EDITOR’S NOTE: Don’t worry, this is not a post about Annie Proulx ‘s novel, or even the movie with Kevin Spacey….

Arc-Zone.com is located in Carlsbad, California which is just a few miles north of San Diego. Our office and warehouse is in an active and vibrant business park. In fact, when I located the business here a few years ago we chose it for that very reason. Plus it’s close to the service centers for UPS, FedEx and DHL.

Last night I was in the Shipping Department. It was late and the guys were jamming to get the late day orders out. Dennis, our UPS driver, was there waiting.

It used to be the UPS guy would come early and not wait. He’d come back if he had time… but more likely we’d have to drive our “after pickup” load over to the UPS Office.

“How’s your load count?” I asked.

“Way down,” he said. “It’s sad.”

Then Dennis told me that Arc-Zone is the only company on his route that is consistent… As he picked up the last boxes to load onto his truck he said, “Man, you really do a nice job of packaging your orders. I bet your customers are happy to get a package for Arc-Zone.com.”

And we didn’t even tell him about the M&Ms that we include with every order!

Yes we do have a lot of raving fans and that’s why I’m proud to say Sales and Profits are up.
Arc-Zone.com closed out 2008 with a modest increase in sales and a huge improvement in our bottom line.

We’re looking forward to continuing the upward trend in 2009, because despite the current economic crisis, we see that the trend is steady. We’ll be here to serve the fabricators doing important repair work, and when the economy improves we’ll be serving fabricators working in construction and innovative areas like alternative energy laying the foundation for the future.

If you’re into automotive fabrication and want to improve your skills, then take a look into Lincoln’s Motorsports Welding School, which hosted an Advanced Motorsports Welding seminar this past December.  In attendance were some of the best team fabricators in the racing industry, representing NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), USAC (United States Auto Club), World of Outlaws and several others.  Lincoln’s comprehensive welding knowledge benefits the industry by helping teams, sanctions and manufacturers make their cars more competitive and safer to drive.

Welding schools like Lincoln’s did not exist in 1979, when Arc-Zone.com owner and founder Jim Watson was a member of the World of Outlaws Sprint Race Car Team.  Though based in Los Angeles, California, the team raced in 22 states and Canada. Jim was the Chief Mechanic for the team, which competed under the name James Gang #15. The car was a kit car that Jim assembled and it was accompanied by a transport trailer that Jim and the team also built.

The James Gang #15 Team pioneered the large custom transporter; until the completion and arrival of the team’s transporter, competitors used small open trailers.  The transporter that Jim and his team constructed was completely enclosed, contained a fully functional workshop, and contained all the necessary spare parts required to run the entire 80 race series.  The transporter that Jim and his team built was truly years ahead of its time and the application of welding was instrumental in its construction, as well as the construction of the team’s sprint car. (more…)

I have always been an outlaw. When I was a chief mechanic on a winning World of Outlaw Sprint car team my huge silver belt buckle was inlaid with turquoise letters – O U T L A W .

Even when I started Arc-Zone.com I was a bit of an outlaw, and a bit of a pioneer. We were the first to sell welding accessories online– I started with an eBay store, then we moved to a customized webstore built on open source code. We sell direct to consumers, and we sell to distributors. We have some items manufactured for us, to our specifications. And we don’t just sell product in California, or even some pre-defined western region, we sell worldwide. That really confuses manufacturers that have a regulated, pre-defined distribution system– a system that is sometimes hard to break into. In other words, some of the vendors we have dealt with have not really known which box to put us in.

Whether you’re an outlaw or a pioneer, or a little bit of both, one thing you’ll need when you have a business is a lawyer. Now I know everybody throws down on lawyers – but like it or not, if you plan on starting a business, or you are in business now, you will eventually need one.

I was lucky to find a good law firm early– Branfman and Associates. Before I even launched the company I asked advice on trademark and domain name issues, learned where I needed to start with preliminary name searches, what the difference is between a ( TM) and ( R) in terms of trademark, and how to protect your intellectual property.

