I have been involved in welding and design since 1996. I started off my career working for Poole & Associate steel detailing in San Antonio. My responsibilities included designing structural steel weldments for petrochemical plants and other heavy industrials. I worked there for about 6 years redrawing framing plans, designing bracing and column line beams along with handrails plans. This is when I was introduced to AutoCad and a basic understanding in AutoLISP.
In 2002 I had the opportunity to work for Jackson Steel & Empire Steel and Many Others handling material management. My responsibilities during this time involved reviewing shop plans for design errors and ordering steel from suppliers, along with learning how to detail stairways and other complex connection designs. In my free time I taught myself how to write my own detailing software in AutoLISP. Between office staff jobs, I worked for a few temporary employers as a welder fitting up steel. Welding with both MIG and FCAW-Gas. In 2005 I was hired as a project manager attending meetings with owners and general contractors and doing field surveying for dimension recovery. Also doing material take-offs and cost estimates for new projects. I continued to occasionally work as a temporary welder and obtained myself certification in FCAW-G Welding.
In 2007 I started up Texas Steel Detailers as a full time steel detailing service working for many structural welding shops around Texas. The work entailed detailing projects up to 60 tons. In 2012 I started building on my skills by taking additional welding classes at St. Philips College. I received my certification in SMAW. I then rented out a small work shop and formed MadCat Metals. I started my welding shop working on fabrication of light structural steel and eventually expanded to my main focus on light steel fabrication and architectural metalwork.