabtech is a buyer's market.
Speaker 3:Okay, yeah, fair enough.
Speaker 1:So this is a place where and there is a difference, you know you do hit on a point and people, we were talking about it last night Chicago is a different show than Atlanta. Okay, it's a different show.
Speaker 3:It's a different show than Vegas Different show than Orlando.
Speaker 1:This is our first time in Orlando, so we're kind of learning the vibe here. Chicago is very much white collar, so people are owners, ceos. They're coming to buy $2 million worth of equipment. That's the goal. They're searching for the best deal and they're wheeling and dealing. Atlanta is more blue collar, a lot more welders, a lot more people in you know know jean shirts and jeans on and they're there to buy the orbital welders, the smaller machines, the torch setups. So it is a bit of ebb and flow, but in general I would say it's not really a student driven thing and I know in canada we try to be more student driven with the colleges.
Speaker 1:Maybe that's why I feel that way, because that's where I'm from exactly, and so, like lots of the conferences that we do in Canada and the things we do with students, there's, like always, a student section. There's always like young people that we try to bring in. Fabtech's never really been that, not to say that there isn't shows in the US that are more student driven, but it's not really Fabtech. So I think that that's something that I think should be more.
Speaker 3:A little bit Right, I think. I think it's something that if Fabtech want to stay with me and and hopefully I can I mean I'm going to come to the next ones regardless, if they want me or not, you're in now.
Speaker 1:I'm in now you know there's Fabtech Canada and Fabtech Mexico. I did see Canada's in Toronto and I think it's 2026.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, so that'll be so awesome. I'm definitely going to be here year after year, and maybe that's something I can work on them with, and especially if it's going to be in toronto seeing as canada.
Speaker 1:You've got the connections I've got the connections.
Speaker 3:It's something that I want to be in. I do love the idea, so I've only had two students in my career, but they were the highlights of my entire career so far, and teaching makes you a better welder I think so, yeah, because you're analyzing yourself as well as you're showing, and a lot of the time I really found it, um, like a highlight to me when I was able to say, hey, don't do this because of this because, I've made that mistake before and I can kind of help them mentorship piece.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I can help them take those extra steps forward without having to wait because they they've got somebody that's done it before, that knows it, that can say hey, watch out, for this Like this is going to put you back. You do have to learn the hard way. Sometimes certain things Just practice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, practice Don't get hurt. Yes.
Speaker 3:But to be able to kind of push them that extra little step in the beginning I think will really set them up for success, and if we can see more of that in future years, that'd be really amazing, because that is something that, like I said, I would love to get myself into. I have always been told and correct me if I'm wrong some people have different opinions about it but when you're going into teaching it's good to have a really good base of knowledge, like maybe 10 years in the trade where you've got a good range.
Speaker 1:There's a fine line.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:Right when you want experience Yep, right right where you want to experience yep, but you don't and I don't want to be a jerk right, but you don't really want a teacher that's too old, because they're going to be a little bit maybe disconnected from technology.
Speaker 1:They've been away from it for too long, right they may have been out for a little bit too long. You want to catch that unicorn window where it's like there's, they're up-and-comers, they're ambitious, um, and they want to teach. They also know the technologies. They do the fab techs. They go to the conferences. They're still plugged into the industry. Right, the big issue is pay yeah that's the big issue and it's a bigger issue here in the us.
Speaker 1:We just learned this week oh really what uh instructors start out here and it's quite low really and like I mean eventually in time they do make they get up there, but it would be really hard to pull, say, 26 year old welder off the floor who's maybe coming up on 100k pretty soon to go teach for half that yeah just because you love to teach yeah, that's a big swallow.
Speaker 3:That's why I say I don't even think I could do just that I'm also the kind of person where I can't sit still, hence why we're in the trades I don't think any of us could sit still. I have to be doing multiple things, like I even just got my motorcycle this year because I was just like even in my downtime I was like I'm bored, I don't want to sit at home.
