WELDING TOGETHER A FAMILY BUSINESS

By Jenny Kirk Slayton native Brayden Ahlers always knew he wanted to have his own business someday, and after gaining a post-secondary education and valuable work experience, he put that plan into action with the recent opening of Ahlers Welding and Fabrication.

Ahlers has the ability to create custom-designed items, do all sorts of repair work and more. The possibilities are truly endless. “We can build anything custom” he said. “If you want it, chances are we can build it. We can do a lot of repair work — anything you need repaired, metal-wise. With farm equipment that comes in, we can weld that back together — fix it, plate it — whatever is needed.”

At Ahlers Welding and Fabrication, they’re able to weld steel, mild steel and aluminum. “I think we’re going to get into some stainless material as well,” Ahlers said. “That’ll mainly be MIG (metal inert gas) welding. I can TIG (tungsten inert gas) weld the aluminum, too.”

In addition to a massive CNC Plasma table, Ahlers’ “toolbox” of equipment includes a stickwelder and a mobile unit. Rates will vary, depending on the length of time it takes and what material is used. “I’ll be able to go out anywhere and fire up the mobile unit,” Ahlers said. “It’ll be using stick-welding only. The majority of the time, it’ll be used for fixing tractors, planters or anything you need out in the field. When someone can’t get into the shop, we’ll be able to go out to them and get the job done.”

While Brayden, a 2021 graduate of Murray County Central, is at the center of the new business, several family members will also play key roles in its success. Dad, Dan, is a partner in the business, while Mom, Jaime, will pitch in with bookwork and wherever else might be needed. His older brother, Cole, designs the projects on his computer. “Brayden knew from the start that he wanted to own his own business,” Jaime Ahlers said. “The opportunity came about a little sooner than we originally thought, but it’s OK. It’s really been a family effort.”

Cole, a 2019 graduate at MCC, was first introduced to the metal-cutting Plasma table while he was in high school, as was Brayden. “Cole was the main guy running it,” Brayden said. “I was around it a little bit, but I took more of a liking to the hands-on aspect of it, the welding and more of the manual labor stuff. I went to college for that, and I’ve been in love with it ever since.”

With the great power of technology, Cole is able to complete the design work from his residence in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. “Cole designs it on his computer, and when he’s done designing, he’ll put a code in and send it our way,” Brayden said. “We basically plug it in and hit ‘play.’ We have to put the sheet metal on there and line it up, but that’s about it. The Plasma table takes care of the rest.”

Sometimes, there will be a few more steps in the process. After the custom design process is finished, it’s likely to be cleaned up and if necessary, be painted. “Sometimes, if we have to, we’ll paint an item, but we don’t want to focus on that,” Brayden Ahlers said.

Since purchasing and taking possession of the former Hegstad Equipment building on the south side of Slayton this past month, just about everyone in the family, including Brayden’s oldest brother, Jordan, youngest brother Ben, Grandpa Don Schmitz and good family friend Dave Peterson all stepped up to help get the business ready to roll. “We spent the first two weeks getting the machines in, getting the steel brought in, cleaning and painting,” Jaime Ahlers said. “Then we did a soft opening. We put it on Facebook, saying we’re open for business. All of a sudden, we had customers.”

Along with meeting specific customer needs, the family has also been busy creating an inventory of items to have on-hand for customers to buy. “We’re planning on designing multiple different firepits,” Brayden said. “We can cut them out here and build them. We can either weld them together or they can be fully collapsible. I’m excited (about the new business). It’s a lot right now, but it’s going to be good. I think we’ll be really busy.”

Fixing a dock ramp for the county, patching up a hole in an aluminum flatbed trailer for a truck driver and welding a mount on a planter for a farmer are among the jobs Ahlers Welding and Fabrication has done so far. Jaime Ahlers believes the new business will continue to keep busy despite there being quite a few welders around the area who are also in the industry. “Some are good friends and family of ours, and they say they’re just so busy,” she said. “They can’t even keep up, so there must be a need for it. There was also a welder in town here that recently retired.”

Brayden is confident that the industry itself will never go away. “It will always be needed,” he said. “You sometimes hear that robots will take over, but only to an extent. You still need the human side to run the robots. You can have a robot weld some stuff, but if you’re repairing something, you can’t have a robot do that.”

A professional in the welding and fabrication industry needs to develop a wide range of skills, which Jaime Ahlers said her son, Brayden, has. “He has a pretty steady hand,” she said. “He can make things look new again.”

According to Brayden, he also has the capability to do bending work. “Right now, I’m working on hydraulic metal brakes,” he said. “I can click a button with my foot and it’ll come down and bend whatever size material we need, probably up to quarter to half an inch thick.”

Ahlers Welding and Fabrication will also sell any of the materials they get in, such as sheets of steel or aluminum, in addition to square tubing or angle iron. “If we’ve got it, we’ll sell it to you,” Brayden said.

The new business is located at 3147 34th Street in Slayton. The hours are roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and also by appointment. People can call (507-393-0014) or stop in to place orders. The family also welcomes people who are curious about the business or anyone who wants to see the new changes at the facility. “I’m here every day at 8, and I’m here till the work is done for the day,” Brayden said. “It’ll vary, but I’m usually here till at least 5.”

With the family supporting each other, it’s entirely possible that the new business could remain in operation for several decades, much like the Hegstad’s did before them at the same facility. Dan Ahlers, who has his own trucking company, said the Hegstad business went back to the 1950s. “Eventually, Dad will fizzle out and Brayden will take over,” Jaime Ahlers said. “We have another son, Ben, who is a junior at MCC. He’s thinking of possibly going into the business when he graduates — go to school for business and maybe join in. Who knows? It’s hard to say what will happen in the future. One thing is for sure, everybody will pitch in when needed.”

A grand opening will be scheduled for a later date, possibly in June.