The CWB Association Welding Podcast
The CWB Association Welding Podcast
Episode 217 with Codie Aljets and Max Ceron
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry.
Reimagining life through metal art—Codie Aljets from Sage Country Customs takes us on an extraordinary journey from corporate burnout to creative fulfillment. Growing up in a small southern Illinois town of just 150 people, Codie's wanderlust was ignited by grandparents who traveled the world and this adventurous spirit carried him through a winding career path. What distinguishes Codie's approach isn't just his skill with metal—it's the profound meaning he embeds in each creation. Beyond personal commissions, his work has raised nearly $100,000 for cancer organizations, creating impact far beyond what financial donations alone could accomplish.
Follow Codie:
Website: www.codiealjetsart.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagecountrycustoms/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/codie.aljets/
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All right, I can check. Check, I'm good. So I'm Max Duran. Max Duran, CWB Association Welding Podcast, pod pod podcast. Today we have a really cool guest welding podcast. The show is about to begin.
Speaker 1:Attention, welders in Canada looking for top quality welding supplies, look no further than canada welding supply. With a vast selection of premium equipment, safety gear and consumables. Cws has got you covered. They offer fast and reliable shipping across the country. And here's the best part all podcast listeners 10% off any pair of welding gloves. Can you believe that? Use code CWB10 at checkout when placing your next order. Visit CanadaWeldingSupplyca now. Canada Welding Supply, your trusted welding supplier. Happy welding. Hello and welcome to another edition of the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Saron and, as always, I'm trying to find the cool people, the kids on the block that want to be on the show and bring out to you my faithful fans. Today I have a wonderful friend who is just a great human being all around. Fun to follow on Instagram and even funner in person Cody Algetz, who is, I believe, CEO, owner and administrator extraordinaire of Sage Country Customs. How are you doing, buddy? Doing well.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me, Max. I appreciate it. Did you like the intro? Yeah, I'll take that, you know. You got to put it out there with what you want to be right.
Speaker 1:That's right. That's right. You got to manifest, man, you got to manifest. So let's talk a little bit about uh yourself, cody. So first of all, where are you calling in from?
Speaker 2:uh, I live in western colorado, on the western side of the the continental divide, in gunnison, colorado well, is that?
Speaker 1:is that your home, turf, or where were you born and raised?
Speaker 2:no, I grew up in southern illinois and I've uh kind I grew up in Southern Illinois and I've uh kind of I grew up in a really small town, 150 people or so, and uh have kind of wandered my whole life uh, you know, to the mountains, california, tennessee, back to Illinois Uh, and I've always wanted to kind of make my home home, uh, colorado, and we've been here since 2012, full-time, me and my wife and nine-year-old son now.
Speaker 1:So why the desire to travel? You know, is that something you got from your parents, or was that something that just you know, yourself, as a young person, wanted to do?
Speaker 2:Probably my grandparents. My grandparents were a huge part of my life and they had went like all over the world. You know, to the point, they were one of those people that had a world map, that of all the places they had been together. My grandpa was the merchant marine when he was young so he had like a map of all the tours that he did on there and different pins. And you know, I just remember, you know even loading up the RV as kids and you know riding on the dash down the interstate. You know going to like you know something with the grandparents and gotten the Boy Scouts and used that a lot to travel. I got, I actually did travel over to Europe and everything through the Scouts and, um, you know, just kind of always had that desire to to travel, not so much worldwide. Um, you know I've been all over, but I I really like just to check out all the parts of the states and things like that they can offer that's awesome.
Speaker 1:We do a lot of two-lane traveling yeah, off the main interstates, yeah yeah, yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2:I, you know, growing up in a small town, I, we, we do I'll travel 3000 miles and maybe hit 20 miles interstate. You know somewhere that you have no other option. But uh, you know, I really like going through the small towns and going just using an Atlas and like looking at you know it tells you so many more things that are there historically or, um, you know, tourist kayak type stuff that your phone doesn't you know.
Speaker 2:And it's and with my boy being young, it's also a good way to like teach navigation and these things that, uh, you know, people still need to know and not be so reliant on the technology, you know.
Speaker 1:It's funny. I just just uh, last summer I went out camping with a friend of mine and he brought his kids and, um, they, one of the kids, he was like kids like 15, and he's like, oh, where's north? And I'm like, just, I'm like it's over there. And he's like, how do you know? I'm like, well, it's over there. I don't know. Like what do you? What else you want me to tell you? North is is that way. And he's like, let me get my phone.
Speaker 1:So he went and got his phone and he had to put the app on his phone to find the compass, to get the compass up, and it was pointing in a different direction. And he's like you're wrong, north is not that way. I'm like, no, I guarantee you, it's just a compass app on your phone, so it's going off cell towers. And, uh, he would argue with me till he was blue in the face and then literally had to pull out like a big map, just like an old map, and be like look north. I don't know what more you want me, but it's true, you lose something in the digital world. You lose, like perspective, right yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:I mean, and we live in an area that's like, uh, you could get real remote and in the wilderness real quick. So, um, you know, even when I'm doing my winter sports or my dirt biking and things like that, like I carry a manual compass with me and, man, you know still manual maps, because 90 of these areas you don't have a map unless you have a really fancy, uh, um, you know, trail, something that you can bring with you. That's got it all downloaded. Um, but if you know how to triangulate and read a compass, you can get about anywhere yeah, you can get anywhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can even figure out the sunrise and sunsets and day lengths and all of it.
Speaker 2:Man like yeah, it's pretty crazy.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's that's the kind of stuff that's funny that you learn when you're young and you're like what the am I ever gonna do with this and uh, you know, here I'm an adult trying to teach my son to kind of keep that alive a little bit, you know yeah, so you know the when I ran into you the first time I met you was a fab tech down in orlando last year, and I even remember you telling me that you had driven down for that, and that was quite the adventure driving.
Speaker 1:And I remember one of the first things you said, when I, when I was like you were in a circle of people and I kind of walked in, I was like, hey, how's it going? And you're yeah, cody came down here from colorado and I was like what was that like? And you're like it was like 50 hour drive or something like that. I was like what?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean, I don't know. I looked at some art along the way and went to the beach in the panhandle and ended up coming across like a pirate festival. Uh, you know, and you saw later like why I drove. You know, I came into fabtech later with like a piece to try to kind of promote myself and that's right I didn't want to ship that, nor could I have done that like don't.