And they are not just your stuffed shirt attorneys either. We had lunch the other day, and I discovered that Mark has a custom chopper. “It’s pretty fun and loud as all get out,” Mark says… and it should be fun, it’s a 2003 Bourget Pro-Gets Classic. A highly engineered bike with no oil tank! The oil for the entire bike circulates through the frame. It’s an awesome idea that improves performance by adding more oil and utilizing the surface area of the frame to dissipate the heat, keeping the engine running cool and efficient.

I have been with Branfman for 10 years and they have helped me in many ways. The more your business grows, the more people (vendors, customers, employees etc.) you deal with — the more you will need a GOOD Lawyer, one you have a solid relationship with.

Recently we were jacked around by a vendor…. This company has a reputation in the industry for being jerks but when we were just starting out, trying to establish resources for quality product we put up with their shenanigans. We were trying to build a reputation for ourselves as a company that puts customers first. I’m not saying we haven’t made mistakes, but hopefully we’ve handled them with integrity. And so we put up with this vendor for longer than we should have, but we documented each incident along the long road.

Recently they not only cut us off (after we have spent thousands of dollars with them), they had some rinky dink lawyer of theirs send us a childish letter. When we didn’t respond, they got their big guns fancy Beverly Hills attorney involved and made all kinds of ridiculous accusations trying to scare us. The fact is, they are jealous of the reputation we have built, the customer loyalty and the solid relationships we now have with quality manufacturers and our position in the market.

Now if we hadn’t already had a good solid relationship with a reputable and knowledgeable law firm, we would have been in a panic. As it stands, we’re able to let the attorneys deal with it and we can get on with the business we are in– delivering precision welding products, value-added services and technical solutions to customers worldwide.

If you have a business, make sure you have a good attorney on your side. Start early and build a relationship with him/her so they get an understanding of who you are and what you are trying to do. A good lawyer can direct you away from potential landmines that can derail your business and waste time and money – and in business both are very valuable!

Document your business dealings – and most importantly – don’t let people push you around – Push back and if you’re prepared – push back hard, then move on to growing your business!

Nothin’ like a nice steady rhythm to help you lay a bead, so we’ve created a couple soundtracks for you to weld by… ALL ROCK & METAL of course. Enjoy!

You may wonder what a motorcycle exhibition has to do with President Clinton. Or Joe Welder for that matter. But we came across this news item and thought we’d share it. The custom chopper has been instrumental in showcasing the art of welding in recent years, and sparked (no pun intended) renewed interest in metal fabrication, especially TIG welding, a refined skill that produces the beautiful welds that hold these custom fabricated bikes together.

Art of the Chopper

September 20, 2008 | Little Rock, AR | Clinton Foundation

Rolling sculptures that capture the American spirit—not to be missed! On September 20, 2008, the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, unveiled one of the most amazing motorcycle exhibitions ever presented…with the world premiere of Art of the Chopper. This exhibition will be displayed through Feb 8, 2009, and will feature 30 of the finest, most exceptional, custom motorcycles ever built.

Art of the Chopper is the first comprehensive collection of custom motorcycles created explicitly for contemporary art and curated for exhibition. The Clinton Center is proud to host this extraordinary exhibit, based on the best-selling books, “Art of the Chopper” and “Art of the Chopper II,” by Tom Zimberoff,

The “chopper” is a uniquely American icon, a creation that demands remarkable design and engineering while clearly expressing the artistry and personalities of their builders and owners. The exhibition will also include an extensive photo gallery of each builder’s creations and will provide an in-depth analysis of their design philosophies and unique style.

The William J. Clinton Presidential Center & Park, located on the banks of the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Arkansas, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world to its grounds each year.

Opened in 2004, the Center is home to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, and the Little Rock offices of the Clinton Foundation.

Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire. To learn more about our presidential libraries, visit the National Archives website.

The FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show is North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, and welding exposition and conference. The event exists to bring buyers and sellers of metal forming and fabricating technologies together in an environment that facilitates and accelerates business relationships.

The 2008 show will be held October 6 – 8, 2008 at Las Vegas Convention Center– in Las Vegas, Nevada.