Speaker 1:I want to go out. I'm the same way. I'm the same way.
Speaker 3:So having multiple hobbies and as a hobby for me, it was just something that I wanted to do and I could see that there was some advantages to it in the beginning, and now it's grown to something I never could have guessed. And I absolutely love it as a tool, hence why I'm here today, right Thanks to that. That's not something that I ever want to stop, and, having all these, I've seen so many vendors that I'm like I would love to work with your product. Like things.
Speaker 3:Then I was making some connections yesterday. I do hope that some of them come out of that. But then it's like okay, but also right.
Speaker 1:Well, let's take a break now for our sponsors and advertisers, and then they get their message out. Some of them are here at Fabtech, so shout out to them and we'll be right back here with Haley to talk about Fabtech. 2024 and our adventure. Looking for top quality welding machines and accessories? 24 and our adventure. Looking for top quality welding machines and accessories? Look no further than CannaWeld.
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Speaker 1:And we are back here on the CWB Association podcast. We're here with Haley, here at Fabtech Orlando. It is an adventure here. It is hot, it is humid, my hair is a frizz ball. We're having lots of fun. We were talking about how you were using instagram and you kind of hope to always have that connection to the industry through social media. You come to fabtech and you realize that you're one of hundreds of people that are connected to fabtech almost purely through social media right, like there's people at events and they're hey, you're, you know, skinny milk 24 or whatever.
Speaker 1:People don't even know people's real names. No, it's funny, they just know their handle. And it's really interesting Cause I get that Like you're ask Max.
Speaker 3:It's like oh yeah, I guess I am you, but this has been something that you've taken on at some point to say like I'm gonna be serious about this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, and you love it. Is there a fear that you could take too much on? Because I do see that in the industry, with some people that work the internet game, where they're, you know, they're sponsored by their hood is sponsored, their gloves are sponsored, their pants are sponsored, their boots are sponsored the machine's sponsored right the whole talk is there? Is there a too much? Do you think it's?
Speaker 3:or or do you think, get your bag if you can get it, like I honestly think it depends on the person I mean my grandmother constantly tells me I'm burning the candles at both ends, but I'm also like I'm not gonna stop because you tell me that I. Honestly, like I said before the break, I'm the kind of person that I can't sit still If I'm at home for more than like two days.
Speaker 3:I'm losing my mind Like I'm just like okay, I need to get out, I need to go on the bike, I need to just do something. Sometimes I find it funny that I'll just be sitting at home and it looks like I'm just doom scrolling.
Speaker 1:Meanwhile I'm like looking up different people and trying down.
Speaker 3:Yeah and honestly, like, like I said, I can't sit still, my brain can't stop. So I'm the kind of person that I'm sure there is a limit. I mean, I did actually unfortunately get sick about two weeks ago and it took me out for about a week yeah, it was pretty brutal and I think it was because I was a little bit over stimulated, a little bit over you're gonna get sick after this conference.
Speaker 1:It happens to us. Everybody's telling me that five days, no stopping worth it yeah your immune system by the end of this week is like you need to sleep, girl like two days don't move like exactly.
Speaker 3:Well, thankfully because I get a little bit of a break because my uh, my flight's pretty early tomorrow so it's just like, okay, I'm gonna sleep in a little bit and then go straight to the airport yeah, and then get home and go straight to bed, probably and then sleep for like two days. I did take off friday as well, just because I knew that I was going to be burnt out and uh, I was like you know what?
Speaker 3:I'm just going to need to rest for the weekend. I didn't plan anything for the weekend, just to knowing and anticipating that I do give myself a break here and there, but I'm not good at it no, it's, it's hard.
Speaker 1:I get back Friday afternoon. I was going to take the weekend off. I'm back in Toronto Monday. So I only have like a 48-hour turnaround at home. Do some?
Speaker 3:laundry. That's all I ever really want. Anyways, get back on. But then already.
