Welding with Staci
Episode #99: Join us in this extraordinary episode of the She Builds Show as we sit down with the remarkable Staci Martinez, a proud resident of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who is living a life filled with passion, family, entrepreneurship, and community empowerment.
Staci is a true multitasker, balancing her roles as a devoted wife and mother to three daughters while pursuing her entrepreneurial dreams. Part of her journey involves being a part-time fitness coach, where she shares her knowledge and motivation to help others achieve their fitness goals. Her dedication to helping individuals become their best selves shines through in her fitness coaching, making a positive impact on the health and well-being of her clients.
But Staci’s entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t stop there. Staci’s expertise extends into the world of welding, running her own small business and creating beautiful metal art pieces. On occasion, she crafts custom furniture for local home builders, showcasing her versatility as an artisan.
Staci is deeply committed to giving back to her community, she serves as the Secretary of The Hooded Heroes Foundation, where she dedicates her time to providing support and assistance to aspiring welding students. Her efforts help these students obtain the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) needed for their education. Staci finds immense satisfaction in this role, knowing that she is making a tangible difference in the lives of young welders, removing barriers to their education and safety.
ABOUT STACI MARTINEZ:
Staci Martinez is a passionate resident of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where she leads a fulfilling and diverse life. With three daughters and a loving husband, Staci is dedicated to nurturing her family while pursuing her entrepreneurial ventures.
Staci is proud to be a part-time fitness coach, sharing her knowledge and motivation to help others achieve their fitness goals. In addition to her fitness coaching, Staci also runs two businesses. Alongside her husband, she owns a wood flooring business where they work together and provide exceptional craftsmanship. Staci’s expertise extends beyond wood flooring as she has also embarked on her own small business welding, creating beautiful metal art pieces and occasionally crafting custom furniture for a local home builder.
While chasing her dream of becoming a full-time metal sculptor, Staci remains committed to giving back to her community. As the Secretary of The Hooded Heroes Foundation, she dedicates her time to offering support and assistance to struggling welding students by helping them obtain the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for their education. She finds tremendous satisfaction in this role, knowing that she is making a difference in the lives of aspiring welders.
Staci’s love for welding goes beyond her personal pursuits. She actively participates in local high school weld competitions as a judge, eager to share her experiences and inspire the younger generation. Speaking with students about her craft brings her great joy and fulfillment.
In summary, Staci Martinez embodies the spirit of determination, entrepreneurship, and giving back. With her businesses, volunteer work, and dedication to the welding trade, she is a true role model making a positive impact in her community and beyond.
CONNECT WITH STACI:
• Website: https://issuu.com/siouxfallswoman/docs/sfw_jj23-issuu
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staci-martinez-2a241622a
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/605_shieldmaiden
WAYS TO CONNECT WITH STEFANIE…
• Website: https://shebuildshomes.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shebuildsbetter
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shebuilds.homes
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shebuildsshow
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
0:01 Welcome to the She Builds Show.
0:03 I’m your host, Stefanie Olson, a licensed general contractor who builds new construction, renovates and designs your vision today.
0:12 More than ever, we need raw, authentic women who are willing to rise above society’s norms, break the those glass ceilings and encourage each other to boldly build the life we were meant to live.
0:24 So, honey, what are you building?
0:27 Welcome to the show.
0:29 What, tell us maybe one of your most passionate things that you’re doing right now.
0:34 First of all, thanks for having me and one of my favorite things that I’m doing right now.
0:39 Yeah.
0:40 Right now I’m actually building another sculpture for the sculpture walk downtown Sioux Falls and it’s one of the biggest sculpture walks in the world.
0:49 I’m super excited to be part of that.
0:52 My first one last year was the Gnome.
0:55 That’s, yeah, that’s what I’m doing right now.
0:57 I have a few other things going on right now that are really big too.
1:00 That’s amazing.
1:01 And so you’re doing the sculpture because you weld right?
1:05 Like that is your passion welding.
1:07 Yes, I went.
1:09 How did you learn how to weld or where did that come from, or was it in your family?
1:14 Where did that start?
1:16 Sure.
1:16 I worked at a manufacturing company here in town.
1:20 I was working shipping and receiving and inventory management.