Speaker 1:I didn't want to throw that on a plane you know, yeah, like usds mail, who knows what's going to happen, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, well, and they had like the hurricane right before, so there's a lot of unknowns. So I just like, rented a car that I just, you know, I bought my sleeping bag and some of my camping stuff and like, literally, a little camp stove and a cooler with some sausages or something, and you know I, I love it. I still do it the same as I did when I was you know young yeah, you know high school trying to travel around, catch a ski trip or something so let's talk about the reason you're at fabtech.
Speaker 1:So you know, for the people that are listening, fabtech is one of the largest steel manufacturing and welding conventions in North America. It's kind of the who's who of not just welders and engineers and fabricators, but also artists and people within the metal arts. What was it that attracted you to come to Fabtech in Orlando?
Speaker 2:to come to fab tech in orlando. Um, I tried to go to chicago, uh, the year before and it was kind of last minute and I didn't make the leap just because, mainly because, like financial reasons, to be honest with you, um, and I kicked myself for it I'm definitely somebody to like take the chance, just do it. You know, if you got to figure out money, take what you got up front and kind of figure out the rest later or do like I do.
Speaker 2:you know like it was cheap to rent a rental car for like 250 bucks for a week and I didn't spend any money on hotels and, you know, shared a house down there, um, so I just put it out there earlier that I wanted to go out there, you know, this year and you know found a way to, you know, to have a place to stay cheap. So I did it and I just wanted to. I wanted to see what it was about. I wanted to gain some of the knowledge there. Knowledge there, uh, obviously I was kind of trying to promote myself a little bit and and see, uh, that was some of the knowledge.
Speaker 2:I was having all those conversations in the background with people like yourself and everybody else and, um, really just wanted to kind of shake hands with a lot of the people that I've met over the last few years on social and through podcasts and things like that. Um, you know Kevin Johnson's, who I stayed with, you know, so, like you, you know know him as well, and, um, you know that was. I just wanted to see what it was all about and decided, you know, if I'm going to go, why not see if I can promote myself a little bit?
Speaker 1:No, it was great and it was funny because, you know, I was talking to kevin, we hook up every year at fabtech and and, uh, he was telling me a story like the first day I ran into him. He's like, yeah, so I got this house and we're crabbing like eight people in this house. I'm like you came with eight people, like no, like some of them were just people, like just just people. I'm like really. And then, like, literally, like a few hours later, I run into you and you're like, yeah, I'm staying at this house. I'm like, oh, you're one of the people staying at his house, got it? Okay, cool man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it was cool, you know, and uh, still networking with those guys and um, having conversations and, you know, just asking questions, and you know I'm definitely somebody that asks a lot of questions in the background at certain times if I want to gain some knowledge or techniques or you know things like that. So it's like I said it was good just to shake hands. I'm definitely kind of an old school guy, you know. We had that conversation.
Speaker 2:uh, just, you know it's good to have the handshake versus over the screen, you know you can get to know somebody, but you really get to know them sitting by the pool, you know, drinking a drink or, um, you know, standing around later in the evening because most people that I had met were so damn busy at fabtech to like see anybody during the day, you know yeah, during the day it's kind of a write-off everyone's running around with their heads cut off.
Speaker 1:But you know, hopefully and hopefully, and those networking, you know opportunities in the evening. This is how I feel about them. Like you know, fabtech's big, so as the groups get smaller, the conversations get better, right? So when you're at Fabtech it's, you know 10,000 people. There's only so much you can talk. But then you get to the next. You know VIP party or whatever, and there's 5,000 people. Okay, that's still tough, but you can talk. But then you get to the next, you know vip party or whatever, and there's 5 000 people. Okay, that's still tough, but you can do a little bit better. But then, like, the clicks break off and then you get your little groups of like fives and sevens and threes. That's when the best conversations start to happen. You know what I mean yeah, 100, yeah, I'd say.
Speaker 2:I thought I think our first meeting was by the pool. Uh, I had just met all Palo, like a month before in Utah at a shaping class, and you know she's like, hey, yeah, we're drinking by the pool, you know. So you know, and things like quick, good conversation, even just listening, walking in, coming at the end and gaining, gaining just all the knowledge, insight. There's. A lot of people have a lot more experience, um, you know, than I do in certain things and, uh, you know, I'm gonna gain all that knowledge. I can and I may not use it now, but it's always just good tools to have in the toolbox to, um, like we were saying, you know compass that's right.
Speaker 1:That's right. You never know when you need it right you know so for yourself. You know um, what's your background professionally. You know like what word, what, where's, what's your career train been? Because I met you as a metal artist. You're already established. I see your things online. They're amazing, they're beautiful, but I don't know the cody that that happened before this. Right, so walk me through your, your kind of career paths from, like you you know, high school out. Oh gosh, I've probably done everything.
Speaker 2:I've done so many things. I mean, when I was young I was like that guy that was hungry and chasing money. So I do three jobs construction, uh, you know. Work at a washing cars, at a car dealer, um, you know, when I got out of high school I moved to Colorado, um, and did like the snowboarder instructor thing, ski bum thing, uh, went back, went to school for a little bit back at Illinois, um, what'd you go to school during?
Speaker 2:that time, uh, I was going, I was going, I started school originally as an art major and at that time I, you know, going through it, what the am I going to do with art major beyond like teaching, or you know, how are you going to make a living? And um, you know, still trying to figure that out. Um, but uh kind of got pulled into the family business. My family business was mechanic shops. They had two mechanic shop locations and a body shop. Uh, in the body shop we had like a pit frame rack so we did a lot of pulling, uh, you know, and pushing on vehicles and frames.
Speaker 2:So, uh, I was always trying to kind of draw into that side of it, uh, but the necessity was really on the mechanical side, doing turning wrenches, you know. Um. So I did that for a while and then, uh, you know, did some trade school for learning a little more of the mechanical stuff and uh getting those certificates early, um, and then I ran into a guy that ran ski trips and uh started doing these ski trips and uh ended up in california for a while working for them and uh did that for a good amount of time and sold sandpaper, uh, norton abrasives for a period of time I was. That was probably my most successful time in my mid twenties as far as like financially.
Speaker 2:But I would actually yeah, 250 nights a year on a hotel and you know 100,000 miles a year. You know running the road, you know yeah at one 1.11 states and then got transferred to like a territory manager in nashville, tennessee, and kind of had that area in northern florida, mississippi, alabama.