Speaker 1:my friends are like we should have game night on Saturday. You're in town. I was like, okay, Now I'm doing something. It's like, well, there goes one day of rest. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And if you had the opportunity theoretically to have a company say you know what, we want you exclusive, we want you to be the face of our product going forward. You know, we want you to start attending, you know, five shows a year. We want you to start getting out there, we want you to start maybe handling a little bit of sales, you know, getting into the the other side of the fence, as we say. Would that be something of interest to you or do you feel like not yet, till you get your red seal, till you get a few things out of the way?
Speaker 3:well, considering I'm getting my red seal so soon it's honestly, just like final steps right now it's just, I've got everything ready have you a practice exam yet no, but I've got a few okay, bookmarked, yeah, okay. I've got like three bookmarks.
Speaker 1:Let me know if you need help. I used to teach the Red Seal program. I do appreciate that.
Speaker 3:I honestly probably will reach out to you right before, but I'm hoping that I can book the test roughly for early spring or late winter.
Speaker 1:It's usually January, February when they do the bookings.
Speaker 3:That's when I was hoping for was about February and then have that, and then I'm actually going away. For March I'm going for an England trip which I'm very excited about. It's a family trip.
Speaker 1:But we've been looking forward to it and you like your family, I assume A little bit. It's not like I'm going to England and I'm going to hate it.
Speaker 3:No, no, I'm actually like ridiculously excited. It's for a family wedding, so it's just like we're all going together. I'm very excited for that, but then after that I know that I'm already going to be like okay, now what I need something lined up for that, and I know that I always think very far ahead and I always get ahead of myself. I know that. But at that time it's good to manifest though that's kind of what I'm hoping for.
Speaker 3:Is that something in the spring that I can ramp up with If there was a company that wanted to just exclusive me? I haven't had that yet where somebody wanted to lock me in, but I would not be opposed to it, especially if I like the company. I like the product.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like one of the big players.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You see, some companies are really good with that, like ESAB.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:Right, esab is fantastic, like they've had Ian Johnson on as an ESAB rep like 15 years. Yeah, crazy. You know, what I mean. And he's here and he's still doing the things. Yeah, you know, david Madero's here with ESAB.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and hey, when you like what you do, right, yeah, yeah, why would you leave?
Speaker 1:That's right, ray with Hypertherm.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:She's been going forever.
Speaker 3:Saw her yesterday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah it's, it's very much based off of, I guess, the street cred, and that's that's the part where you, where you're going to do well because you're, you've- put in time welding, though it's not like you're like yeah, you're not like oh hey, I just, you know, like the stuff, it's like no, no, I can actually throw down, put a hood on and do this and it's nice too.
Speaker 3:So the company I'm at, um, we have a good range of people that are very experienced all the way down to don't know the basics like the common sense kind of things but, it's just, it's one of those companies that it's such a big company and got to get people in on the ground floor and teach them and they'll stay with the company for a while. Yeah, um, so even here and there, I find it very interesting to kind of come jump in and just be like okay, I'm going to show you baseline things, the things that they're like what yeah, I never would have thought of that and I'm like it makes it so much easier.
Speaker 3:I've just been doing it for six years now almost, and it's like I've done this I don't know how many times I just I'm going to help you with that little step so that you don't have to struggle to figure out the tricks of the trade over the years. Because, yeah, there's, there's one or two guys that come to my, to my mind, that honestly came out of school, got this job you know, and it's like school's great, it's going to teach you so many things, but those tricks of the trade that you just learn over time.
Speaker 3:I always say to any of those guys I say, like the best piece of advice that I was ever given, that I would ever give, I, yeah, find the old guy that's excited still, that like he knows that he's nearing the end of his retire or his career he wants to share and like, as long as you're enthusiastic hopefully he wants to share some old guys, some don't, yeah, some don't.
Speaker 1:That's fair.
