R&M Welding and Fabrication - Competitive Athlete Found Love in Fabrication

Building and Expanding a Business 

R&M Welding and Fabrication is a small town welding and fabrication business located in Greeley, Colorado. The company is owned by Monica Coakley and her husband Rob. Rob has over 20 years of welding experience and has specialized in stainless steel piping for oil fields. Monica is relatively new to the industry. For much of her life she was a competitive athlete.

She was a Strong Woman and Crossfit competitor at a high level. Monica’s talent attracted sponsorships from large companies such as 4 Wheel Parts. However, 3 years ago she had what is likely a career ending injury. While performing a lift, her hips tore off the bones. She has had surgeries and is still recovering to this day. After the injury, Monica needed something else she could fall in love with. She then discovered metal fabrication and fell in love with how artistic she could be and the entire process of bringing to life a project from a sheet of metal.

This new found love elevated the fabrication side of the business. She and her husband’s ultimate goal is to open a pipe welding school. A few years ago they started the process, but the pandemic temporarily paused their progress. One can stay up to date with the opening of the school by following their Colorado Welding Institute Facebook and Instagram pages.

From Ground Zero to Expert Fabricator

Since her injury, Monica has continued to expand her fabrication skills. She started with nearly no CNC experience, but her progression has been exponential. Originally, Monica and R&M Welding and Fabrication were using a handheld plasma cutter to complete projects. She fabricated a gazebo and cut all the gussets by hand. She wanted to find equipment that would expand the business’s capabilities and efficiency. A couple years ago at Fabtech, Monica saw a Torchmate X table and knew R&M Welding and Fabrication needed that kind of machine. They purchased the Torchmate X in the beginning of 2022.

We asked Monica why she decided to choose a Torchmate over other CNC table brands. She said, “Torchmate was the brand we kept hearing about. The tables are in a lot of CNC Facebook groups and we already trust and love our Lincoln Electric welders. When we went to Fabtech, our little boy wrote an article on what he wanted to do when he grew up. He wanted a Lincoln Electric welder and wanted to be a professional welder. Lincoln Electric saw the story our son wrote and sent him a welder and swag as a surprise. 

After that amazing experience, I knew Torchmate would be the best fit for our business.” After purchasing the Tochmate X, Monica was eager to learn how to use the machine to its fullest. “At first, I knew nothing about the Torchmate machine, I started from ground zero. I decided to fly out to Torchmate’s headquarters in Reno, Nevada to take the in-house Torchmate training class. The class and instructors were awesome. After completing the Torchmate training, I felt like I could conquer the machine. I had a new and exciting goal to build a sign for our shop using the Torchmate X,” Monica explained. 

Torchmate is Helping to Achieve Life Goals

R&M Welding and Fabrication has expanded its capabilities and grown its customer base since purchasing the Torchmate X. Monica achieved her goal of using the Torchmate to make a sign for their shop. She has become excellent at using the machine and now makes massive high quality signs. She recently fabricated a large 10 foot by 7 and half foot multilayered sign for Longs Peak Dairy in Galeton, Colorado. This sign took two weeks to make and consists of five layers and six colors. Monica also made an Elway Powersports sign for NFL Football Legend, John Elway.

R&M Welding and Fab also use their Torchmate X for many other projects. They have fabricated projects for cities, oil fields and other large clients. The Torchmate X runs seven days a week. “Since I am constantly learning more about the machine and as it runs more frequently, I have experience talking to Torchmate’s support team. Their support and customer service have been great. We just bought a whole new computer, and Torchmate support got Torchmate CAD installed on the computer with no problems. In the past, I have busted little things on the machine. I would call Torchmate and sometimes they would overnight a part to me. I feel like I am calling a mom-and-pop company where I am not just another person,” said Monica.

R&M Welding and Fabrication’s Torchmate table allowed the business to reach new heights and gain new clients. Now, they will more easily be able to fund and achieve their ultimate goal of opening a pipe welding school. Thank you to R&M Welding and Fabrication and Monica Coakley for telling their story. On behalf of everyone at Lincoln Electric, we are thankful for each of our customers’ business and are happy to be contributing to your successes.

Check out R&M Welding and Fabrication’s social channels. On their Instagram and Facebook, they display a wide variety of their metal fabrication projects. Customers can browse through R&M Welding and Fabrication’s portfolio and contact them directly. Additionally, visitors will find behind the scenes photos and videos about how the business completes small and large projects. To view their social content, place an order, or for more information about the business, please visit their visit their Facebook, Instagram pages.

Check out Torchmate CNC Plasma Tables here and see how you can start growing your business!

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