Speaker 1:So I uh, you know ran, had a, you know job, restores, ran dc, uh, but I was primarily norton just running these accounts and try to do, um, you know, start with hands-on and then so interesting I just don't see you showing up with like a bucket of sandpapers at my front door of my shop to be like, hey, can I show you the latest grits of paper, like my epoxy on the paper doesn't burn or bind, or you? Know whatever spiel you have to do I.
Speaker 2:I don't see you doing those rules, but it sounds like you did really good at it. That's kind of where it started. And then when I got down to the territory manager, you know I was hunting, uh um, auto auctions, you know these big multi-million dollar accounts, and and then that's why I became more financially successful, because I was grabbing some of these, you know selling like 4.3 million dollars a year in sandpaper or something like that, which is a lot of da disc you know, uh, you know, but it was a hustle and I was just, you know, out of shape and so on.
Speaker 2:And then, uh, 2008 came and, um, you know, as a lot of people did, they, they cut like 40% of their sales force.
Speaker 2:Uh, and you know it was kind of like a meet us at a hotel. We were having a meeting and they ended up taking like our company cars or our computers, our credit cards and gave us money for a cab home. It was pretty shiesty and it completely changed my like my first time. It changed my vision of like, what I wanted out of life, and it definitely wasn't going to be working for a corporation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, corporate life's another. It's a beast right, it's a beast of its own, yeah.
Speaker 2:Corporate life's another. It's a beast, right, it's a beast of its own. Yeah, I mean, I, I did it, you know. I went to the headquarters and went to all these national sales meetings and wore the you know khaki pants and suit and shirt and tie every day and, um, but I thought that's what I was wanting, you know, and we're, I grew up, you know I I'm 45, or almost 45 now, um, be a couple weeks and uh, you know that's what you're. You know, if you could get the company car and the cutty car like you're doing.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, and, and I did, I bought, bought a house and a nice car and so on and so on, and it was just a bunch of you know, it didn't mean anything. You know, I was just meeting a bunch of circle of people that were like on their third divorce and their second bypass and you know, yeah, they had a lot of money, but it just wasn't a good point. No one was happy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So, you know, when I was I was in my mid twenties and went back to work for the family, we moved to illinois. Uh, after my wife graduated from college in tennessee and and um did that for a while and it just was always on the hunt for to get back to colorado, um, you know. And in 2012, you know, we were back home, I don't know. Five years, four years in illinois, and then in 2012, that same tea company bought a house up here that needed some work and said hey, you know, I know you're trying to get to Colorado, you want to go check out this house? And, uh, you know, if you'll do some work to it, it's a cheap place to live.
Speaker 2:And so we came out with like resumes, which was funny because it was like ski town nobody, everybody's like. What the hell are you doing with like resumes? You know? Uh, we got jobs and a month later I moved out and worked at like a blacksmith shop doing like high-end uh railings and home stuff and same. When my wife ended her teaching contract, um, she followed up, you know, a month or two later and then we've been here ever since so, first of all, when did you meet your wife?
Speaker 1:because you started this adventure without one and then, all of a sudden, there was one so whereabouts along this trip. Is it a california wife? Was it an illinois?
Speaker 2:wife was it a. I met her in illinois. Uh, we've been together since 2006. Uh, and we're? We just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary this. Well, it's tomorrow officially, but, um, yeah, so we've been together for a long time, you know, like we you know, it's like everything.
Speaker 2:It takes a lot of work and I'm not gonna say it's like fertile situation, but uh, we definitely both support each other and like our business decisions and and things like that really well, so it's just always been a good, good partnership on that end. Beyond you know, we just always hang out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, she must be a pretty patient woman to uh travel with you all over the us and these jobs, like I know how it is. Like I got a very patient wife that supports me as I travel all around the world with my work. Um, and you got to be on the same page or else it's just not going to fly right yeah, I mean she can work remote most of the time, so that's cool.
Speaker 2:Um, I I can't um beyond if I'm doing like a show with my art, uh, and I'm not gonna say she hasn't flown and met me places. Um, but you know my boy, he likes to camp. You know I can't camp. So when we do that, we we travel light and we bring the tent and the grill and, uh, bring the dog with us and you know we'll camp a handful of nights on the way to meet and meeting her. And then you know, when we're, if we we have like a destination, then she's with us and, um, you know, then we're back together yeah.
Speaker 1:So at the beginning, at the very beginning of the story, you told me that you went initially to school for art so early in your life, probably young. You know, baby cody, you were always artistic into art because obviously this was a dream that you had, that you know, capitalist corporate America crushed as soon as you got to university because it's that whole idea of, like, what are you going to do with an art major which? My daughter has an art major and she has a great job and makes great money as a music teacher. So first of all, to all the people that are thinking about getting an art major, just do it, you'll be fine. You'll be fine, it's work, you'll figure it out. But for yourself, you know, you abandoned it, got into corporate America, the khakis and the suits and the ties, which makes me want to barf because I know how that feels. And then you got sick of it because you notice everyone's dying.
Speaker 1:I had a heart attack at 30. I know the game, like it's, it's, it's. It eats you up. You're way overweight, you're sitting all the time. You're stressed out all the time. You're eating junk on the road all the time it's. It's a hard life and in this journey. I didn't hear anything about the art, and the art was there when you were young. So where did you put the art in your life during all this stuff?
Speaker 2:um, I don't know, I always did like little things on the side, kind of, yeah, um, I like I coached skydiving at one point and like made a sign for the skydive center that was like 3d and uh, I, some of my jobbers had like airbrush classes so I'd trade some sandpaper to get a spot in their class on. You know, make sure I was in that area during the class and you know the company paid it and I supplied all the sandpaper for the class. So it was a win-win and yeah, um, you know just kind of always had it, but it was never, it was just kind of come and go and really, when I got to colorado I did like the blacksmith shop and then, um, at a certain point I made playground equipment like, uh, concrete, spray concrete.
Speaker 2:But it was like a steel frame inside, and then the foam, and then they spray it and carve it. Uh, you know, I I was a um production manager for them and then when my son was born, I didn't, um, I didn't travel the same. You know, I'd always traveled so much. I just wanted to be around for my family. My, my father was never around, so that was kind of where the boy Scouts thing came from.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And, um, you know, so I wanted to like break that cycle, so I quit doing that and went back to like Valley job and that's where the I don't think I mentioned that firefighter emt thing, of course.