Speaker 3:But especially when you're in a company like where I am, there's bound to be somebody and hey, maybe it's not the old guy, maybe it's the 40 year old.
Speaker 3:That's just yeah, that's been doing this for 20 years Like that. For me, that's one of my best friends that I've known for about five years now. He's taught me so much of what I know and just because he's done it himself he's learned the hard way so many times with so many different things, that he's taught me those and I've absorbed all of them because I'm interested.
Speaker 3:I like the trade right. I like being able to solve problems, and because of that I have a good knowledge base that I can then share those little tips and tricks right.
Speaker 1:So do you consider yourself more of a welder or a fabricator? Cause your handle is fabricator right.
Speaker 3:Yes, my brain is fabrication. Um I you have to be a good welder in my brain to be a fabricator yeah um, it is not needed, but it's so helpful, especially when it comes to baseline. So my first job I don't remember if I told you in the first podcast my first job was a production job. It was just super like I was actually when I first first started.
Speaker 1:I was tack welding yeah, it was just basement on tacking line.
Speaker 3:And. But learning at such a baseline how to lay a good tack, I never thought it was going to help me so far in my career.
Speaker 1:Well for sure, a tack that won't break when you go to weld. That matters Right.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I get something that's fabricated from somebody else just because of the way the shop's running that day and it's just like okay, we really need you to weld.
Speaker 1:that's the worst sound ever it is when you hear a tack, pop somewhere with your hood down and you have no idea what.
Speaker 3:Just let go, yep you don't know if it's the back side of what you're doing. You don't know if it's the other side.
Speaker 1:Everything's got a square, like what happened now you have to stop hope that it doesn't pull too far grab some clamps, exactly.
Speaker 3:So a lot of the time when I do work like that, I'll just just look over everything. Maybe reinforce my tax. I usually reinforce my tax.
Speaker 3:But something so basic that can help so much. And then on top of that I like to be the kind of or I've always strived to be, the kind of fabricator that I'm not just the fabrication. So for the longest job that I had I was very much start to finish. I still am in some ways, but some days I'm just a welder, some days I'm just a fabricator. It really depends.
Speaker 1:In a bigger company there's specific roles.
Speaker 3:Yes, so I get kind of moved around at this company. But yes it's, it's. I'm welding for a week or two days and then I'm fabricating for a week or two days. You know what I mean. But at the places that I've been and the places that I preferred and I, the jobs I loved the most in my career, were always start to finish. So I was cutting, drilling, prepping all of my material, getting everything, and if I was making 20 of something, I was prepping everything for 20.
Speaker 3:I was doing two prep everything for two. Doesn't matter, go over. Even if I'm doing, if I'm doing anything more than I'd say four pieces. I'm making some sort of jig on the table or I'm making some sort of setup right, getting all the fabrication, getting everything ready, and then it's just like all right, I need somebody to check it. There's always got to be somebody right. Second set of eyes Once that's done, it's like all right, we'll see what we have Still telling you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly. And then to have that final step, right before it gets painted or whatever, the inspection of your welds, because if you were laying bad welds but you had it perfectly fabricated you're not going to stay at a good job right no it's the same with yeah, if everything's out of square, but your tack or your welds look great, doesn't matter yeah, yeah, so to me, yeah, it's, it's a very much.
Speaker 3:You have to be a good welder if you're going to be a good fabricator, whatever that field is, whether you're tig welding, stick welding, mig welding, it doesn't matter. You have to have those hand in hand. I find so, as much as I'm a bit of a welder, I'm much more of a fader.
Speaker 1:Have you, has it crossed your mind to go for your fab red seal?
Speaker 3:That is the red seal, that.
Speaker 1:I want. Oh, that's the one you're going for. That's the one I'm going for. Sorry, I didn't clarify. Yeah, yeah, because I have both.
