'When I would go out on job estimation, I would always take Mike along. 'He was so good at doing the job that I was able to return to teaching and let him run the shop for me when I was in the classroom,' Rowe said of Geiger. To Rowe, Geiger's character and welding abilities make him a standout welder. Rowe taught Geiger as a high school student and later hired him.

This is the case with Mike Geiger according to Richard Rowe, a welding instructor at Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kan. Sometimes giving one's all comes down to just having good values. Krupnicki is just one of the welders whom has been privileged to learn about, just one of so many who give their all to improve the welding industry and their communities. 'We keep it clean, fresh, interesting, and interactive - like Disney World for adults.' 'Our entire staff is energized toward creating a buying experience for customers that celebrates welding,' Krupnicki said. At the end of one of his classes, one student even said, 'You make welding chic.' 'We are shattering the myth that welding is this dirty, black magic requiring low skill,' Krupnicki said. Although he doesn't know if he's influencing more people to consider manufacturing as a career, he does know, from his students' reactions, that he's improving the image of welding. In two years 800 people have taken his classes. Krupnicki said these classes are an extension of his desire to improve the image of welding, one person at a time, in his community. This led Krupnicki to begin offering metal sculpture classes in the facility's training center, classes he describes as 50 percent educational and 50 percent entertainment. 'People would get inspired and say, 'I want to do that,'' Krupnicki said.

As part of the new facility's look, Krupnicki filled the store with functional metal sculpture made by area artists.

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