Speaker 2:Come on, you've done, you've done it all um, well, you know, I always, I take, I've always been told, try something, and at least once, and then you at least know if you want to try it or learn more. Yeah, and I've always tried to either better myself, whether it be in like quality of life at certain points, or financially at certain points, and that's a balance right it is yeah you know, part of the fire department, draw, is already volunteering and had all the search to be paid, so it's like why not?
Speaker 2:we worked to 48 96, so I was gone two days a week and then I had four days off you know.
Speaker 2:So it was a good quality of life, uh move, and you know he got good benefits and financially it wasn't bad Um, but you know, I I've always had the, just the desire to create. Um, I'm definitely like, even when we built our house, you know, I like to build the vanities and the sink basins and you know just different things like that, just with my hands, and some of it's been a financial thing. Like you know, we want something nicer than uh, we can afford to buy and it's like, well, I can make it. It just costs me my time and over time I've, you know, I've got a ton of different tools and wood and, uh, metal and mechanical and so on. So, uh, you know, I've got a ton of different tools in wood and metal and mechanical and so on. I've got enough to be a master of none.
Speaker 1:Well, that's half the battle. Is the tools really? That's really the hang-up.
Speaker 2:Once you acquire the tools, it's kind of whatever is at your disposal, right? Yeah, I mean I'm kind of a marketplace junkie for that stuff, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too. You don't even want to see my yard. My wife yells at me almost daily about it, the amount of things I got rolling around back here. But man, find some good deals, yeah I mean, that's what I did all this morning.
Speaker 2:It was nice and it wasn't windy and I you know it's probably not cold, so I took the opportunity to, you know, kind of clean up my clutter, my treasures.
Speaker 1:Your treasures. Yeah, they're my investments. I was just looking at making an ashtray stand this morning out of an old crankshaft out of a diesel, nice, yeah, you should. I'm like that'll be a nice ashtray stand for my deck, because everyone always keeps destroying ashtrays, and it wouldn't blow over or tip over. It'd be heavy as.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you should definitely do that. Find like a plow disc to set on top or something, or for your base.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do got a couple pieces of plow discs. I also got a couple disc brakes old disc brakes lying around. I thought that'd be a nice base because they're round and they're shiny. Hit it with some clear coat they're shiny, hit it with some clear coat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, heck. Yeah. Anyway, you should definitely do that. Back to my junk, I guess, but I don't think it's junk. I think I always see stuff from now for yourself. When was it that you started really putting the art forward, like you're starting to think now more aggressively towards your art projects and taking on some of the bigger things, because some of the stuff I've seen you do that's not off the side of your desk, that's. You know, that's a process um, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I mean, really it was covid, you know, 2020 I. I lost like 80 pounds in like 40 days. I was super weak and so on, and had got back to the point where I could get back to work. Uh, you know, I had to meet like a physical requirement to be able to work and get off the disability and um what a terrible time to get cancer, like right during COVID, when everything's like on shutdown. It was pretty brutal, I mean you know, nobody could come over, you know, even during my surgeries the first one, you know, in the hospital by myself.
Speaker 2:Family couldn't visit. Uh, and then the second side of all that. Um then, like one person could come for X amount of time, that they were allowed um.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it was pretty wild experience and just people wanting to come to kind of support you, but, you know, if they we didn't know so nobody could um, and then got back to work and got hit with like a, you know, a vaccine mandate. I, you know I used to be kind of cautious about how I say it, but it just is what it is. And the way the medicine did and um, you know, I ended up going like a pretty like a whole holistic route, um, naturopathic kind of route, and ended up being successful to beat my cancer much quicker than uh being told and didn't get vaccinated, and I got a letter that told me I was no longer an employee uh, if I wasn't.
Speaker 2:You know, I'm vaccinated by a certain date, so at that point it was just kind of like that. Another epiphany of like all right, why am I putting all this time and energy towards somebody else or, uh, you know an organization that doesn't obviously give that time and energy back to me, um kind of like I had with that corporate stuff. And you know an organization that doesn't obviously give that time and energy back to me, um, kind of like I had with that corporate stuff.
Speaker 2:And you know, just took the chance. I I, you know having the perspective of not, uh, thinking I was going to be alive.
Speaker 2:It was like, well, I wait, you know I had built like a, um, detached garage, uh, but it wasn't finished, it was just a shell, and I'd always said, like that's going to be like my backup gig, when, when we, when I get situated with the house and you know, slow down, blah, blah, blah, yeah, yeah yeah, um, and I just the last class I was at, uh, for fire department uh, I like wrote a note that you know I wasn't even paying attention to the class that it was just like I want to make, like you know, the raddest art possible and you know, every once in a while, maybe make a really cool vehicle in there, um, and just approached my wife about it and we ended up selling the property that we had and took some you know retirement stuff and funds that you know we had acquired over time and said you know, here's my allowance and, um, you know, I had some drywall left over from the house and finished out the shop and pulled my tools that I had collected out of storage and and started making stuff.
Speaker 2:Um, and like in 21 it was like november 21 when I, when I did that, I was cutting like hand saws with a plasma tor or not plasma, like oxyacetylene torch, uh into like trees.
Speaker 1:I was making like kind of I I don't want to call it crafty, but it was more craft fair type stuff yeah I always said, I wanted to be like there's nothing wrong with that, like people can make a living off that you know you definitely can.
Speaker 2:It's just man, you gotta make a lot of stuff you do like 50 and 250 dollars to survive with a living and, um, you know, coming with what I, you know, coming with what I, you know my cancer stuff, like I had to have insurance so I got to pay for that and you know we had just built a house right before all that so it was like oh yeah.
Speaker 1:I always forget that you guys have to pay for insurance down there for health. That's tough yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, um, you know, and it's not cheap, Um, um, you know, and it's not cheap, um, so it was a big decision and needed to cover some stuff and um, so I've just, I've just always been motivated to keep pushing, and, pushing, and pushing, and you know, coming from like saws and random flat stuff. Uh, one year I approached the local cancer organization that, um, that had helped me a they like provide cars and all this stuff.
Speaker 2:They do like a summer songwriter thing. They bring in these national songwriters and it's, uh, you know, four or 500 head of people there that, um, you know, raise a lot of money. Um, and I just approached the lady with a really drawing of like a cow skull, similar to what you saw last year really crappy drawing of like a cow skull, similar to what you saw last year. Yeah, I've took um, but it's a really rudimentary drawing and said, hey, I want to like donate back to you guys.