Speaker 3:I have a welding and one bead. Once like five years ago actually no, it was my first company, so almost six years ago now, um, and so I. What's the nice thing about fab is that it's it's just a written test there's no practical piece to it, right so, and I think and I think for the jobs that I kind of think of, um, for long term, I think the fabrication could really help, and if I want to do my welding right, seal after that. Oh yeah, and they actually knock hours off.
Speaker 1:Did you know that?
Speaker 3:I did not know for every successive seal.
Speaker 1:They knock hours. So after my first seal, the next seal, I needed less hours. My next seal, I needed even less. Oh, that's amazing. Okay, I actually didn't know this, because you can stack them every day, sweet because that's what I mean.
Speaker 3:Right like, if I want to start with the fabrication, because at heart, like I said, I'm a fabric. I prefer to actually build these cool things that I've done over my career. That's why I feel like I'm plateauing, because I'm like, okay, now I'm just doing the same sort of thing and staying in it, and that's all right, and they're right. It's the ebb and flow, but that's the fun part. That's the fun part for me.
Speaker 1:That's what I miss the most. Like, I mean there's days where I remember spending all day welding, like you're doing, half inch fillets on giant tanks, and it's like weeks of welding.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, but down the whole time, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I kind of miss those days sometimes where you're just like listening to your music. Yep Podcast yeah. Just humming along burning wire.
Speaker 3:It is nice.
Speaker 1:It's kind of nice, you get sick of it. But what I really miss is I miss working on big projects. I miss working on like we would build components for the mining industry that were in the tons like five, six ton pieces and they were like three, four hundred parts involved that's really.
Speaker 3:That's so fun. I miss that. See, you know exactly what I'm saying. See, I've never worked on something like that, but that's really cool to hear yeah, that is the fun stuff when you're actually that stuff's out west.
Speaker 1:We do the big stuff out west. You guys do all the fancy TIG stuff.
Speaker 3:in the east, we do the heavy stuff in the west I love the TIG, though, and I know that there's a little less money to be made in. Tig, especially because like you said, it's the littler things and it's slower.
Speaker 1:I love SIG. I'm old school mining guy, stick and flux core. Let me rip Fair enough.
Speaker 3:I mean, hey, nowadays I'm doing flux core all the time, or metal core, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:So in the US they don't have a fab program. You know you're working with more US partners now the fab tech is a US thing. You have a passion for students and you're thinking about getting into teaching. Is there a convergence there? Could you be hayley the fabricator promoting the dying fabrication, which it is a dying trade, you know, in the us? Or do you care if it's canada? Do you care?
Speaker 3:if it's you, it's wherever it's wherever the wind blows me honestly I mean I understand that there's, like I said I was looking at, all the automation and all the. There's obviously a certain chunk of the fabrication world that, yes, is just going to get bulldozed, and it's just. Efficiency is number one yeah. But there will always be certain things that you just need somebody with an actual cognitive brain.
Speaker 1:The maintenance side of industry will never be automated, never. You can't, you can't, yeah.
Speaker 3:And even with the welding you could be said the same thing. There's so many robot welders, so anything that you're doing a production of, there's no need for production welders.
Speaker 3:You can just have those robots going in and doing that, right? So growing with the industry is going to be the biggest challenge, but none of us can foresee that, right. We can come to events like this and see where it's headed and see where it's come to so far, because I, honestly, have learned so much over just yesterday that I didn't know before coming here, right?
Speaker 3:That it's just like oh, wow, okay, I didn't know that this was a thing and people are learning on this niche or fixing this problem in the industry. It's so cool to see. That's why I say, when you asked me earlier if there was one company that wanted to take me over 100% because I was like if there's somewhere where I can fit in and excel and really learn about just that one thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at least until the next plateau.
Speaker 3:Right, Then it'll be like okay, what else can I do Now? What?
Speaker 1:Give right, then it'll be like okay, what else?
Speaker 3:can I do give me a raise?