One don’t miss event, keynote speaker and Joe Welder’s favorite fabricator / innovator, Dean Kamen. “Inspiring Future Generations to Lead the World in Innovation” on Tuesday October 7.

As an inventor and entrepreneur, Dean Kamen believes in the power of innovation. Innovation is the key to keeping U.S. manufacturing competitive in a global economy, but it depends on a well-educated and skilled workforce. During this high-impact presentation, Dean Kamen will discuss the importance of getting our Nation’s youth excited about careers in science, technology and engineering and cultivating an environment that encourages creativity and risk-taking. Drawing on his own extraordinary experiences and successes, he’ll provide insights on what business leaders and society can do today to increase our capacity to innovate and ensure a strong manufacturing future for years to come.

In case you don’t know who Dean Kamen is… he is the inventor of the Segway…. and with gas prices as high as they are now, the Segway is looking like a really good alternative to a car!

For a complete list of the events at the FABTECH / AWS Welding Show, check out the association website.

Joe Welder, aka Jim Watson will be at The Show. If you’d like to join him, and need a ticket, let us know. We’ll hook you up!

I can’t believe what people do for their kids these days! Last weekend I took my daughter to a Birthday party for one of her pre-school buddies – it was at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park – the first thing you see at the entrance is a real SR71 Blackbird (pictured above) – more on that later.

Our private guided tour included a rocket making class, and each child got to fire their Alka Seltzer powered paper rockets! It was bitchen.
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I spent the last weekend in Vegas and I’m not a gambler. I know that sounds weird as any entrepreneur is by nature a risk taker, but sitting at a slot machine pulling a silver handle (or these days, pressing a button) is not for me.

But Vegas is great! If you have not been there lately you should check it out. In addition to the gambling, they have shows, shopping and even some nearby recreation areas like Lake Mead, Las Vegas Motor Speedway… and Las Vegas is alive with construction projects. I was impressed by the scope of some of these projects, and best of all there is a lot of metal.

When we got in our room we were not happy with our view. We wanted to overlook the pool, so we asked for a different room. And when we got to our new digs, the bonus was that we could see the construction on the property next door. It was awesome, the project is the New City Center on the strip.

You could see all the action from the crane operators to the banks of welding machines, to the actual welders working from Sky Lift’s while they Stick welded the structural steel frame and architectural details. Of course there was a lot more welding going on inside the building as the entire core of the building requires a huge amount of welding and fabricating, from high-pressure pipe, HVAC, and on and on. I was thinking for young people this would be a great opportunity to travel, learn a valuable skill and make great money as a construction welder. It sure looked like fun to me!

EDITOR’S NOTE/ QUESTION: Is Joe Welder the only person who would be thrilled to have a room overlooking a massive construction project??

I love motorcycles and if you do too, check out this event:
The Biggest & Best Custom & High Performance Street & Sportbike Event in America!

Performance Machine presents the 17th Annual
2008 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show Weekend
& Calendar Girl Music Festival
July 12-13th 2008, Queen Mary Event Park, Long Beach
America’s Premier Custom & Performance Motorcycle Show
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That’s what our first video shoot at Arc-Zone.com® was all about — 8 hours of non stop action!

We’re putting together a series of professionally produced videos featuring industry leading products from some of our premiere manufactures, and of course our own World-Class line up of products. The production crew showed up with all the lights cameras and gadgets it takes to make it happen!

My shop looked like a Hollywood set We had the videographer, director, choreogrepher, best boy, and who ever that is that holds the little black & white stripped Clap board — Arc-Zone take two! — add in the wardrobe, makeup and hair stylist for my hot assistant — Roxy Acetylene™….

I don’t know about you but this was my first time in front of the camera. We had scheduled several videos — one About Arc-Zone.com and 12 product videos ranging from Product comparisons, to how-to’s. Boy were we optimistic! We were prepared with all the Arc-Zone Brand and other vendors products organized with scripts, props etc, but we had no idea how long it takes to do one 3 minute Video!

These behind-the-scenes pictures give you a pretty good idea of how it went down, and how much fun we had. We are going to rock it so stay tunned!