Speaker 2:Uh, and I'd really like to like stand up and talk about this piece and there was like a meaning behind it and it I was more successful than I thought I would have ever been, uh, in like getting to the final piece of it and that was just like an eye-opener to me and it it brought a lot of money, um, for the organization and um, then I was off to the races. You know, it's kind of that epiphany of like all right, if I could make that yeah, the first hundred percent.
Speaker 2:Um, and now I'm just at this point of like I'm really I don't get a lot of commissions. You know, most people you know get a lot of commissions and a lot of these things I'm making are either for these um organizations. I do auctions with them and I take a percentage from them, um, and I also, um, you know, from those auctions I'm starting to get pretty big client for missions now, you know so, um, but I'm gonna leave openings myself to because I want to create. I've got like notebooks upon notebooks of bigger and better projects that I want to do.
Speaker 1:They just have to be the right timing or somebody to pay for them.
Speaker 1:Well, let's take our break now for the advertisers. And when I get back, I want to talk to you about that whole process, because I've interviewed a lot of different artists and it's very two different kind of angles of the commission versus the build it and they will come model. And when we get back let's talk about that because I think it's interesting and I think the viewers would love to hear it. So don't go anywhere. We'll be right back here on the CWB Association, with Cody Algiers here. Looking for top quality welding machines and accessories, look no further than CannaWeld. Based in Vaughan, ontario, cannaweld designs, assembles and tests premium welding machines right here in Canada. Our products are CSA certified and Ontario-made approved, reflecting our unwavering commitment to excellence. Count on us for superior service that's faster and more efficient than market competitors. Whether you're in aerospace, education or any other precision welding industry, cannaweld has the perfect welding solution for you. Visit cannaweldcom today to discover why professionals rely on CannaWeld for their welding needs. Cannaweld where precision meets reliability in welding. Enjoy peace of mind with our four-year warranty on most machines. Conditions do apply.
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Speaker 1:And we are back here on the cwb association podcast. My name is max serron. Thanks for staying with us during those announcements. All right, so we got cody here.
Speaker 1:We've been talking about his journey, you know, uh, from his life through the trades, through corporate and into you know this, this desire to be um, or the epiphany of creation that you had, where you know it's like the stuff you do is valuable and it's, you know, gives you that confidence to to build more.
Speaker 1:And one of the things we were just talking about is is it's hard to get commissions, and I I find that when I run into some metal artists that get a lot of commissions because some seem to get a lot of commissions. They're very niche, right. It'll be like you're the fish statue guy, so then all the fishing places in north america. I'll be like I want a fish statue and so you go to the fish statue guy and he makes you all the fish statues and then then they're running off the top. I don't. I don't know if you have carved yourself a niche like that to to kind of become that artist for that niche, or or if it's something you even want to do like you know, where do you think you are in that, in that scale?
Speaker 2:um, I'm definitely not a niche. I get told that all the time like niche down and uh, I'm more about like I want to do projects that I'm feeling and what I discovered. Like I was saying before the break, like I've I can touch people with my art and I can also give back with my art, like I'm almost I'm just under 100k of raising for local cancer organizations with just four years of uh donating some art pieces that's why easy to me, that's amazing, like I can't give that back fiscally or financially.
Speaker 2:I never would have been close with that uh but I've been able to do that and having the conversations after those, especially with other cancer survivors or people that are in the process, how much it touches them kind of changed how I'm approaching it. But I am leaving doors and windows open for like some of these stepping stone pieces I'll call them, uh of these just pieces that are in the back of my brain that linger and I want to get them out Uh, but I gotta be at like a point financially that I can do that and also know that I have like a window without a deadline to have like the next commission set up. You know, it's like for me like the end after fab tech this year. I'm not, I'm just gonna finish what I want at the end of the year.
Speaker 2:Unless somebody really really wants my time, yeah, and I think I've got myself hopefully set up to that like I won't be financially where I want to be, but I do have a little bit of um. You know, I've got some pieces for sale currently on my website. So, um, if some of those drop and some of those things, uh, you know, sell and some of these conversations I'm having and some of these commissions that I'm doing, uh, talking out through the end of the year, then I'm okay this year and it'll still be my best year as a full-time metal artist you know, I don't do a secondary job or or anything like that at this point.
Speaker 1:You know and you know you bring back, giving back, you bring up, you know your, your cancer survivor. My dad's a cancer survivor. I'm pretty much the only one. Cancer has hit my family very hard in a lot of areas and I very much appreciate how you bring that emotional state into it, because that's kind of the eternal artist battle, you know, like did Nickelback sell out or not? Right Kind of the question.
Speaker 1:Because it's like you, you work as an artist to get your art out there because you love art. But you also got to feed your kids and live in a house and put food on the table and so sometimes the way to do that is to sacrifice some of the feeling of the art for the production of art, you know, so you can make X number of pieces to sustain yourself. That's a tough line to walk. Sounds like you've got a pretty good plan. You know for yourself how is getting your inner you know, those inner vibes out, the most important part of creating art um, I think it's the best way to push yourself to the level that you want to get to okay, you know what I mean like if it's.
Speaker 2:You know it's hard to spend two, three hundred hours on something that nobody's purchased, if it doesn't have any meaning to you in my opinion.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean it's like if you're just trying to be the best metal shaper or or welder, or tig welder or whatever you're doing, uh yeah, you could like practice right, but your best, in my opinion, your best isn't going to come out until you actually like are challenged, meaning behind it you know and and like those cow skulls and stuff for super school and I've done like ram skulls and different animals, and that's just because I'm so outdoorsy and it's kind of inspired by what's around me, yeah, but the pieces I'm taking on now are conversations where I'm diving deep in like personal lives of people.
Speaker 2:Uh, you know, like, uh, my most recent commission is a 10-year anniversary piece, just you know we were talking about that before the thing and, uh, you know I'm learning more about these clients in a short couple phone calls and emails and and conversations like we're having, uh, than I do some of my closest friends and that's kind of cool they're.
Speaker 2:They're actually becoming my friends and I same. I would have never expected it like we're gaining a personal relationship out of art and like this client now, even the very beginning of the conversation he was like I'm not creative or anything like that. I was like, well, let's just have a conversation about your expectations and you know all the stuff you know. By the end of the conversation he was so worked up that he felt like he was like creating the piece, because in real time I was telling him how I was going to maybe utilize that information in this piece of like it's two mules.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You'll actually see it. It's going to be at Fabtech, so you'll see it. Awesome, can't wait that was part of my contract with them is like I can fit you in by this deadline, but I need a piece for this event that I'm going to.