1:25 They were short on welders, and they asked me if I wanted to tell them, no, at first and then they kind of, you know, persisted that I did it and I tried it and I instantly fell in love with it.
1:38 I got certified through that.
1:40 And then I just, yeah, my husband and I started a company and then as soon as he was up and ready, I started my own welding company.
1:49 So that’s awesome.
1:51 Tell us what types of welding you do.
1:53 So I know a bit about welding because my son Wels and he like went through this whole welding program in high school and he absolutely loved it.
2:01 And so what’s your, like maybe tell the audience like your favorite type and the types that, you know, because I know that there’s not just one type of welding, right?
2:10 I am a meg welder and I do not really know much about any of the others other than tech.
2:16 A couple of years ago, I was taught a little bit on a Tig Weld, and I fell in love with that too.
2:21 One day that’s going to come, you know how to explain the difference between the two.
2:28 I know that Tig Welding takes the tongs spin and I’m not sure about that process.
2:32 I just do know that meg welding takes gas and the electrode, and they come together and that’s how meg works.
2:39 It’s kind of a faster paced world as well.
2:42 When tig is like slower prettier dimes.
2:46 If you’ve ever heard of it, anybody saying stacking dimes, that’s where that comes in.
2:50 Ok.
2:51 Got it.
2:52 When you’re doing a sculpture.
2:53 How does, how long does something like that take you?
2:58 Like, what’s your process?
2:59 How many hours, you know, how big is this thing?
3:02 I’m just curious.
3:03 The Me too, right.
3:05 My gnome sculpture with the mushrooms and everything that was about 22 inches tall, about 65 lbs.
3:12 I actually made like a skeletal of it at first, but eight-inch rod and then I filled it in with scrap metal, just pieces of flat bar, eight-inch flat bar.
3:22 I just hammered it bent it the way I wanted it to kind of manipulate a little bit.
3:27 I welded ground some of the weld out to shape it.
3:29 And that’s pretty much that process in a short little nugget.
3:34 Do you have an idea of what the sculpture is going to be for this year?
3:38 Yeah.
3:38 I kind of ran out of time and initially I was going to do a man and his name is Mr. Ben and he’s well known around our area.
3:46 He’s kind of a local pop culture thing.
3:48 I’m running out of time.
3:49 I only have a few weeks left to get it in.
3:51 I’m going to do another sculpture with mushrooms.
3:55 And if I have time, I’m going to throw a little gnome in there because everybody loves it.
3:59 Seems to love the gnome.
4:01 I don’t know what it is with him, but I love him too.
4:05 That’s awesome.
4:07 Are you still working at that manufacturing plant doing welding or full time?
4:11 No, that was about nine years ago.
4:13 I quit there to help my husband start his wood floor business.
4:17 And then from there about, I’m three years in on my own business.
4:22 I left that Welding company about nine years ago.
4:25 OK.
4:26 Got it.
4:27 What does the, you know, like the daily process or, or what does the daily life look like for you with the well business?
4:36 What are people calling you for?
4:38 Is it more artistic or do you see like a very creative person that likes creativity is kind of your driver for all of this?
4:45 So tell me what do you offer in the business?
4:47 And what does that look like?
4:48 And do you know there’s a lot of people out there that have a passion for something?
4:52 And I think sometimes it’s hard to make money and be creative.
4:56 Like if you know, you have to work hard at your passion being combined with like making a living.
5:02 How does that work for you with what you’re doing and what does your business look like?
5:07 So right now I do a lot of fabrication work.
5:12 A friend of mine and I team up to do table legs, tables, shelving systems, chairs, you name it, whatever.
5:20 And he does the what I do the metal-huh.
5:24 That brings in quite a bit of money for me.
5:26 That’s like custom furniture.
5:29 Yes.
5:29 Custom furniture.
5:30 Yeah.
5:31 Custom a becomes me.
5:33 He kind of says, hey, this is kind of what we’re looking at.
5:36 We need to come up with something or he’ll like, bring me a little sketch and like, hey, can you make this look like this?
5:41 Yeah, you’re like, I love that part of it.
5:46 My ultimate goal is to make sculptures full time, kind of on the cusp of that right now.
5:51 And I’m starting to slow down on my fabrication part and headed more into the nose of sculptures.
