In an age where computers and technology have taken over, its becoming more difficult to find new and exciting blue collar companies started by millennials. However, Mitchell Bobbera has begun to make quite the name for himself in Gilbert, West Virginia.

At 21 years old, Mitchell began Main Street Metals, a metalworking shop that was originally started in an old gas station. Using what he learned from welding school, Mitchell began to make metal sculptures using old horseshoes after he graduated from high school. Once he made enough money, Mitchell bought plasma cutting table, which enabled him to create much more intricate and detailed designs. Using this machine, Mitchell is able to program the machine to cut precise metal shapes and outlines. He learned to use this machine by practicing with it and seeing how it worked. By using the machine countless times, Mitchell has become a master with the machine and can use it to create valuable metal pieces.

Although he has a website for his business and advertises through Facebook and Instagram, interestingly much of his business’s popularity is due to the word-of-mouth recommendations from his customers. Mitchell has expanded his business to the point where he is shipping across the United States to places like California or Texas. He even built school logos for West Virginia University as well as Marshall. Now that Mitchell established himself well in the metal sign industry, he has recently expanded to making custom trailer hitches after seeing the need for a truly custom hitch.

The thing that makes this story interesting is how a young individual like Mitchell, was able to enter a generally congested industry and do something that he loves do. The lesson that I learned from this story was how no matter what type of industry, there is always potential. To me, the metalworking industry is well established. Many of the metalworking businesses that I personally know, have older individuals running them. I know that metalworking can be a difficult industry to enter; the older businesses are already so well established that new companies are unable to sway the competition’s customers. But that reason makes Mitchell’s success story, all that more impressive.

https://www.williamsondailynews.com/news/young-entrepreneur-makes-living-from-metal-artwork/article_eefa526a-2fc6-52fd-957b-80d4d785c074.html