Speaker 2:So, but there'll be all this hidden meaning behind it and that's just been something really cool to be able to see that in people and they get excited about it and that's just part of what I'm creating with my art beyond it and you know, I've been told by several people, like you know, this will be stuff our kids want, because it's going to remind them of our story or what the meaning behind it absolutely it'll be passed on and that's like the best compliment I think I could ever get you know well, those, those are the connections that artists make, that they often kind of like delude to themselves, which is too bad, because artists should be confident in in what they do and and what they contribute to society.
Speaker 1:I think that art is a critical aspect of being human and our social structures. Um, when you connect through art, it's timeless. It's timeless. You know, like I can go to the museum or the art gallery and see a piece of art from someone that's been dead a thousand years and connect to it. You know, I'm a builder, so I love statues and I love seeing statue work, and so I can see a statue that was done during the roman times and I'm connecting with that artist and they've been dead a million years or what, a couple thousand years, and and I think that that is a value that is beyond any, any financial thing like mean, obviously you need to live, to eat, but one of the things that we were talking about just a couple minutes ago was like building by commission or build it and they will come, and that's something that I've kind of even figured out in manufacturing.
Speaker 1:I'm not very artistic in building, but I like to build things. I'm more industrial in my thinking, but if I build something, I'm like, why am I doing this? I'm wasting time. But in my experience, and my experience with other people, is, if you build it, someone will buy it. You know what I mean. You just gotta get it out there because eventually, eventually, that's it will happen right, and that's kind of like the things are. Or if you build something and it's not selling, it's like maybe reassess how well you built it, right, because things, um, things tend to get sold Like go to the dollar store. There's a million cheap things there. People are buying them, right, so why would they not buy something better, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I mean, it's the luxury, right? So if you can get them to, to have that personal feeling to it and you can and and also make them think they're part of that process, it's way cool. You know, even if I'm doing, like, you know, a steer skull, I, I want to know like the recipient's favorite color I'll try to tint with heat torch or, you know, yeah, or patinas, you know, I'll add all these little hidden things that just make it different than just an animal. You know and I don't disrespect anybody that just does that and wants to do hard to sometimes articulate that, uh, even in like a reel or something, I'm I'm terrible at it, but I'm getting, I'm getting better at it.
Speaker 2:And when I do put it out there, or if I show some vulnerability, um, you know there's a lot of people definitely on the background that messaged me and say, hey, I needed to hear that today, or I really appreciate you putting that out. That spoke to uh, you know, here's my story and that's how you meet like really cool people in the background and and that's something you know, especially from the social stuff that I would have never expected. Or, you know, I stayed away from instagram and all that. I didn't even have one until like 2022 or somewhere in there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah now because, I just heard these horse stories. You know like don't put yourself out there, people are gonna knock you and right. Uh, I personally haven't had one like negative interaction or anything that I would call negatives from it beyond, like just you, you know, having more people to call and say, hey, you know, no one's calling you up being like.
Speaker 2:I don't like that art yeah, I mean and and I think it's just because I'm not trying to say I'm like the best artist out there, I'm just doing my, thing, you know and I think I'm putting out some pretty cool stuff, and I think I'm just getting started and I'm pretty confident about saying that uh you know I'm going from saws to where I'm at now and you know I'm in my three and a half years. There'll be four years at the end of this year. My level of manipulation and the way I'm at now is just going through the roof and you know I started with like shaping and manipulation and now I'm really into like light.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to play with like light, with different materials and patinas and textures I didn't notice that on some of your last sculptures that you've really broadened, you know the steel work, the working of the actual steel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, because I was scared of it. You know, I I never take welded and I was super scared. And uh, austin and bo came up last year and like we spent like a week of filming for ethob and uh at night. I just had those guys like, just give me the rudimentary down and dirty and then same. I've just been testing myself and just upping my level with with bigger stuff and in the end it's really for these projects that I, like I said, if I, if I can really show what I want to do, you know, I'm really going to try to send it to the moon and um, and same that's not for financially, it's just I've got like notebooks of these things that I also think will be very powerful, uh, for public art, you know, and things that could be powerful for people.
Speaker 2:So, um, I'm just trying to play for and grow so I can make meat in the middle and and use the shaping plus the, the different lights and the material, and and be able to keep growing that's super cool that that blacksmithing gig that you had for a bit.
Speaker 1:How much has that helped you out and kind of understanding the steels or you know, in in working towards your art or you know, was it valuable to you to kind of have that job?
Speaker 2:Maybe a little. It was so different. It was more like you know, big three quarter bars, handrails and benches and things like that and most of my stuff. I honestly do cold. I like I kneel a lot of my stuff and then I use a lot of you know, leather, bag and mallets and, um, different hammers that I put in my vice that I've gotten from like yard sales and just my own little tools that I've used. You know I'd say it helped, but I think it's really just been trying and failing a lot of pieces and being willing to toss it aside or saying like, okay, can I bring this back yeah and make it work you know sometimes your
Speaker 1:flaws end up being a super success, you know yeah now you said you avoided social media for so long. You know we're the guy, you know we're kind of you're on the edge of gen z or gen x. I guess you're probably a young gen xer. Socials aren't natural to to necessarily everyone over their 40s. But once you got into that social sphere, you know you said you didn't. You haven't had much negative or almost none. But how much have you learned through socials? You know looking at other people's art or accessing other people's arts, like you said. You know you met alice impala. I mean, you met her in person, which is wild, but she's also someone that avoided socials but does great work. You know what I mean. And uh, you know how do you get much from social media in terms of either inspiration or skill or tips and tricks, or or do you try to kind of avoid it and figure it out on your own?
Speaker 2:no, I definitely. I get a ton uh and I I ask a lot of people, you know, um, even like the gold leaf stuff, uh, yeah, I, I found a couple people that did gold leaf and threw a post out there saying anybody didn't know that gold leaf, and got a couple messages and uh, got people that were doing huge gold leaf projects that ended up sending me like a six-page email with like every product they use, step by step that's amazing and just same.
Speaker 2:I just tried it you know I don't think anybody here or at least in in like the realm I am in social, which is pretty small, uh is doing anything secret. You know we all have our little tricks. But you could put the same pile of materials, same pile of tools in front of each one of us and say give us a, an owl or something, and everybody's going to make it their own way anyway, and if one of us is doing good or doing better, then it really trickles down. You know that turkey fan. It was completely a. It was a referral from a really high-end social media person that was too busy and couldn't make a deadline and they threw my name out and I ended up getting the job that's awesome, which is that that network was amazing yeah, I mean, and I hope to someday be able to be able to do the same thing.