6:00 Do you, how do you like go into sculptures full time?
6:03 Like, how do you do that?
6:04 Like, how do you get your sculptures out there?
6:06 What does, you know, because I beat them like that when you walk around and you don’t, I mean, most kind of people don’t be like, oh, I wonder who made that?
6:13 And if they’re doing that full time, they’re like, what, how do you do that?
6:19 I didn’t know this until I was, I entered Mr. Hegel Bovis is the Gnome’s name.
6:24 I entered him into the sculpture walk and I got in and we had an artist reception, so I got to speak with the other artists.
6:32 And I learned that once you are in this network of welders, it’s nationwide.
6:37 I’ll make a sculpture and if it gets in, it’ll get put on the sculpture book.
6:43 I get paid for that.
6:45 I can win the end of the year.
6:48 People’s Choice, whatever I put my sculpture at anywhere from like $1000 to $20,000.
6:55 If you win that People’s Choice award, the City of Sioux Falls buys that sculpture and places it downtown permanently for everybody to see if they don’t, another city could pick it up and pay me to display whatever sculpture I made for them.
7:13 I can win that people’s choice.
7:14 I can, I can put in as many sculptors as I want.
7:17 If I wanted to make five throughout the year, I can put them in and whichever one gets picked up wherever, that’s how I would make it, make money.
7:25 And then I get entered into like a kind of a database of sculptures and people can go to this place, look it up and if they see something that they like I would create or they want me to create something, they could pay me to make sculptures, just make them and, and post them and yeah, or do whatever.
7:47 That’s so cool.
7:48 How did you come up with the idea?
7:50 What did you call him in a little, you know, Mr. Hegel.
7:54 I know it’s so cheesy, but it makes people laugh when they say it so well.
7:59 How did you come up with that?
8:00 Like, where did that create?
8:01 Like, where did this idea come from?
8:03 Sure.
8:04 He was a commission piece originally.
8:07 I made him, and he came out, I, I had no idea that he was going to look the way he does.
8:12 He’s supposed to be functional.
8:14 He was originally named Roman Gnome.
8:17 And a lady from 605 magazine out here actually, like wrote an article about him about how he’s supposed to bring joy and happiness to people’s lives.
8:26 His backpack is actually functional.
8:28 I had to weld that shut for him being downtown.
8:30 People don’t rip it off.
8:32 But so his backpack would open, and you put gift cards or movie tickets or some kind of anything in the back of him.
8:39 And then he was to be put on people’s porches and then let them know that he’s supposed to be passed along from house to house.
8:46 That’s what, but once is that how that started?
8:51 That is how he got started.
8:53 When you say commission.
8:54 If somebody asked you to make him or ok, and then you changed his name, or somebody changed his name.
9:01 So once I made him and the lady seen what I had done, she’s like, I can’t take this from you.
9:08 I think he’s going to do really good things.
9:10 So we just have to learn something elsewhere.
9:13 And yeah, that and then I just made the rest of him.
9:15 He wasn’t my initial, I have a vision board.
9:18 He wasn’t my initial first thought that I would even have on the sculpture walk.
9:23 But I’m like, why not?
9:24 This is like something big for him and pull me in.
9:28 I just made the rest of him and entered him in the sculpture walk and, and I got in that is so cool and I love that.
9:36 There is a media behind it.
9:37 Did he actually get passed around for a period of time between people?
9:42 No, no, no.
9:45 I had like a month to decide whether I was going to put him in the sculpture walk or not.
9:50 I just threw together the other couple pieces.
9:53 Well, actually there’s a leaf, he sits on a leaf and then he’s got a, an umbrella which is the bigger mushroom and then there’s just little decorative mushrooms and, and vines and things like that.
10:04 Oh my gosh.
10:05 Is that the first poultry you’ve got?
10:08 Yes, other than other little pieces more on the fabrication side.
10:14 I actually have done well.
10:17 This was after Hagel, but I made what you want to call it like an emblem for the front of Kelly Murphy’s truck that he won on tough as nails season one.
10:28 He has that on the front of his truck.
10:31 That’s so cool.
10:33 Tell me a little bit about your family and kind of like your balance that I read that you also do like fitness or that you teach class.