Speaker 1:which is fine, because I'm like that too. It's like. This has been awesome. I love this job. I don't really badmouth any job I've ever had, because I learned something, yeah, at every single one, but there was the day that I left yes and it was the day where I was like I've outgrown these pair of pants yeah time to move into my jolly jumper or whatever it is.
Speaker 1:You know my overalls are, you know, like I I keep growing, both physically and intellectually but that's all right, that's all right, it's a good balance do you, you know, in terms of of your career, would you ever want to go back to just straight up private industry? You know like if you know a nuclear power plant calls up hailing, says you know what, 200k. You're done with the internet, you're done with that, you're just gonna come work now. Is that a no?
Speaker 3:I would. I don't say no to anything yeah, yeah I don't think I could ever say for sure, no yeah but because I don't like closing doors yeah, I like having my options especially when you're when you're dealing with the big bucks to be made in those kind of things even last night I had somebody telling me that they're like you should be going up north on the pipeline, like what's six months, like that link of an eye it's done and you're making so much. I'm like yes and no it's.
Speaker 1:I don't like that work.
Speaker 3:I don't yeah I said this uh, at the beginning of my career I said I don't think I could ever be away from my family that long I don't think I could ever just you know what I mean be that invested and shut off. Yeah, but there's so many people that what's six months?
Speaker 1:yeah, no right, and I never liked it. But now I travel for three months a year and well, it's different.
Speaker 3:Yeah, right, like right, and it's just like it's to each their own, and it's also the different times of your life, like I might be saying no now, but like you said yeah in the future, I might plateau and I might get to the point where I'm like you know what I just want to like get back in industry. Yeah, yeah yeah, and I and, like I said, I can't sit still. So there, if I ever fully step myself out of the actual fabrication, which I kind of hope not to even if it's just um with teaching even if that's the way that I'm still on the floor and and actually and involved.
Speaker 3:Yeah, then so be it right. I don't want to close any doors, I don't want to say no to anything, but we'll see where the wind takes me.
Speaker 1:The company you work for now. Did they give you any instructions coming to Fabtech? Were they like, hey, can you find us a good deal on a chop saw, or can you find you know here that you're going to go back to your boss and be like, hey, you should be looking at one of these things. It's going to help us save money.
Speaker 3:I thought about it. There's so many moving parts in my company right now. They're going through so much change that it's all upper management. Right now there's not very much investment in the main ground floor and I was talking to my boss about it because he knows, my supervisor knows, but like the ceo and like the actual people that would be ordering those, kind of things they they're running around with like chickens with their heads cut off right now there was no, hey, can I be helped they've got enough on their plate, right now just didn't line up come back on the shopping list being like we need these.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it would have been nice.
Speaker 3:I'm sure it would have been nice and like my supervisor would have been like, yeah, get us a new product, get us you know, get us all the new equipment, but it's also like there's just so many people above him that like I said, have so many bigger fish to fry right now at this time in the company that it doesn't seem like that was going to be a thing. But knowing that I don't know where the wind's going to take me, after this.
Speaker 3:I've definitely kept an open mind with everybody that I've been talking to, trying to get as many business cards as I can, because you never know where I'm going to go next.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 3:And to be able to say, hey, I was just at Fabtech, even though that was however many months ago. Right, If you want, I can get in contact with the companies that I met.
Speaker 1:I met with so-and-so from this company, I got a connection for you, I got a network for you.
Speaker 3:Exactly, and then I can maybe take that on to the next job, or maybe my boss does notice that I was here.
Speaker 1:The CEO does notice that I was here. You run into him being like oh hey, yeah, yeah, I was there.
Speaker 3:And he'll be like did you see any of this?
Speaker 1:And I on contacts, let's set up a meeting. You know what about for yourself? Like you know, we're welders are notoriously bad for the endless side hustles, we're always like yeah, I have a job, only one, why not three? Right, so you got your real job. You got the this market where you're working to support the trades with fabtech. What other stuff do you got going on aside? What other projects are you working on, like in the haley world?