Speaker 2:You know, um, but I think everybody's super humble, uh, even you know, like, I was just at kevin stone and michelle's shop, uh a couple weeks ago, and then I'm out with those, uh, christian sosa for a couple days, and all these people have been doing this stuff for 20, 30 years and they're willing, they're open books if you're just willing to sit and talk to them. And you know, uh, we're not competing on the same level or the same client, so it's not like it's a bad thing it's not a cutthroat, yeah.
Speaker 2:No, you know, and and the same. It's just putting yourself in the circles that you, you know, the the level you want to be. I don't necessarily. I'd rather my art be known versus me, but it's part of the game, you know people.
Speaker 1:But it's part of the game. You know people have to like you, to like your art. I guess, yeah, maybe that's something new. You know that's interesting. You say that because you know there was, uh, there's been an old tradition in the art world of pen names.
Speaker 1:You know lots of writers, lots of artists don't give up their real names, their real identities. They create like a false identity for their art because they don't want people to know them. And I've read even some literature where some artists feel that if people know them it'll distract from the art, like it'll take something away from the art to know the person, for example, like here's an easy example for me like michael jackson. Michael jackson might be the best artist, the pop artist of all time, but his legal troubles what happened with him taints his name and then it taints his art. Right, and if you would have never known anything about Michael Jackson and only listen to the music, you'd have a different opinion right now. Does that happen in art? Can you get around that in social media today? I don't know, that's interesting.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I think too, and know it's the same as kind of what I've said about putting myself out there. And even just I talked to so many people dirt that are going through cancer right now and used to hold a men's group in my shop for, like, did like 50 meetings in a row and, um, if my story and just the way that I'm turning around and taking a negative and trying to make the best out of it, uh, you know, can be motivating for people, so I, that's where I've decided I'm willing to put myself out there and, um, you know, just let people know that even though today you might be in a really situation, but if you get up and do the work, it'll get better.
Speaker 1:It's not going to happen overnight, but it'll get better yeah, and that's really the key, right that that work angle. Uh, you gotta meet good times halfway, right? You can't just expect the good times to roll up and be like, hey, how's it?
Speaker 2:I mean, I wish, I wish, that'd be super sweet yeah, I mean, you know, and that's where it's double-edged, because I think you know, from the social aspect, people think I'm like living it up because I am riding my dirt bike and going snowboarding and things like that. But like you know, I live in an area that I can do that out my backyard and I don't spend much money beyond that.
Speaker 2:You know I. When we travel, I travel light, I travel cheap. You know I don't go much money beyond that. You know I. When we travel, I travel light, I travel cheap. You know, I don't go on big fancy vacations. Uh, because I want to have like the day-to-day lifestyle.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I'm always happy to come home from a vacation because I do live the life I'm trying to create and, um, you know, I don't think that's like an entitled thing because it's been a lot of work, you know, and I and I have the least amount of money in the bank account that I've had in my entire life and I'm okay with that you know like I say that all the time.
Speaker 1:I'd rather die happy and poor than rich and angry. Like there's, there's no. There's no comparison there, really but it's coming.
Speaker 2:I mean, I, you know my commissions now the talks are a lot bigger dollar amounts and you know, like the one that I had to this guy recently, he was going to get his wife a restored truck and said you know, well, that's, that's just money. I want something that's meaningful. You know, and I had met him and talked to him a couple of weeks prior and my name you know, my name thought popped in his head and after that conversation, here we are. So you just got to have more of those conversations and you know that happened by going to a mule show in Arizona. You know off grid ranch and I wanted to go to this off grid.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but but it was like billionaires with like ranch people. Like it was such a weird mix of people and you got this time out there that when these people weren't busy on their phones or on their computers, and you know, you got to know them. You know dealing with mules and with family meals and all this stuff. And next thing, I know I've got, you know, four or five more clients.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's amazing. Now, what's in the plans for this year's Fabtech? You said you're going to be in Chicago. What's the plan?
Speaker 2:Right now I'm going to. You know, I signed a one-year thing with Forney as an affiliate, you know, and they provided me the machines and so on, and um so I'm gonna have some stuff in their booth, uh, a couple, probably that mule piece and a couple other ones, and then, um, pearl snap pimp jonathan herrera yeah, yeah I met him last year and you know they were super cool guys and they're young and hungry.
Speaker 2:Da offered to to put a piece there and I think I'm going to try something pretty wild for that, for that um one's going to be. Since I got this commission I know one's already sold, so that gives me a little leeway to kind of throw something that I think the welding industry will appreciate, uh, for the skill uh of like the TIG welding aspect and how far I'm going to push it. Yeah, plus my art with it, you know.
Speaker 1:I'm excited to see it, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we'll see and then, you know, just kind of doing the booth things, a couple of those, but that was just all stuff from last year. But I'm also going to give myself time. You know everybody that I met and have been talking and networking with you know they all were so busy that they didn't get to really enjoy like walking around and looking at all the booths and some of that. So, um, as I always do, unless it's the right opportunity or somebody really wants my time, I'm going to make sure I have my time to walk around and see everybody and and also support some of the friends that I have that are going to be in booths and so on. You know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I totally hear it. I mean, I have this conversation every year because you know I'd look at my staff and you know we're planning off Fabtech. I literally had a Fabtech meeting this morning and it's like how much time will I have to actually walk around? And I haven't been able to walk through Fabtech three years in a row now and it's like I really would love a few hours to just walk around and and shake hands and get to see the new stuff.
Speaker 1:And I, you know, sometimes I never even get out of the welding area and the only time I get to visit is in the evening, when you know, when we get out and and try to find those clicks, those small groups of people that I that I know that we can, you know, hang out and actually just relax and talk and shoot the shit right.
Speaker 2:Definitely yeah, and I think this year will be a little harder with that. I don't know, I've not done the Chicago one, but you know it was easy in Orlando. Everybody kind of filtered to the same place every night.
Speaker 1:Yeah, chicago it's. We all kind of stay on the same strip, so there's a couple of bars there on the same strip by the waterfront. There, the AWS building, there's a bar there, there's an Irish bar. That's kind of a central meet place and so it's not too hard to figure out where everyone's going. There's the Hard Rock Hotel already is up and getting promoted for that event.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that.