10:40 I just, I, I’m, I’m so interested in people that aren’t just one thing.
10:47 You know what I mean?
10:48 That it’s like, I guess this notion that we all think, like, we’re only allowed to be one thing, like I’m only allowed to, to be this then and not flash that and, you know, reading your bio, it was just really cool to have it be expressed and have you be like, I’m, I’m a mom.
11:06 Like they, I do fitness.
11:07 I’m a welder.
11:08 Like I help my husband, I’m a wife.
11:09 Like I just like, it’s ok to be so many different things and let that be who you are.
11:16 Yeah, I’m a mom of three girls.
11:19 My husband and I have been together for 24 years this year.
11:22 Our oldest is 23.
11:23 She’s out of the house and then the other two are 13 and 15.
11:27 They’re not babies anymore.
11:28 That gives me a little bit of extra free play and I love fitness.
11:33 I do that part time, three days a week, 4 to 5 hours a day.
11:38 I love to do it.
11:39 I love helping people.
11:40 So that, yeah, that allows me to do that.
11:43 Do you allow to teach classes or what does, what is that fitness?
11:47 You know, so there’s two coaches.
11:50 You got one on the mic, you got one making sure everybody’s posture is right.
11:54 We got 30-minute classes.
11:56 We just go in and we demo what the class is going to look like.
11:59 And then we go through, and we encourage that.
12:00 We like, is it like a pit class or is it like a that you do?
12:06 It’s hit and our capacity is 70.
12:09 We usually have about half of that class a date.
12:12 We have time period.
12:13 We got like, I’ll do like the 5 a.m. the 6 a.m. seven and 8:15.
12:18 And there’s usually it just, it fluctuates, but that was a, they’re working out all morning.
12:24 No, I think by the time I leave here I have about 14 to 15,000 steps in.
12:30 On the days that I coach, by the time I’m done at the end of the night, I have about 24,000 steps in that a lot.
12:37 Like 10,000 is a lot.
12:39 That’s so that’s great.
12:42 Yeah.
12:42 And oh, it does.
12:46 I love it.
12:46 And I’m also, I don’t know if I eroded that, but oh, that I’m part of the Hooded Heroes population.
12:51 I think I did that too.
12:52 That’s another thing that I volunteer for.
12:55 We help students, welding students get the proper p pe that the loans fall short on.
13:01 So, hoods, gloves, safety glasses here, boots grinders.
13:07 We got a lot of sponsors that help with the product end of it, the tig cups and things like that.
13:13 Yeah.
13:13 We just make sure that they get the proper PP and all that kind of stuff.
13:18 There’s actually a checklist.
13:19 They’ll go off and write like what it is that they need, and we’ll put the package together and send it to them.
13:24 They have to write.
13:26 Yeah, we have to check references and things like that too just to make sure that they do need a hand up and it’s not just a handout, things like that.
13:34 Right.
13:35 Yeah, they’re just giving it away.
13:37 What do you think is just kind of speaking to that?
13:43 You know that we’re just not like this one thing, would you say like creativity and passion drives what you do most in your life or do you like?
13:50 Oh no, I have to just make money, and these are the things that I have to do like, was there a breaking point for you with that?
13:56 You know, with this other job, I just kind of want to see if you have any feedback on that.
14:01 Its fully passion driven.
14:03 And my husband, he’s really encouraging, and he does support a lot of what I do.
14:08 That is one of the reasons why I can do what I can’t do.
14:12 I don’t necessarily need the extra income.
14:14 Everything that I do I put into my account and that helps speed what I do Yeah, just being able to be supported and be passionate.
14:23 I think that having a partner like that and being able to live it out is a beautiful thing.
14:29 And I’m sure you support.
14:32 I’m sure I for sure.
14:34 Have you ever helped your husband in the wood floor business or how does that come into play?
14:38 Are you behind the scenes?
14:40 Have you ever done any that with them?
14:42 Yes.
14:42 I used to work side by side with him every single day and then it was just getting to where, because I did the office stuff too and the paperwork, all that kind of stuff, invoices, scheduling and all that kind of stuff.
14:55 It was getting to be too much for me to work side by side with him and do that at the same time.
15:00 I started cutting back my hours more and more and more.