Speaker 3:nothing quite currently, but like I said so because I've got so much coming up with writing my red seal and being I'll be studying all winter long. Um, I've got my trip in the spring. Then it's just like okay. So me and my boyfriend have been talking about buying a house.
Speaker 3:We've been talking, okay, where's going to be the best to relocate and and things like that, even if we just move to a new city and we don't buy a house yet, like there's, yeah, we're scoping kind of everything right now, and I feel like I'm at this very transitional spot in my life where this next year I can't, I I guarantee six months from now I'm not going to be almost the same person than I am right now, because it's just there's so many things that I can see for myself that are coming up that it's just like I'm not sure I'm not sure.
Speaker 1:Episode three shows up with a bright red Mohawk and it's like, oh, wow, okay, here we are.
Speaker 3:Maybe not that far, but yeah, who knows Honestly, who knows?
Speaker 1:What do you want? What's left on your bucket list? Today You're flying out tomorrow. What got left to do? What do you want to make sure you do?
Speaker 3:so there was a few that I walked by, like I said, when I was a little zoned out and just kind of browsing, because, like I walked around the whole building today I think I'm going to focus on the west building that I saw what I needed to see, at least in my position, my opinion for the south building. If I wanted to go back I always can. But, um, there was somebody that I had met last night that I'm going to try and see if I can meet up with. She wanted to show me one of the finishing. That's why I said I'm going to try.
Speaker 3:I really want to check out the finishing, just because I didn't really get to see any of it yesterday.
Speaker 1:Is that Lexi from DynaBlade?
Speaker 3:No, but I'm sure I'll meet her as well.
Speaker 1:Because she's always, they always have great finishing products. Okay, Okay, yeah, I'm sure. Oh well, look out for Lexi now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there'll be so many cool things and I mean I didn't actually get to see ESAB yesterday. I ended up checking out some of the other bigger companies. There's just so much, like I said, and it's only one day for me, so it's just there are quite a few that are still on that list that I walked by where I was like, okay, now I want to loop back around and check them out, just see what they've got.
Speaker 1:What about the speaker sessions? Have you gone to any of the speaker sessions?
Speaker 3:Unfortunately not so. By the time my head stopped spinning in the late afternoon yesterday, I realized most of them had finished.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're usually in the mornings and the afternoons.
Speaker 3:So I am actually hoping that after this I can head over take a look at that before I get onto the shop floor, and then I can spend the rest of the day on the shop floor to the shop floor and then I could spend the rest of the day on the shop floor.
Speaker 1:That's kind of awesome, yeah. And then, in terms of, like, anything you'd like to buy for yourself, have you looked around? Because, like I mean, I've done it two fab techs in a row where I buy myself a welding machine on the last day because they're cheap here. They don't want to fly back with them and I always tell everyone do your swag run. People bring things to fab tech that they don't want to take home.
Speaker 1:The whole point is to tell them yeah, right so last year I ended up buying a welder for 50 bucks, brand new, because they're like we don't want to take it. Make me an offer. I was like 50 bucks down in my suitcase, let's go no way I did that and I did that two years ago. So I got like two little cool little welders in my garage that I got like for dirt cheap at fabtech my whole torch sets from fabtech like there's things I pick up.
Speaker 1:Have you done your swag run yet? Have you gotten the bag and filled it up with stickers and stuff?
Speaker 3:I did do quite a bit yesterday, but I also flew with just a personal item no carry-on no check bag well, that's.
Speaker 1:That's a tactical error. I know next time I can't do a check bag on the way home um, but no, I honestly hadn't anticipated it.
Speaker 3:I do have my welder at home um, but, like I said, with so many moving parts in my, in my world at least at this point I can't really bring too much and also like um, so I've got like a shed right now. It's not the easiest setup for welding.