Speaker 1:There's the Arcs and Ales event. Um, there's, there's the arcs and ales, so there's a few places, but usually we all just meet there and then bounce to go somewhere else. I mean, chicago's got some great food, so yeah, that's definitely what I get together with everybody and do like a dinner night, if we can make that happen yeah, we usually do one dinner night every year, um, but uh, yeah, like I mean, uh, we'll we try, we'll make sure that we run into you there and see who we can get on the list.
Speaker 2:So yeah, no, I'm looking forward to it and it'll be a different experience for me this year and you know, it's just more fun the more people you know and get to see each other in faith. You know face to face once a year at least, and it's less of a drive, isn't it?
Speaker 2:um not really, but I grew up in southern illinois so I'll probably, on one way or the other, um, stop by visit the family. Yeah, because I'm actually going to montana from there, so I'm gonna do like a big, big loop you're gonna do the big loop.
Speaker 1:You're gonna be up in canada anytime this summer no, not that far yet. I need a better truck to go that far yeah, I was gonna say I'm up, I'm camping every summer. I'm always out from basically the end of june till the end of august. I don't book any work, travel, because that's my family time, so like I still work.
Speaker 2:But uh, since I can work remote, uh, me and the old lady usually pack up and go hit the lake or park, uh the trailer somewhere for a while yeah, I'm trying to get through this guitar I've been working on and then I've got two pieces for these auctions, uh, and I'm trying to get through those early because the same june, july is just amazing here in august and I'm usually so busy the beginning of juneune july is just amazing here in august and I'm usually so busy the beginning of june and july it's hard to you know.
Speaker 1:Take advantage some, some of that yeah, people don't understand what seven months of winter is like it's great it was snow flurrying yesterday.
Speaker 2:We probably had the same system, probably. I mean, we get out at like six in the morning to go dirt bike and just to get it in. You know like, yeah, I mean we call it the dad ride and we just meet super early and get it in before the kids get up and so on and at least get out and do something. You know, yeah, yeah, no, I'm pumped.
Speaker 1:Uh, supposed to be warm this weekend, like hot, like the first hot weekend, so, uh, I'm pumped. I'm gonna be working on warm this weekend like hot, like the first hot weekend. So I'm pumped, I'm going to be working out in the yard lots. I got lots of things I want to get going and plus I got to do some organizing. I got to separate my stainlesses from my mild steels. They're all mixed in right now and it's driving me crazy. So I got to spend some time in the shop doing some organizing.
Speaker 1:Get you a couple magnets on a stick and, yeah, walk around. Yeah, and I had some donations this winter. So I got a bunch of uh leaf springs dropped off, a couple cranks, a couple camshafts and then, uh, like 200 feet of uh two inch pipe and I don't know what I'm gonna do with yet, but I got it, so I gotta figure out what to do with it leaf springs are great for, like the top arch of bike racks oh yeah, and then you can put some gears on the top of it and make, uh, if you leave the, the round where the coils, uh, you know where the mounts are.
Speaker 2:You can hang like baskets off of them for like flowers and stuff.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, last year I cut a couple up and made throwing axe heads for buddies. Uh, out of the leaf springs, because you can temper them and then they're hard as F right.
Speaker 3:That's good steel.
Speaker 1:Right, it's 10-51. So I cut out some axe heads and put them on short handles and made them like all medieval, looking like a wide front with a spike on the back, so you know. But I got like probably eight more sets of leaf springs now so I got to figure out what to do with them.
Speaker 2:Man, that's what I was like. I said that's what I was doing. It's still part of the work, you know. You got to stay somewhat organized and know where your stuff is and be able to get to, but at a certain point you got to have like a purpose for it if it's going to sit there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I probably don't tell me that. I don't want to hear that. Well, buddy, I can't wait to see you in Chicago. I mean that's going to be a blast. You're a part of so many great things. You know especially what you do to fundraise for cancer, for cancer research and treatment. Do you want to tell the people that are listening, kind of you know how to get in touch with the groups you work with and you know who do?
Speaker 2:you want to promote and get the shout-out for. Yeah, I mean, gunnison Tough is the local organization and Living Journey is the other one, and they're both in Gunnison, colorado. They definitely are boots in the ground and all the money stays in the Valley and they provide meals and transportation and it's a insane. It's not like there's not a anywhere else. You know, um, so I fortunately it was here um to have it, you know, when I went through it and we definitely utilized it. But, um, you can get in touch with them on the socials or their websites and um, yeah, if any help would be great for the, for those organizations awesome, and how do people get in touch with you if they're interested in seeing your art, purchasing your art or or perhaps commissioning?
Speaker 1:you know how do people find out where you are?
Speaker 2:um on the socials. I'm at sage country customs and and my website is CodyAljetsArtcom and it's Cody with an I-E.
Speaker 1:Cody with an I-E All right, codyaljetscom All right. Well, that's awesome, buddy. You know any shout-outs to anybody in your personal life that you want to say hi to, while you got me here.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:Happy anniversary to my wife, wife yes, 14th anniversary tomorrow so well, I hope I meet her someday. Sounds like a wonderful person, and your kid too. I love following you guys on the socials. So, um, I often feel like we got similar lives because we like to be outside lots and play with our toys, so that is a fact.
Speaker 2:I say we, we had a lot of connection when we got to have those conversations. We definitely had a lot in common.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you bet buddy, all right. Well, you know, if you're out there listening, get in touch with organizations Cody supports. We're always looking for that. You know. It's very noble cause to support any type of treatment center or rehabilitation centers. That's something that our chapters, our association, is a big part of. We've done a number of fundraising opportunities for a number of different charities over the years and and cancer is no different than the rest we were all affected by it, so so that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Also for the people that are following along, you know, make sure that you get out to Chicago for fab tech so you can see Cody's art in person. You can go meet the man and the legend himself and get to be a part of it. And also we'll have our booth out there. We're going to be recording some podcasts at Fab Tech, like we do every year. We're going to have a couple booths out there, so we're going to be on the main Fab floor and we're also I'm going to be speaking at the educational forum. So I'm going to be presenting. I already got my date but I'm not sure when that is, but I'll be doing a presentation there about leadership. So busy. It's going to be a busy week, but if you can get to Fabtech Chicago, I'll see you there, and I'll see you too, cody, thanks for being on the show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I appreciate you having me. I look forward to shaking your hand and giving a big hug.
Speaker 1:All right, buddy, you too. All right, everyone take care, and I'll see you at the next episode. We hope you enjoyed the show.
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