15:03 And then once I started my own business, my welding business, I started pulling away just a little bit more teaching it kind of pushing it on to him a little bit more.
15:13 And now it’s more so with him, like I’ll go to estimates and things with him at the end of the day.
15:18 We have those scheduled for after work, so we’ll do those.
15:2 I got to kind of make time for that as well.
15:24 Yeah, that’s about all I do with that.
15:27 Now, it, it does help with work unless he, unless he’s behind or needs help, then I’ll go on a job and help him with that.
15:35 You know how, you know everything there is to know about.
15:39 Like, is it, are you guys doing mainly hardwood or are you doing like LBP?
15:42 What’s kind of like the, you know, the trade that you learned there?
15:47 Yep.
15:47 My husband’s done wood flooring his whole life.
15:50 He grew up doing it because his dad was second generation.
15:53 We sand and restore and refinish hardwood floors.
15:57 Old school.
15:58 We do LBT LBP.
16:01 We don’t do carpet, we don’t do ceramic tile, none of that kind of stuff.
16:04 There was a point in time where I needed to have a crew.
16:07 My oldest daughter and her friends would come on site with me, and I would have them rack out a floor or lay the paper down for the vapor burrier floor down and things like that.
16:18 Yes, I have ran my own crew.
16:19 I know how to do it and things like that so I can run my own crew if I needed to get.
16:25 Yeah, he could throw some wood floor down if he had to.
16:27 That’s so cool.
16:28 Yeah, I wish that that was something I know how to do because I got to look at my floors all the time.
16:32 Like, our stairs, stairs feel like they’re the most complicated thing with wood floors.
16:39 I don’t know why.
16:40 It just boggles my mind with stairs.
16:43 Yes, the stairs are something I don’t really do.
16:45 Joe usually does.
16:46 Those.
16:47 I know it’s like a whole other animal, stairs.
16:50 Like I’m going to cut the angle wrong and wrong.
16:57 Ok.
16:58 Well, what would be a place that people could find you follow you, you know, be able to contact you if they think.
17:05 Oh, my gosh.
17:06 You know, I’m the owner of this city or of the mayor of whatever.
17:09 Like, where can I find her to have a sculpture and have your expertise that get out into the world?
17:15 Where can people find you?
17:17 Sure.
17:17 I’m 605 Field Maiden on Instagram and that is mostly where I am.
17:22 That’s my hang out.
17:24 I do have email so it’s 605ShieldMaiden @ gmail.com.
17:28 I love the name.
17:30 Thank you.
17:31 What’s is 605?
17:32 Your area code.
17:34 Yes.
17:34 Ok.
17:35 And then where did you come up with the name?
17:37 Shield Maiden?
17:39 I mean, I know it’s because of like the, well I feel but like what about how many other, you know, names did you have for that?
17:47 For ideas?
17:48 This was just what I came up with the 605 obviously for the area code and the shield, you know the Shield for Welding and then like Shield Maiden.
17:57 If you look back at what a shield made is like online, it’s just this really, you know, be a chick, you know, like warrior chick.
18:05 And I’m like, that sounds kind of cool.
18:07 But my logo is like, it’s, it’s kind of a Norse thing and my logo actually means something to, it’s create your own reality.
18:18 I don’t know if you see the, the two little lines, it’s just what it means is create your own reality.
18:24 That’s honest from the Absolutely.
18:27 That’s beautiful.
18:28 Well, it has been a pleasure to get to know you and what you do and how you live out your life and a creative and you know, kind of way to give back and I think a lot of people will just completely relate with that.
18:42 Awesome.
18:42 Well, thanks for having me on the show.
18:44 I appreciate it.
18:44 It was great to meet you.
18:46 Yes, you too.
18:47 Ok.
18:47 Well, have a great day and we’ll chat soon.
18:50 Thank you.
18:51 You too.
18:51 Take care.
18:52 You too.
18:53 Bye.
18:54 Thanks for joining me today on the She Builds Show.
18:57 My name is Stefanie Olson.
18:58 My hope is that this episode leaves you feeling empowered and ready to boldly take that step into building the life that you envision one 2×4 at a time.
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19:19 Make sure you add your name to the review, and I’ll reach out if you’re the winner.
19:22 Thanks again for hanging out.
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