Speaker 2:I can do things I can do stuff with my bike and no problem or everything.
Speaker 3:But right at the current moment there's not too much room for growth in there, so I'm hoping I mean yeah. I'm hoping that when I get a new spot, when Fabtech comes back around and it'll be in Toronto, like I said, in a year or two then I can go crazy, Then I can really load up my shop.
Speaker 1:That's going to be fun.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean. As I said there's so many moving parts right now it's hard to say anything's definite, but it's in the future. I can see it.
Speaker 1:All right. Last question For somebody who's never gone to a Fabtech. Now that you've been at your own, especially as a Canadian woman, what would you recommend that, as soon as they get off the plane, day day one, start checking these things out, like in terms of what you've learned about timing, the size, the people, the events, you know what? What advice could you give someone that's coming to the show?
Speaker 3:yeah, some good questions. Uh, or sorry, yeah and uh, I'd say I did like the fact that I mapped out the floor before I stuck to anything. I honestly, I really learned where everything was going to be, to then dive in.
Speaker 1:Kind of give yourself a checklist of places you want to hit A little bit yeah.
Speaker 3:Definitely look at the maps beforehand like scroll in.
Speaker 1:Because it is huge. It is huge.
Speaker 3:Especially when there's two buildings To know. So the one thing I didn't see, at least personally before I came here, was that everything was going to be set up proper sections. I saw that like, okay, all the welding seems to be over here. But to see specifically, okay, this is the welding, finishing, bending, forming, yeah exactly and to know, okay, what you're looking for, dive into that and just walk each aisle before you commit learn where everything is down, every aisle it's a lot of walking wear comfortable shoes.
Speaker 1:That's the other big tip. Don't wear high heels wear sneakers.
Speaker 3:Who cares about? Looks at this point.
Speaker 1:It's a ton of work here.
Speaker 3:I only brought my runners so that I wasn't tempted to wear anything else, because I was like if you wear anything else, your feet are gonna hurt and I've walked probably at least 20,000 steps, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I've lost track probably crushed that in one day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure so if I was in anything else other than my runners, yeah, I'd be so sore today.
Speaker 1:I got good shoes. Good Good, yeah, I brought a pair of dress shoes once that weren't good.
Speaker 3:No, oh my God, I thought I was going to die. I heard some people with blisters last night.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I've seen a lot of people leaving the party feet. Yes, I walked out with one of the girls with bare feet because, yeah, 100 if you're not in comfortable shoes, that's. That'd be my biggest piece of advice comfortable shoes, be ready to walk and yeah, be ready to walk um?
Speaker 3:just do a lap, just see where everything is like get yourself familiar, right.
Speaker 1:So oh yeah right.
Speaker 3:There's lots of time to see all the things you want, so figure out where things are. There's no rush to get to anything. If you get pulled aside and you find something cool, go right ahead.
Speaker 1:Stick with it, yeah. Play with the toys yeah.
Speaker 3:They've got so much cool stuff here to see so just enjoy it. Awesome, enjoy it.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much for coming on the show with us and taking the time I know you've had. Have a great today and tomorrow and you get to knock off those checklists and we'll see you at many more fab techs to come yes, you will any shout outs for anybody, anyone. How do people follow you? How do people find you?
Speaker 3:uh, hayley, the fabricator on instagram, and uh, you can send me an email anytime for any sort of promotions. And yeah, perfect. Thank you very much for having me, thank you and for the people following along on the podcast.
Speaker 1:thanks so much for being a part of this great Fabtech series, which is now a tradition with us. We still got, I think, three or four more to do in the next two days. We're going to be busy. Watch them all, Comment, share, download and also participate in our new fan mail option on our website, on BuzzPro. All right, thank you very much and I'll catch you at the next episode.
Speaker 2:We hope you enjoy the future. Produced by the CWB Group and presented by Max Holman, this podcast serves to educate and connect the welding community. Please subscribe and thank you for listening.