Driving Our Economy Forward: Chambers Welding and Fabrication
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Chambers Welding and Fabrication is a prime example of girl power.
Those with the women-owned small business say they “strive to empower welders in our community and provide an equal opportunity to all who are interested in the trade.”
It’s one way Chambers is driving our economy forward.
“Chambers Welding and Fabrication is a fabrication company in which we do all forms of welding,” said Owner Chanda Chambers. “You know, we do make Tig stick, we do stainless steel, aluminum. We do structural steel. We’re certified D 1.1. D 1.2, which is still repair or structural repair. And bridge work. I actually have a background in human resources. When you’re an entrepreneur, you see an idea in everything. And so I did, and I met my husband, and he was like, what do you want to do? And I told him, I want to own my own business. And he said, yes, let’s do it. It’s not so challenging. You have a lot of people who root you on if you know what you’re doing. You have a lot of people who will root you on and help you when you don’t know the minor details. But as long as you’re for the people that you employ and for the community, I think people have open hearts to accept you in.”
“I just thought it was fun to set stuff on fire,” said Apprentice Jacelyn Jones. “I like the problem solving that comes with it every day and not knowing what you’re going to do. Yeah, the money is good. If you do travel, welding, that’s good. Commercial like this is good. Money talks, and it makes people do what they want to do.”
“We help out young kids that are looking to get into the welding program or the welding field to seek a career out,” said VP Brent Chambers. “We also help people that want to come in and learn a new skill to get a job, maybe make a little bit more money than what they’re making at their current job and try to better their lives.”
“This lifestyle affords you about $16 an hour as a helper, and then from that, based off of your grit, you get more,” Chanda Chambers said. “And so that’s pretty much how it is in construction. You got to earn your keep every day. We want to make sure that we open our arms to everyone who want an opportunity, because that’s the biggest part. Being a part of the community is being a solid solution for the community and a place that the community can grow through you. And so we try to embody that here. We try our best to reach to many different levels, whether it’s private school or whether it’s public school, whether it’s a homeless shelter, or whether it’s project uplift. We’re always trying to look for someone who’s looking for opportunity for employment so we can make a difference in the community and in their lives.”
